See All Posts

Week in Review

Ali Lincoln

As an early birthday present for me, McDonald’s all-day breakfast has finally become a thing nationwide—you’re welcome, everyone. I know, you’re probably thinking that McDonald’s is terrible and disgusting and how could someone who professes her love for food so regularly deign to eat at such an establishment, but let me stop you right there. Sometimes, you just need an egg McMuffin and hash browns. And you accept it for what it is—gross—and revel in eating it anyway.


So even if it’s after 10:30 AM, feel free to peruse the rest of the important happenings from the week over your very own McDonald’s breakfast.
What’s new this week:
Drake University professors had some big hits this week. David Skidmore’s opinion piece on policy similarities between Carter and Obama landed in U.S. News & World Report. Keith Miller was cited as an expert for a Wall Street Journal article on sports fantasy sites.
Mary Johnson of Higher One had insider tips on what a financial aid refund is and the best plan for students to manage theirs.
What we’ve been talking about:
Teresa Valerio Parrot’s expertise was used in an interesting article on the 50th anniversary of UC Irvine.
On Inside Higher Ed’s Call to Action blog, make sure to read the latest from Kristine Maloney on shifting strategies to engage Generation Z.
What we’ve been reading:
Teresa Valerio Parrot
I’ve watched the conversation around the new “virtual college locker room” quite carefully and know there are many questions remaining. Knowing that plenty of people are working to address the procedural and equity issues, I shifted my reading focus to how students can pay for their education regardless of where they attend. Education Commission on the States has an online database of state-based financial aid approaches that shares how each state is addressing this critically important topic. There’s some good stuff shared!
Kyle Gunnels
My “what I’m reading” this week is a bit odd, seeing as how I’m still not done reading it yet (seriously, it’s that good, I don’t want to rush through). However, in clicking through various links on a Reddit thread about “what’s the most chilling unsolved mystery or crime” I stumbled on this fantastic long-form piece about the Golden State Killer and a slate of crimes that occurred from 1976-1986 that have never been solved. The piece, from Los Angeles Magazine, details the case and the work being done now by an investigator, a retired detective and a group of ‘online obsessives’ to try and solve the mystery after all these years.
Kristine Maloney
If you think you’re drowning in email, you’re probably right. According to this story, 183 billion emails were sent every day in 2013. The sheer volume of messages we receive could have some impact on how quick we are to respond and how much we write, but a new study reveals other factors too, including time of day and age.
And because I truly can’t resist a test optional (and in this, case test blind) admissions story, I also caught up on Hampshire College’s success a year after banning test scores.
Erin Hennessy
This story combines two of my great loves: higher education and food. Jonah Reider, a 21-year-old Columbia University senior, is running a restaurant out of his dorm room. I love that he talks about this experiment being less about the food and more a vehicle for connection. And I applaud the self-awareness he exhibits here: “…I recognize how presumptuous it is to casually cook and get so much attention, when I have many friends who work insane hours in kitchens honing their skills, and aren’t getting the same recognition. That’s a real shame.”
Ali Lincoln
Unless it mentions pregnancy, childbirth, or infant care, chances are I’m not reading it right now. Baby Pumpkin is technically fully cooked at this point, and I’m scrambling to cram in as much last-minute knowledge as possible! I’m also trying to enjoy the last bit of my life before kids (well, as much as you can without wine), and this article made me laugh. I totally saw myself to some extent in the writer and formerly identified happily as childfree. People keep saying that I’ll like my own kid, though, so fingers crossed!
Follow us on Twitter!
Here’s a look at what we were tweeting this week:


For all of the latest news and media successes from TVP Communications, follow us on Twitter.