Month: October 2014

  • Why Midterms Matter (The Elections, That Is)

    For many of us in the academic world—and especially students—the word “midterm” inevitably means exams. But there is another kind of midterm approaching—one that is terribly important, and yet one I fear that many of us might just miss. It is, of course, the national midterm election—that period between presidential elections when many congressional and…

  • FIT Goes to Washington

    “Is this not cool?” Those were among First Lady Michelle Obama’s opening words when she addressed the crowd of high school students and famous fashion designers at a luncheon as part of her recent Fashion Education Workshop. I watched Mrs. Obama’s speech on my iPad as I traveled to Washington by train for the reception…

  • College Rankings

    I am not a fan of college rankings. Their quantitative approach to educational institutions and questionable criteria invariably fail to capture the true zeitgeist–and quality–of a college. Nor can they predict if a college is the right fit for a particular student, no matter how highly it is ranked. But choosing a college can be an…