As 2015 rapidly draws to a close, I’m looking to continue an annual tradition on this blog—two lists of the top ten and ‘not top ten’ events in the higher education world during the past year. The top ten list includes the most newsworthy events of the year, regardless of whether they are good or not for higher education or the public as a whole. 2014’s winner was the rapid downfall of Corinthian Colleges, while 2013’s winner was President Obama’s announcement of a federal college ratings system (which ended up being scuttled earlier this year).
The not top ten list also includes some events that are important and newsworthy, but the primary focus is on decisions that look pretty silly in hindsight or show the underbelly of greed and jockeying for power that is often present in higher education. Last year’s ‘winner’ was Kean University’s $219,000 conference table, while Georgetown Law ‘won’ in 2013 for its plan to vacuum up federal loan dollars and stick taxpayers with the entire bill.
I’m looking for nominees for this year’s lists, which will be posted on December 15 (top ten) and 16 (not top ten). Some items (such as the campus protests at the University of Missouri and the University of Akron’s infamous olive jar) will definitely be on one of the lists, but I’m looking for your thoughts about some of the other happenings (both serious and humorous) that happened this year. Please leave any suggestions in the comments area below or send them to me via Twitter (@rkelchen). I look forward to sharing the results!
Robert Kelchen 
One thought on “Nominees Wanted for the 2015 Top Ten and Not Top Ten Lists”
Comments are closed.