by Howard Gardner and Wendy Fischman Our comprehensive national study of higher education has focused on colleges that describe their curricula as based on “the liberal arts” or “the liberal arts and sciences.” Because those terms are widely misunderstood, we have (with some reluctance) decided to substitute descriptions that are blander and possibly more transparent—“general […]
Author Archives | Howard Gardner
The COVID Pivot: Higher Education at a Crossroads
by Wendy Fischman and Howard Gardner A Changed Educational Landscape In March 2020, as was the case in nearly every sector in society, college campuses shut down—higher education was forced to shift to a virtual experience. Within days of the COVID-19 outbreak in the United States, American higher education—developed and honed over hundreds of years […]
The Good Project and COVID-19
by Howard Gardner, Shelby Clark, and Kirsten McHugh At this time—unprecedented for almost everyone—it is important for those of us who have so far remained healthy to consider what we might do that is constructive for others. And for those of us who curate this website, the following question arises and looms large: After over […]
The Two Facets of Joel Kupperman (1936-2020)
by Howard Gardner We were having breakfast at the kitchen table and my wife Ellen said “This obituary in the New York Times will interest you.” Indeed, it did! Ellen had not heard of Joel Kupperman (age 83, died on April 8, 2020, in an assisted living facility in Brooklyn, probably of COVID19). But I […]
In a Word: The Adjective Question
by Sophie Blumert If you could describe the students at your school in one word… Sometimes, in an hour-long discussion or interview, a single word can be powerful—one word can signal a lot about one’s perspective. In our large, national study of higher education we asked participants what we thought of as a warm-up question: […]
