I hope so. I’ve alway thought it was a highly overrated degree.

I just got an email. I don’t in fact have time to answer all these questions, but perhaps some of my readers do. I think that the nation needs more engineers. I also think that it’s sad that the nation doesn’t seem to value them as much as it should, and that they’re often treated particularly shabbily by the aerospace industry:

Hello,

My name is Harley Wilkinson. I’m a student at Camdenton High School in Camdenton MO. I’m in a Project Lead The Way class and am writing a paper about a field of engineering. I was wondering if you would have the time to answer a few questions for me about your job and the training/education you needed.

1) What is an average day’s work routine is like.
2) What is your particular job duties.
3) What were some of the more helpful college courses you took to prepare you.
4) Do you have any regrets of things you wished you would have done diffrently education wise.
5) As someone straight out of college what is the average starting salary.
6) What high school classes do you believe helped you the most.

If you would be able to take the time to answer these questions it would be greatly appreciated. If not I understand that your time is valuable.

Thank You,
Harley Wilkinson

I’m not a conservative (but then, neither is Glenn Reynolds) and I’ve never been a big fan of Erwin Chemerinski (or at least his political views–I know nothing about him as a person), but I do agree that he was treated shabbily. Regardless of what Bill Quick thinks.

I think that non-“liberals” can sympathize with this kind of academic McCarthyism in a way that “liberals” cannot, because they rarely experience it.

I’m not a conservative (but then, neither is Glenn Reynolds) and I’ve never been a big fan of Erwin Chemerinski (or at least his political views–I know nothing about him as a person), but I do agree that he was treated shabbily. Regardless of what Bill Quick thinks.

I think that non-“liberals” can sympathize with this kind of academic McCarthyism in a way that “liberals” cannot, because they rarely experience it.

I’m not a conservative (but then, neither is Glenn Reynolds) and I’ve never been a big fan of Erwin Chemerinski (or at least his political views–I know nothing about him as a person), but I do agree that he was treated shabbily. Regardless of what Bill Quick thinks.

I think that non-“liberals” can sympathize with this kind of academic McCarthyism in a way that “liberals” cannot, because they rarely experience it.

Peter Berkowitz has a proposal.

Unfortunately, with our current educational system, the problem starts long before students get to college.

[Mid-morning update]

Are we sending too many kids to college?

…the needless pressure to get educational credentials draws a large number of academically weak and intellectually disengaged students into college. All they want is the piece of paper that gets them past the screening. Most schools have quietly lowered their academic standards so that such students will stay happy and remain enrolled. Consequently, they seldom learn much

Charles Murray thinks so. I don’t have a strong opinion on it–I never took it.

Some thoughts on writing, good and bad, from John Leo.

Henry Cate notes in email that the latest Carnival of Homeschooling is the largest one yet, with over sixty links. Which makes me wonder–are homeschooling parents (and home schoolers) more likely to be bloggists?

Frank Tipler says that not only are English majors no longer required to know Shakespeare, but physics majors are no longer required to know general relativity:

The basic reasons why modern physics is not covered in required courses are identical to the basic reasons why Shakespeare is not covered: (1) the faculty in both cases want to teach their narrow specialty rather than the basic courses in their field, (2) the faculty members in both cases no longer understand the basic material in their own field, (3) the faculty no longer believe there are fundamental truths in their own disciplines. I’m sure that many members of typical university