Kinda OT: UConn is in top academic company

[upstater]

The most liberal universities in the United States

Interesting that UConn was included among the top schools in this study.

Ignore the political cesspool stuff in the article (esp. the mistake the writers make when they say Democrat = Liberal, because it doesn't) and just see how UConn is considered along with the most prestigious schools in the country.

 

[sportsart]

This has cesspool written all over it. Your intent is fine but it just begs for a certain few to mucky it up.

 

[Yawkey Way]

This is the league realignment side of the forum. Outside of the SEC schools, the B12 current schools, as a collective school group, tend to be far more Conservative than the collective grouping of schools found on this article's list. As such, not sure being on this list of Left Leaning schools helps Uconn's quest to convince the School Presidents in the B12, that Uconn would be a good fit academically with them. As such then, I would not have included this article here.

 

[upstater]

This is the league realignment side of the forum. Outside of the SEC schools, the B12 current schools, as a collective school group, tend to be far more Conservative than the collective grouping of schools found on this article's list. As such, not sure being on this list of Left Leaning schools helps Uconn's quest to convince the School Presidents in the B12, that Uconn would be a good fit academically with them. As such then, I would not have included this article here.

How did you miss the criteria?

This is not a list of Left-Leaning schools.

It is a list of the best schools.

The study shows that faculty in 5 departments at these schools overwhelmingly vote Democrat.

As I wrote, ignore the politics and note that UConn is on a list of the best schools.

 

[Yawkey Way]

How did you miss the criteria?

This is not a list of Left-Leaning schools.

It is a list of the best schools.

How did you miss the criteria?

This is not a list of Left-Leaning schools.

It is a list of the best schools.
.

No it isn't. Did you miss the headline of the Washington Post article ? If you did, it states : " The most liberal Universities in the United States ". That is the list. It is most assuredly NOT " a list of the best schools in the United States" :. If it was, it surely would have included on THAT list, schools such as... Univ. Chicago, , Duke, Vanderbilt, Naval Academy, Rice, and several others... and for certain.

 

[FDNY99]

No it isn't. Did you miss the headline of the Washington Post article ? If you did, it states : " The most liberal Universities in the United States ". That is the list. It is most assuredly NOT " a list of the best schools in the United States" :. If it was, it surely would have included on THAT list, schools such as... Univ. Chicago, , Duke, Vanderbilt, Naval Academy, Rice, and several others... and for certain.

@upstater Im surprised he didn't tell you that you forgot BC to LMFAO! Thanks for the link..interesting article.

 

[upstater]

No it isn't. Did you miss the headline of the Washington Post article ? If you did, it states : " The most liberal Universities in the United States ". That is the list. It is most assuredly NOT " a list of the best schools in the United States" :. If it was, it surely would have included on THAT list, schools such as... Univ. Chicago, , Duke, Vanderbilt, Naval Academy, Rice, and several others... and for certain.

You either didn't read the article, or you can't read. I assure you those are not the most liberal schools in the USA. I can name a lot more liberal schools. Hell, Wesleyan U. isn't even on there. The article spells out the criteria, and it says they surveyed the top schools. Not the most liberal schools. I mean, it's right in the article, read it

 

[Yawkey Way]

You either didn't read the article, or you can't read. I assure you those are not the most liberal schools in the USA. I can name a lot more liberal schools. Hell, Wesleyan U. isn't even on there. The article spells out the criteria, and it says they surveyed the top schools. Not the most liberal schools. I mean, it's right in the article, read it

It appears that the Washington Post banner headline prefacing the article that this list includes only Left leaning Universities flew right over your head. There is a valid reason why none of the top rated non liberal Universities ( a few notable ones that I named for you above ) are nowhere to be found on this list. ( Northeastern in it, Univ. Chicago not, for example ) The Univ. of Chicago, one of the top ranked universities in America by any measure, for just one example of a non liberal university, would be out place in this article, as well as for any consideration for inclusion on this list. This is because this article, and its rank, and its subsequent list of schools on the list, is not about these top Universities in the least. You're comment above, that ( your quote above ) : " this is the list of the top Universities" belies the very headline of what the article, and its listing of schools that follows is all about. So I don't know what else to tell you, as the headline itself is pretty much self explanatory for everyone, as to the narrow scope, and its liberal schools ONLY to be listed, regarding the Universities the article that followed would be referencing.

 

[upstater]

It appears that the Washington Post banner headline prefacing the article that this list includes only Left leaning Universities flew right over your head. There is a valid reason why none of the top rated non liberal Universities ( a few notable ones that I named for you above ) are nowhere to be found on this list. ( Northeastern in it, Univ. Chicago not, for example ) The Univ. of Chicago, one of the top ranked universities in America by any measure, for just one example of a non liberal university, would be out place in this article, as well as for any consideration for inclusion on this list. This is because this article, and its rank, and its subsequent list of schools on the list, is not about these top Universities in the least. You're comment above, that ( your quote above ) : " this is the list of the top Universities" belies the very headline of what the article, and its listing of schools that follows is all about. So I don't know what else to tell you, as the headline itself is pretty much self explanatory for everyone, as to the narrow scope, and its liberal schools ONLY to be listed, regarding the Universities the article that followed would be referencing.

U. Chicago is totally liberal. And the article explains why U. Chicago isn't there. It goes out of its way. You can't read.

They examine the ratio of Democrats and Republicans among tenure-track in five academic fields — economics, history, journalism/communications, law and psychology — at 40 top American universities.

"The University of Chicago ... were excluded from the list because their states don’t release voter registration information."

This is all about the TOP universities. I mean, I just quoted from the article.

 

[Yawkey Way]

ok.

 

[uconnphil2016]

Uh...U Chicago is not liberal (for whoever originally suggested that it was).

 

[Adios]

Uh...U Chicago is not liberal (for whoever originally suggested that it was).

You're a little behind.

 

[Yawkey Way]

ok.

Ok... the headline banner on the article is confusing, and is written inappropriately, imo.... however that said, I did take the suggestion to do a more thorough reread this time around of the article below it that followed, and it does indeed refer to " top schools ". So I was wrong in my above remarks re. this article that is posted here. Gawd, I hate to admit it when I'm wrong, but when its warranted, I do.

 

[upstater]

Uh...U Chicago is not liberal (for whoever originally suggested that it was).

It is. Economics, no? Neoliberal there. But the vast majority of departments at the university are no different than any of that list.Just because they have a famous conservative economics department doesn't change the rest of the university. In fact, I would also argue that their economics department is no different than the vast majority of economics departments elsewhere. They are all pretty conservative.

 

[buddy]

Could someone explain to me what this thread has to do with conference realignment?

 

[shizzle787]

It is. Economics, no? Neoliberal there. But the vast majority of departments at the university are no different than any of that list.Just because they have a famous conservative economics department doesn't change the rest of the university. In fact, I would also argue that their economics department is no different than the vast majority of economics departments elsewhere. They are all pretty conservative.

True. The one economics professor I had at UConn seemed like a closet conservative. Also, Obama worked at U Chicago. The vast majority of college professors are liberal, and U Chicago is no exception.

 

[upstater]

Could someone explain to me what this thread has to do with conference realignment?

UConn academics are apparently highly thought of. That is a stellar list of schools.

 

[Redding Husky]

That much liberalism isn't good. There is little diversity of thought and isn't that what the college experience should be all about? Shouldn't students be exposed to competing views on government?

Liberal indoctrination (socialism is good) is nothing to be proud of. Students should hear the other side, about small government and maximum freedom.

 

[shizzle787]

That much liberalism isn't good. There is little diversity of thought and isn't that what the college experience should be all about? Shouldn't students be exposed to competing views on government?

Liberal indoctrination (socialism is good) is nothing to be proud of. Students should hear the other side, about small government and maximum freedom.

That would never work for liberals because without indoctrination, most students would chose to be conservative.

 

[upstater]

That much liberalism isn't good. There is little diversity of thought and isn't that what the college experience should be all about? Shouldn't students be exposed to competing views on government?

Liberal indoctrination (socialism is good) is nothing to be proud of. Students should hear the other side, about small government and maximum freedom.

Cesspool comment.

 

[Redding Husky]

Cesspool comment.

Yes, it's great that we're listed with the top schools. That's always a good thing.

But the reason on why we're in that group saddens me.

 

[uconnfan68]

That would never work for liberals because without indoctrination, most students would chose to be conservative.

And why would they want to emulate their grandparents in their late teens and early 20s?

 

[upstater]

Yes, it's great that we're listed with the top schools. That's always a good thing.

But the reason on why we're in that group saddens me.

You've misunderstood the article.

You're not the first one.

UConn wasn't listed in the study because they were one of the most liberal. No one was thrown out of the study either. It is simply a list of top schools as determined by the study.

 

[Redding Husky]

You've misunderstood the article.

You're not the first one.

UConn wasn't listed in the study because they were one of the most liberal. No one was thrown out of the study either. It is simply a list of top schools as determined by the study.

If I'm reading it correctly ...

1) UConn was included in a selective list of the top American universities (very good). Many fine public schools were not included on the list (Illinois, Wisconsin, etc.).
2) UConn has a faculty ratio of 13:1 in Democrats to Republicans.
3) Our ratio, while horrible, is still better than most of the schools on the list.

Misunderstanding the article is the price I pay for watching an NFL game at the same time.

 

[upstater]

If I'm reading it correctly ...

1) UConn was included in a selective list of the top American universities (very good). Many fine public schools were not included on the list (Illinois, Wisconsin, etc.).
2) UConn has a faculty ratio of 13:1 in Democrats to Republicans.
3) Our ratio, while horrible, is still better than most of the schools on the list.

Misunderstanding the article is the price I pay for watching an NFL game at the same time.

Yes, you read it correctly.

I spoke above why the political angle is wrong, but it is cesspool stuff. You have many conservatives who vote Democrat from universities. I know they are conservative because they are in political science and economics departments. Any liberal who does political science (buzzword: political theory) often finds himself/herself in American Studies or English or even History. The point is, you can't equate party with philosophy and ideology. most academics vote Democrat because they know the party is not hell-bent on cutting research dollars, which is the lifeblood of scholarship. It's also not a good look in the eyes of academics for wholesale denial of scientific studies and inquiry. These are the big reasons many former Republicans have begun voting Democrat in the academy. But that doesn't mean for instance that all these economists aren't Austrian Econ. and Milton Friedman disciples (ie. conservatives). As for the rest, your concerns about people having the same ideology are really only pertinent in political science or maybe history courses, places where American politics are actually discussed. Someone will have to explain to me what a conservative position on say Anthropology is as opposed to a liberal one, or in Sociology or in English. We simply don't know political orientations when we hire people. I suppose this also applies to say people doing stem-cell science etc.; if you're opposed to it, then this is not a field you'd ever enter. Biology is another place where the researchers are already aligned politically by nature of the discipline (i.e. if you think Intelligent Design threatens your scholarship, this may already be interpreted as a political statement).

 

[Drew]

UConn faculty containing more Democrats could lead to groupthink

A fascinating study published in October by Econ Journal Watch found that the University of Connecticut faculty harbors a significant liberal lean, with 13 Democrats per Republican. Such a discovery lends itself to questions of professorial ideological diversity (or lack thereof) and groupthink.

The study, which looked at records of voter registration, found that tenure-track faculty (excluding visiting and adjunct faculty) at UConn from the economics, psychology, law and communications departments, predominantly featured registered Democrats, according to a Daily Campus article .

Out of the 40 schools scrutinized, UConn’s ratio of 13 Democrats to one Republican measured as the 21st most liberal. The average was 11.5:1. UConn was behind such renowned schools as Brown (60:1), Princeton (30:1) and Yale (16:1).

Part of these numbers could have something to do with the fact that Connecticut is located in the liberal northeast. Perhaps Connecticut’s Democratic primary system, which only allows registered party members to vote, increases the amount of registered Democrats in general. It could also be that out of the pool of professors UConn has to hire from, the majority are liberal.

Whatever the answer, such studies are necessary in order to address the ideal of intellectual diversity in a university setting. There is a major problem in this country of creating a comfortable environment of conservative and liberal ideology in people’s personal lives, whether it’s through whom they associate with, which accounts they follow on Twitter or where they get their news from.

 

[upstater]

Whatever the answer, such studies are necessary in order to address the ideal of intellectual diversity in a university setting. There is a major problem in this country of creating a comfortable environment of conservative and liberal ideology in people’s personal lives, whether it’s through whom they associate with, which accounts they follow on Twitter or where they get their news from.

But why is party registration equated with ideological orthodoxy?

Is the writer arguing that we need say 60% Democrats to 40% Republicans, no matter the impact of this on research?