The National Defense Education Act, the American Association of University Professors and the dilemma of academic freedom in the mid-twentieth century

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Wang Huimin
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Academic Freedom ◽  
Federal Government ◽  
National Defense ◽  
Content Type ◽  
National Defense Education Act ◽  
The Us ◽  
Education Act ◽  
Us Federal Government ◽  
The Cold War

PurposeThis study asks how American institutions of higher education defended the principles of academic freedom (or intellectual autonomy) during the 1950s, even as they became increasingly dependent on the federal government's financial support, their eligibility for which required an oath of political loyalty under the terms of the National Defense Education Act of 1958. Universities whose students or professors resisted the oath faced a dilemma of institutional governance as well as intellectual integrity during the early years of the Cold War.Design/methodology/approachThe study draws on documentary and archival sources, including the Congressional Record, the AAUP Bulletin, student pamphlets, newspapers and other publications of the US federal government, and on secondary sources.FindingsThe author finds that the US federal government began to invest heavily in higher education during the 1950s, but financial support was often accompanied by political oversight. Higher education institutions and their professors struggled to reconcile a sense of responsibility for national service with a desire for academic freedom. The findings show how the federal government treated institutions of higher education and dealt with the issue of academic freedom during the Cold War.Originality/valueThis study draws on a large pool of primary sources and previous research to offer new insights into an enduring ideological tension between academic freedom, public service and financial patronage.

Divided by Loyalty: The Debate Regarding Loyalty Provisions in the National Defense Education Act of 1958

2016 ◽  
Vol 56 (2) ◽  
pp. 301-330 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brent D. Maher
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Student Loans ◽  
National Defense ◽  
Federal Aid ◽  
Higher Education Act ◽  
National Defense Education Act ◽  
Free Inquiry ◽  
Education Act ◽  
Short Term Investment ◽  
The Cold War

The National Defense Education Act (NDEA) of 1958 was the first federal investment in low-interest student loans and became a precedent for expansion of student loans in the Higher Education Act of 1965. In its controversial loyalty provisions, the NDEA required loan recipients to affirm loyalty to the U.S. government. Between 1958 and 1962, thirty-two colleges and universities refused to participate or withdrew from the NDEA loan program, arguing that the loyalty provisions unfairly targeted students and violated principles of free inquiry. This essay argues that debate over the loyalty provisions fractured a partnership between progressives who favored general aid to education and conservatives who supported short-term investment for defense purposes. Although debates over the NDEA loyalty requirements seem specific to the Cold War, a close examination of the arguments illuminates their alignment with long-standing ideological conflicts over legitimacy of federal aid to higher education.

The practices of performance management and low performers in the US Federal Government

2019 ◽  
Vol 41 (4) ◽  
pp. 417-433
Author(s):  
Hyung-Woo Lee ◽  
Dong-Young Rhee
Keyword(s):  
Regression Analysis ◽  
Performance Management ◽  
Federal Government ◽  
Performance Measure ◽  
News Article ◽  
Multinomial Regression ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Us ◽  
Us Federal Government

Purpose Addressing low performers has been an important issue for government. The purpose of this paper is to examine what practices of performance management are effective in reducing the proportion of low performers in the US federal government. Design/methodology/approach The authors conducted the binary logit regression analysis and multinomial regression analysis. Findings Analyzing the Merit Principle Survey 2016, the authors found that the dismissal of low performing employees and the formal performance improvement plan (PIP) is the most effective in reducing the proportion of low performers. To the contrary, the within-grade-increase did not have a significant influence on the proportion of low performers. Moreover, using the performance appraisal for the purpose of reassigning employees to the position that better match employees’ talent increased the number of low performers in work units. Research limitations/implications Research limitations are as follows. First, the performance measure for this study was the percentage of employees rated as unsuccessful. Second, the pseudo-R2 indicated that the proposed model explained only the small, albeit significant, portion of the total variance in employee performance. Lastly, this study used a cross-sectional research design that may impede the validity of inference of causalities. Practical implications According to a recent news article (Rein, 2018), Trump signed an executive order that limits the stable benefits associated with government employment such as, limiting pay associated with union work and negotiating more stringent union contracts. These measures are largely aimed at eliminating low performing employees rather than attempting to improve their performances through carefully designed training programs. Although removing low performers may be an option, the results indicate that providing assistance in order to develop employee knowledge and skills through the PIP have a comparable impact on reducing low performers. Originality/value These findings imply that the use of performance evaluation for developmental or sanctioning purpose is more effective than reassignment or incentive purpose.

American Libraries and the US Federal Government: an overview of partnerships for enhanced resource access

2015 ◽  
Vol 29 (8) ◽  
pp. 2-6
Author(s):  
Bethany Latham
Keyword(s):  
Federal Government ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Government Agencies ◽  
Government Information ◽  
Digital Collections ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Us ◽  
Us Government ◽  
Us Federal Government ◽  
Partnership Program

Purpose – This paper aims to explore the US Government Publishing Office’s (GPO) partnership program: what it is, how the GPO defines partnership, the types of institutions that are participating and the resources these institutions are making available through partnership. Design/methodology/approach – This paper reviews the available literature and information from the US GPO on its partnership program, examines the institutions contributing to the program and what those contributions entail, surveys the resources made available through these partnerships and examines how this affects access to government information. Findings – Partnership with the US GPO provides benefits to libraries, museums, government agencies and other entities, increasing discoverability and enhancing access to digital collections of government information and other resources. Originality/value – This paper examines the parameters of the US GPO’s partnership program, why libraries and other institutions might wish to partner with the GPO and the effect these partnerships have had on enhancing access to government information resources, an area that has not been extensively covered in library literature.

Restricting immigration will lower US GDP

2018 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Federal Government ◽  
Unemployment Rate ◽  
Immigration Policy ◽  
Illegal Immigrants ◽  
Border Crossings ◽  
Political Debate ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Deferred Action ◽  
The Us ◽  
Us Federal Government

Subject Immigration policy outlook. Significance Tensions over immigration are bubbling to the surface as the future of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) policy is entangled with efforts to pass a spending bill and keep the US federal government open beyond January 19. Against a backdrop of polarising political debate, concerns about the economic impact of lower net immigration risk being overlooked. Impacts Arrests of illegal immigrants rose sharply to September 2017 and deportations could surge this year; workplace raids will also increase. Having fallen to the lowest in 45 years, illegal border crossings are likely to continue to fall as detection processes are improving. With the US unemployment rate at near its lowest this century, some sectors could struggle to find workers. GDP could be cut by one-tenth of a percentage point in each year of Trump's first term as a result of lower immigration, Moody's estimates.

Issues in African Academic Language Programming in the U.S.

1997 ◽  
Vol 25 (1) ◽  
pp. 23-28
Author(s):  
David J. Dwyer
Keyword(s):  
World Wide ◽  
National Level ◽  
National Defense ◽  
Language Programs ◽  
Higher Education Act ◽  
National Defense Education Act ◽  
Colonial Legacy ◽  
Title Vi ◽  
The Us ◽  
Education Act

Support for academic African language programs (ALPs) in the US began at the national level with the National Defense Education Act of 1958 (renamed the Higher Education Act of 1965). The goal of this legislation was to establish a world-wide language and area studies knowledge base that could be called upon in the event of conflict, but in addition it has provided generations of students a wealth of knowledge about the less commonly taught languages (LCTLs) and the communities where they are spoken. Although the Africa region’s share of this support has hovered around 12%, its effect has been substantial. For example, based on a world-wide listing of Africanist linguists, approximately half of these specialists live in Africa, with the remainder being equally divided between the countries of Europe and the US, a remarkable fact given that the US has no colonial legacy in Africa. Title VI of this legislation supports a set of National Resource Centers (NRCs) that promote language and area study of a specific region including Africa.

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