Category: issues

The University of Phoenix markets itself as a national private university (and the largest one at that). With more than 100,000 individuals now enrolled in its young two-year degree granting college, Axia, has it morphed into a national community college, too?

“My suspicion is that the reason that there has been so little debate about the McMaster review is not just associated with the timing of its publication, but to do with the fact that in laying down “excellence” as its central plank but failing to define it, McMaster has pulled off a conjuring trick in creating a document that is as fragile as an illusion and can mean all things to all people and also absolutely nothing at all.”

“Sport and culture are often thought to have nothing in common. But is this really true? What would happen if the Guardian’s arts critics and sports writers swapped roles for a day? Today the critics get a taste of the sporting life, while tomorrow the sports team are set loose on the contemporary arts world.”

“Total operating revenues for the performing-arts industry reached $1.2 billion in 2006, almost unchanged from 2005. Statistics Canada says revenues were split almost equally between the for-profit and not-for-profit sectors.”

“Coming of age is the subject matter of the bildungsroman; most of our art is concerned with it one way or another. The chief inspiration for any artist is her childhood and youth, yet even when young people give their own account of their experiences, the result is deemed indecent. Meanwhile the models on our catwalks are, or pretend to be, gangling adolescents.”

“An Indo-Canadian author and playwright from Calgary cancelled scheduled appearances at two major cultural events in Toronto on the weekend after failing to get assurances from Air Canada that he would not be subjected to the intense security checks that marred previous flights from and to Calgary earlier this spring.”

“The design students from the University of Pennsylvania and University of the Arts produced dozens of ideas for enlivening the city’s grand but intimidating arts mecca. Their drawings built on input from more than 200 citizens who attended public forums this winter and spring.”

Among United States cities, greater Los Angeles ranks as the urban center with the most working artists and California is the top state by the same measure, according to a new report from the National Endowment for the Arts.

Once upon a time, the leaders of our country were the kind of men — and, let’s face it, it was a men’s club at the time — who were learned, who valued scholarship and science. That was then. This is now:

“For nearly two decades, the Boyd Theater was a building that just couldn’t get any love. One former owner went all the way to Pennsylvania’s Supreme Court to reverse the theater’s historic designation. Another wanted to raze the art deco movie palace. A couple of preservationists were even heard disparaging its charms. Now, suddenly, everyone professes to love the Boyd. They just can’t agree on the best way to show it.”