Several Ivy League institutions have begun hiring retired military officers as faculty, according to The New York Times. Yale University currently offers a popular leadership seminar taught by Gen. Stanley McChrystal, who was fired by President Barack Obama after Rolling Stone magazine reported that he and his staff made "dismissive comments" about White House officials, The Times reported. Princeton University and Columbia University will both offer seminars taught by military officers in the fall, according to The Times. In the past, Harvard University has frequently invited military officers, such as the director of the Central Intelligence Agency and the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, to give lectures on the university's campus. McChrystal expected more protest when he was hired, but Yale history professor John Gaddis attributed the lack of contention to "almost no antimilitary bias among students," The Times reported.
Last week, Brandman University, a private, non-profit institution in California and Washington, and University Ventures Fund, a for-profit investment group, launched Ameritas College, an initiative aimed at serving underrepresented Hispanic students, Inside Higher Ed reported. Ameritas will offer affordable, accelerated associate and bachelor's degree tracks and will include in-person classes and additional online coursework, according to Inside Higher Ed. Ameritas aims to "crack the code" with the problem of college completion in the Latino population and will target working adults. Both the fund and Brandman will jointly control Ameritas College and will combine for-profit and non-profit elements, according to Inside Higher Ed.
