Recent coverage of Shimer

A few days ago, Jon Ronson published a piece in the Guardian about Shimer. It may be the best and most Shimerian publicity that Shimer has ever received. You should read it.

The article was prompted by the pushback against the Washington Monthly's recent rating of Shimer as "worst college in America" for a certain set of criteria (which are worthy of separate discussion). Since nobody was coming out of the woodwork to defend any of the other "worst colleges," Ronson decided to visit Shimer to find out what it was all about.

What happened next was kind of epic.

I get talking to Albert Fernandez, a professor of cultural history and humanities. He has the intense demeanor and indeterminate European accent of a Slavoj Žižek. He leads me into a classroom as austere as he is and tells me how angry he is about the list.

“What we do at Shimer,” he says, “is difficult. It’s difficult to sit in a small room with six or eight students and have your beliefs challenged. If a school is hard to graduate from for reasons to do with an attempt at educational quality – that should be taken into account. The writer said nothing about that.”

A look of fury crosses his face, at the thought of Shimer being penalized for what makes it great. He says a lot of places that top those best colleges lists are the opposite of difficult. They’re undemanding. “If you’re going to take education seriously you can’t have a system where the objective is to make it as easy as possible to get through.”

At this writing, the article has received more than 14,000 interactions on social media, including more than 900 Tweets and more than 140 LinkedIn shares. The article itself has 343 comments, which are also well worth reading.

For a time it was the Guardian's #3 article sitewide:







The article was tweeted by Neil Gaiman (he of 2.1 million Twitter followers), who followed up with a personal greeting to the people of Shimer:











The article has since been picked up by Longreads, The Baffler, Gapers Block and others, and is continuing to spread. At this writing, some 4 days after it was posted, new tweets of the article are still coming in at about 3-5 per hour.

Here are some notable response pieces by Shimerians and others:

• Chicago's own #bestworstcollege, by Shimer prez Susan Henking
• Shimer College in the Guardian, by Shimer prof Adam Kotsko
• How statistics turns best into worst, by St. John's prez and longtime friend of Shimer Chris Nelson
• Mugged by a ratings system designed for someone else, by David Mills
• The Fiction of College Rankings: Meet America’s 'Best Worst College', by David Wieneke (Shimer '83)
• The value of a Great Books education, by Peter Piper (Shimer '98)
• Shimer College should not be condemned for untraditional teaching methods, by Sabiha Masud  
• How to think, not what to think, by Dave Trott, author of Creative Mischief
• Bah humbug, numbers never tell the entire story, by ChicagoNow gifted education blogger Rhonda Stern

... and on the matter of response pieces: although unworthy of a link, one of our old friends from 2010 is apparently still nursing old grudges:



If Joe Bast is still mad at Shimer, we must be doing something right.

Please share the Ronson article with anyone you think might be interested in Shimer!


(updated to include new response pieces -- December 18, 2014)

New article posted to examiner.com

There are many things not to like about Examiner.com, from the odious politics of its owner to the general sleaziness of its operations and presentation. 

However, I've found that on balance the articles I've posted there seem to do better and reach further than any other efforts I've made at documenting Shimer events. 

I have thus resolved to reconcile myself to the luzerliness of playing campus reporter for a school I graduated from 15 years ago, and have posted my latest article here: Chicago's Shimer College to Shine with New State Grant.

Susan Henking interviewed about Shimer on Out of Bounds Radio (PRX)

Earlier this week, Shimer College president Susan Henking was interviewed by Tish Pearlman on the Out of Bounds Radio Show, which airs on WEOS and WSKG in upstate New York and is syndicated online by PRX.

Listen to the excellent half-hour interview here -- or right here:

Gawker reminds us that not all anti-Shimer idiocy comes from the right

After a few years of Shimer being assailed from angry right-wing zealots on NRO and points beyond, who profess to believe that Shimer is some sort of leftist indoctrination camp, there's something refreshing about being criticized from the other side of our country's impoverished political spectrum. At least that's the best spin I can put on this week's idiocy from Gawker writer Moe Tkacik.

Tkacik's chosen target is not Shimer in general, however, but Dorian Electra, of Shimer's class of 2014 -- known in Tkacik's fevered imagination as "the Libertarian Lolita." (You may know Dorian from the front cover of the current issue of the Symposium, or from the recent Shimer video.) (In fact, in what may be the most unforgivable sin of this ugly hit piece, Tkacik does not mention Shimer at all, although she does at least include a link to one of Dorian's numerous posts on blog.shimer.)

Here is a representative paragraph from Tkacik's piece:

Now, where the conservative movement will probably never want for obnoxious junior Bible-thumping blowhards like Jonathan Krohn, Gomberg/Electra is the product of a much more delicate and nuanced decades-long project to make right wing ideology hipster-friendly. Her love affair with free markets began at the $16,000-a-year School of the Woods Montessori of Houston, Texas, producer of 66% of the recipients of 2009 Students for Liberty Foundations of Freedom Fellowships. (Montessori education has been infested with libertarians since Ayn Rand decided it was "the most promising educational method now available"-the Charlie's Angels of learning, if you will.)

Showing admirable restraint, current student Matt Kawahara responded in the comments:

This article makes it seem like she was constructed in a laboratory by libertarians to be some sort of fiscal-conservative propaganda machine. [....] I am a socialist. I find libertarianism to be an intolerable doctrine. I think the Koch bro's are evil corporatist assholes that are actively ruining this country. I have a lot of conversations with Dorian about economics, liberty, and politics. Let me tell you, you have her wrong. And honestly, you're just making yourself look pathetic. (...more...)

A fairly thorough -- if regrettably ideological and self-satisfied -- dissection of the article has been posted by Steve Horwitz of St. Lawrence University on Students for Liberty:

Moe Tkacik’s July 6 Gawker.com column on the young musician Dorian Electra is a perfect example, as she manages to simultaneously distort her ideas, accuse everyone involved in the movement of being either stupid or out to indoctrinate, and most offensively, turns a young woman who writes the lyrics and music, produces, directs, and stars in her own music videos into a mere pawn and sexual toy of mysterious dark (presumably male) forces. (...more...)

Much of the Gawker piece hinges on Dorian's viral hit "I'm In Love with Friedrich Hayek" ... the careful viewer will, I think, detect several layers of nuance that appear to have eluded Ms. Tkacik:



If nothing else, Tkacik's piece serves as a useful reminder that the "humorless doctrinaire liberal" is not exclusively a figment of the right-wing imagination.

I wonder what Tkacik thinks about quantum physics? Is it evil too?

Shimer on Wikipedia's front page right now

Until midnight GMT (7 PM tomorrow), Shimer College will be featured on the main page of Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, in honor of the 158th anniversary of Shimer's founding.

In the words of alum Chris Vaughan, without whose yeoman labors this achievement would have been impossible, "A very special honor for our very special school."

Shimer President "Steps Down"

The following statement was released shortly before midnight on the 19th of April, and can be read in PDF at shimer.edu.

Lindsay's eagerly-awaited departure has also been noted by the Chicago Tribune and the Chronicle of Higher Education.

-----

Shimer College President Steps Down

Shimer College, the Great Books College of Chicago, has announced that its 13th president, Thomas K. Lindsay, will be stepping down effective immediately. Long-time trustee Edward Noonan, chairman of Chicago Associates Planners & Architects, has been named interim president until the college undertakes a search for a new president.

Mr. Lindsay accepted the Shimer presidency in June 2008 and assumed formal leadership of the college in January 2009. During his tenure, he brought fiscal responsibility to the college by insisting upon balanced annual budgets and eliminating the college’s trailing deficit. Chairman of the Board Christopher Nelson said, “We are grateful to Tom Lindsay for his financial leadership over the past year and a half and wish him well in his future endeavors.” When asked about the change in leadership, Mr. Nelson said “Shimer continues to face many challenges, but we are fortunate to have an experienced leader like Ed Noonan ready to step in and assist us through this transition.”

Former Chairman of the Board, Edward Noonan is a 20 year veteran of Shimer College and was named Trustee Emeritus in 2000. Said Mr. Nelson, “Ed Noonan is uniquely positioned both as someone who understands the long history of Shimer, but also as someone who understands the necessity of improving the administrative structures within the college. We look forward to Ed working with faculty & staff, alumni, students, and the Board of Trustees to continue the good efforts currently being undertaken by the college administration until we search for our next president.”

Through the years Mr. Noonan has been actively engaged in professional and civic activities at the University of Chicago and throughout the Chicago area. No stranger to the IIT campus, Edward Noonan conducted his graduate studies in architecture under Mies Van Der Rohe. Now a renowned Chicago architect, Mr. Noonan currently serves as Chairman of the Board of Chicago Associates Planners & Architects where he has most recently overseen innovative and eco-friendly development projects for Tryon Farm.

Mr. Noonan is now charged with continuing his recent efforts to strengthen internal structures, reach out to the Chicago community and college supporters, and respond to the new energy of Shimer alumni. “I’m grateful to once again have the opportunity to serve Shimer College. I am looking forward to helping an institution with such a unique and noble educational mission,” said Mr. Noonan.

-----

Now is the time for all Shimerians to come to the aid of their college.

Columbia Chronicle article

Thanks to Stephanie Saviola of the Columbia Chronicle for shedding a bit of public sunlight on the events at Shimer.


It's good to see Nate Lefebvre and Allie Peluso getting some well-deserved media coverage.

“[The mission statement] did need to evolve and the school and community acknowledged that, but we were worried because we weren’t getting the whole picture,” Lefebvre said. “They had this secret contract about the statement and we weren’t told the stipulations.”

Allie Peluso, a second-year student at Shimer, discovered the identity of the anonymous donor through her own research of public records.“I’ve done a lot of research and looked into donations and money the school has received,” Peluso said. “I identified this man as Barre Seid through 990s [a tax form].”

The unwillingness -- or inability -- of Lindsay and his ilk to defend their actions speaks volumes.

Numerous attempts were made by The Chronicle to get in touch with Lindsay, but he could not be reached for comment.

Several messages were left for Joe Bast, board of trustee member and president of Heartland Institute, 19 S. LaSalle St., but no calls were returned to The Chronicle.

Read the whole thing.

Shimer College Fact Check: Wall Street Journal article

Here at SC&TF, we try not to give undue prominence to political hit pieces called in by Lindsay and his cronies. However, when a publication as prominent as The Wall Street Journal publishes a misleading, tendentious screed about the current events at Shimer, we believe it is necessary to respond. In what follows we address the more obviously false and misleading statements in the article. If you read that article, you will realize that the following list is far from complete. Please feel free to adapt, expand, and repost.

False: "The school's embattled president, Tom Lindsay, is facing ideological opposition from faculty and students. "
The opposition to Lindsay's mismanagement and abuse of power runs across the spectrum, including staff, students, and alumni of all political persuasions. Shimer's intellectually diverse faculty have been unanimous in condemning Lindsay's actions, which have included firing and threatening to fire anyone who stands in the path of his premeditated hostile takeover. [President Lindsay Threatens Faculty, They Firmly Declare Stance]

Opponents of Lindsay's actions also include many current and former Trustees, notably the distinguished former Chairman of the Board, Young Kim, who urged the community to support a vote of no confidence in Lindsay.

Misleading: 'The "family dispute" is over how to govern this great-books school.'
The problem is less the governance structure than what Lindsay and his cronies intend to do with it. Lindsay & Co. have already vandalized the school’s mission statement and threatened the jobs of staff and faculty. An analysis of Lindsay's speeches and writings indicates strongly that he, and presumably his backers, are also bent on reshaping the Shimer core curriculum according to their own political inclinations, trimming the diversity of ideas currently found there. The contempt that Lindsay & Company have demonstrated for dialogue and participation further suggests that Shimer's unique dialogical classes are also at risk. If we had any reason to believe that Lindsay and his cronies support the core ideals of Shimer, his arrogation of power would be less troubling -- but, unfortunately, there is absolutely no reason to believe this.

False: "Is Shimer a Greek-style polis, as many Shimerians believe?"
Shimer has not operated this way in many years. If there are any Shimerians who think otherwise – and perhaps there are – they are seriously confused. Shimer has operated for decades as a nonprofit corporation with a chief executive whose power is tempered by community and Board oversight. Unfortunately, Thomas Lindsay and his cronies on the board have been working to gut that oversight, eliminating the College’s long-standing tradition of accountability. This is bad management and an abuse of the public trust, and has been decried as such by Rev. Don Moon, who served as president of Shimer for 26 years and arguably deserves the greatest credit for keeping the school alive.

Misleading: "At the time, Shimer faculty, staff and students were eager for Mr. Lindsay to join their tiny school, which enrolls about 100 students, and lead it to happier times."

No doubt, hope springs eternal at Shimer, and we in the alum community dearly hoped that Lindsay's appointment would work out. But the very manner by which he became president raised very serious issues. Lindsay had actually been rejected in the first round of the presidential search process, in favor of other candidates with more pertinent experience. Although the finalists had been narrowed to two excellent candidates in May 2008, Lindsay was suddenly pushed forward by his backer Patrick Parker, who successfully intimidated other trustees with the threat that “anonymous” donor Barre Seid would not approve of these nominees – even though the finalists had real experience at the helm of small colleges, while Lindsay had no experience as a No. 1 executive at all. [May 2008 board minutes]

Misleading: “Enter Mr. Lindsay, charged by Shimer's board—which includes faculty and students—with securing the college's future. “
Unbeknownst to the community, a majority had already been secured on the board by proxies for wealthy industrialist Barre Seid. This fact was only discovered in December 2009, thanks to the diligence of a concerned alumnus. Thus, Tom Lindsay was selected by a board that was already out of the school’s control. [Who’s Buying Shimer?] Confirming the reality of a hostile takeover, this covertly-assembled majority, led by operative Patrick Parker, has maneuvered to maintain its control by blocking the nominations of reputable alumni. [Promulgates 2/2010, page 4]

Misleading: " Less than two years later,"
Actually, objections to Lindsay's abuse of power became widespread less than eight months into his tenure. [Promulgates 2/2010, page 8] Even now he has been in office for only slightly more than a year (he was installed in late January 2009). It is certainly true, however, that 8 months is less than 2 years.

False: 'many of the same people who once cheered Mr. Lindsay's arrival now denounce him as a "conservative menace,"'
"The Conservative Menace" is the sensationalistic title of a Chicago Reader exposé. Newspapers like the Reader do what they must. However, no member of the Shimer community has been heard to use this term. Shimer's problem is not with Lindsay's political leanings, whatever they may be, but with his evident contempt for the unique ethos and mission of the college. Lindsay is definitely a menace, but his political inclinations are only incidental to this.

Misleading: "He fired the director of admissions, without consulting the assembly."
It would have been very unusual for Tom to consult the Assembly, which has not deliberated on specific personnel issues for decades. His responsibility, however, was to consult with the Administrative Committee. This responsibility is specified in the Board bylaws. Not only did Lindsay refuse to discuss his firing of the skilled, successful, and recently-hired Director of Admissions, but both the Admissions Director’s firing and Lindsay's subsequent hiring of a political crony to replace her were done over the express objections of the Administrative Committee and the college faculty. [Promulgates 2/2010]

So yes, Lindsay didn’t consult the Assembly, nor would anyone have expected him to; the breach of procedure was much more profound.

False: "As for the claim that the president ignored the tradition of self-governance at Shimer, in 2008 the college's board itself determined that matters of personnel, among others, would rest with the president."
The Board's own bylaws, as amended in 2008, require that the president consult with the Administrative Committee. This cannot be said to have occurred in any meaningful sense. The Board's bylaws also specify that the Board has the power to overturn any personnel decision by the president. However, the Board, which has been covertly packed with people owing their allegiance and funding to Lindsay's backer Barre Seid, has consistently failed to exercise this oversight. [Board bylaws]

Misleading: "What seems to be irking faculty and students are the president's classically liberal politics, which are out of tune on a campus that invited ex-Weatherman Bill Ayers to be a speaker in 2008."
Shimer has always welcomed speakers from across the political spectrum. This tradition dates back at least to the early 1960s, when the president of the American Nazi Party was invited to speak on campus. [Big Ideas] I fear that Ms Smith’s latching onto this point speaks more about what she and other members of Lindsay's circle imagine “liberty” to be. In this regard it is worth noting that even Tom Lindsay defended Ayers' right to speak on campus.

False: "When Mr. Lindsay shared the statement with students and faculty as part of an intended consultation process, the words "liberty" and "liberal" exploded like a bomb."
In fact, the actual statement drafted by Lindsay was never shared with the community, and was not even disclosed to the Board until a few days before it was voted on. Instead, Lindsay disclosed what he claimed were "guideposts", and rejected any specific criticism on the grounds that these guideposts were not, in fact, a mission statement proposal. The problems with the so-called “mission statement” and the manner of its adopting are detailed in the resolution passed by the February 28^th Assembly.

In closing, we believe it is prudent to mention that the WSJ appropriately classified the above-quoted piece as "Opinion," and that Emily Smith, who authored the piece, is not a Wall Street Journal reporter. Ms Smith is instead a "fellow" at the "Collegiate Network" operated by the Weekly Standard. The Collegiate Network, like approximately half of Shimer's current Board, has benefited from the generosity of Barre Seid, the "anonymous donor". Much like the members of the Board, Ms Smith apparently did not consider it necessary to disclose this information.

News Reports To Date on Shimer Crisis

Here are the recent stories in the Serious Media, in approximate reverse chronological order. This may not be a complete list:

Big Trouble at Little Shimer: What’s happening to Chicago’s Great Books college?	Chicago Weekly	3/3/2010	Sam Feldman	Focus on 2/28 Assembly vote; good background; somewhat confused about relative size of last two campuses
Anonymous Donor Outed in Debate Over Small College's Mission	Chronicle of Philanthropy (subscription)	2/26/2010	Andy Markowitz	Poor, poor Barre Seid. How hard his life must be.
At a Tiny College, an Epic Battle Over Academic Authority	Chronicle of Higher Education (subscription -- but ask around)	2/25/2010	Don Troop	A merciful focus on the real issue of governance, rather than ideological distractions.
Who's Buying Shimer?	Chicago Reader	2/25/2010	Deanna Isaacs	Deanna takes it up a notch; good details on the covert purchase of the Board and the mysterious COTUS issue.
Shimer College in Power Struggle: Board, president seek independence from partnership with students	Chicago Tribune	1/27/2010	Ron Grossman	A shameful mess of an article. The first sentence is accurate; the rest, not so much.
The Conservative Menace: Is an influx of neocon board members threatening Shimer College’s egalitarian tradition?	Chicago Reader	12/10/2009	Deanna Isaacs	Although problematic, this article pretty much broke the story; at the time, few took the claims of conspiracy seriously, and the role of Barre Seid was still unknown.

Overall, I think the media has been doing a decent job. So far the Tribune is the only legitimate news outlet to have fallen for Lindsay's spin. That alone should be enough to get Tom Lindsay fired for incompetence; who ever heard of a conservative executive who couldn't piss on the media and convince them it's raining? Then again, the Tribune is also the only entirely mainstream media outlet to weigh in so far.

A WBEZ reporter has been working on a piece, but as far as I know, there is still no word as to when it will come out, or what form it will take.