Scott Carlson

Washington, D.C.

Senior Writer at The Chronicle of Higher Education

Senior Writer at The Edge (Newsletter)

I write about the business of colleges, sustainability, ideas, etc., at the Chronicle of Higher Ed. Also a biker, judo fighter, beer drinker, gardener.

Articles

What Johns Hopkins U. Means to Baltimore

2 weeks ago | chronicle.com | Scott Carlson

What One University Means to Its City I’m Scott Carlson, a senior writer at The Chronicle covering higher ed and where it’s going. This week, I look at the complicated relationship that the Johns Hopkins University has with Baltimore, and what the university means to the future of that city and to American research. A Study in ContrastsIn many ways, Baltimore is a city of contrasts: Black and white, wealthy and poor, highly educated and underserved.
What Johns Hopkins U. Means to Baltimore

2 weeks ago | ourcommunitynow.com | Scott Carlson

Share A Study in Contrasts In many ways, Baltimore is a city of contrasts: Black and white, wealthy and poor, highly educated and underserved. An early proving ground for redlining and segregation, Baltimore has carved its socioeconomic contrasts into the design of the city.
From the desk of the editor

2 weeks ago | parkbugle.org | Scott Carlson

By Scott CarlsonAs we leave winter and move into spring, the news cycle seems to be heating up in Bugleland. There is a lot of positive energy building in St. Anthony Park—notably, a new listserv providing SAP residents a forum to comment on national politics and the activities of the Trump administration. In this issue, former Bugle editor Dave Healy writes about the launch of the SAP for Democracy listserv—how it started, why it matters and the niche it fills.
Can Colleges Truly Teach ‘Skills’ to Students?

3 weeks ago | chronicle.com | Scott Carlson

I’m Scott Carlson, a senior writer at The Chronicle covering higher ed and where it’s going. This week, I interview an expert on skills and what they mean in the current conversation about higher education. “We Don’t Know What ‘Skills’ Means”Matthew T. Hora, an associate professor of adult and higher education at the University of Wisconsin at Madison, has long studied the interaction between education, skills, and the workplace.
Artificial Intelligence’s Challenge to Colleges of Art

1 month ago | chronicle.com | Scott Carlson

I’m Scott Carlson, a senior writer at The Chronicle covering higher ed and where it’s going. This week, I explore how AI’s ability to create images is affecting the production of art — and what art colleges are telling students about their craft and their futures. ‘New pathways’Last week, I went to see the 4K restoration of Hayao Miyazaki’s masterpiece Princess Mononoke in a shabby big-chain IMAX theatre in the Baltimore suburbs.
The Discussion About ‘Skills’ in Higher Ed Is Very Complicated. Here’s Why.

1 month ago | chronicle.com | Scott Carlson

Why the Discussion About ‘Skills’ in Higher Ed Is So Complicated I’m Scott Carlson, a senior writer at The Chronicle covering higher ed and where it’s going. This week, I examine what I learned about skills at a recent conference and what it means for the salience of the college degree as interest grows in alternative credentials.
Writing in the age of AI

Feb 5, 2025 | chronicle.com | Christa Dutton |Emma Pettit |Stephanie Lee |Scott Carlson

I’m Scott Carlson, a senior writer at The Chronicle covering higher ed and where it’s going. This week, I interview John Warner about his new book, and what it says about writing, teaching, education, and the workplace, and how they’re all responding to the influence of AI. In a world with ChatGPT, why bother writing? John Warner is a writer who has made a career out of teaching and encouraging other people to write.
From the desk of the editor

Jan 31, 2025 | parkbugle.org | Scott Carlson

Here are our Bugle deadlines for the next three issues. As always, we appreciate when writers and readers submit their articles early. Please note our publication dates represent when the newspapers go out for delivery. Mail distribution of the paper may take up to several business days. Meanwhile, bulk drop-offs of the paper around town are usually completed two to three days after publication. February: Deadline, Jan. 8March (Wellness Guide): Deadline, Feb. 12April: Deadline, March 12
The Hidden Utility of the Liberal Arts

Jan 21, 2025 | chronicle.com | Scott Carlson |Ned Laff |Arthur Brooks

What do you do with a major in French? Or philosophy, history, or English? This is the question at the heart of all the challenges that now bedevil liberal-arts departments on campuses across the country, a problem once dubbed the “translation chasm.” It’s the gap between what students and their parents think a French degree leads to and what doors it could actually open up in the world.
What higher ed needs from its leaders right now

Dec 4, 2024 | chronicle.com | Jasper Smith |Eric Kelderman |Lee Papa |Scott Carlson

I’m Scott Carlson, a senior writer at The Chronicle covering higher ed and where it’s going. This week I discuss how leadership in the sector will increasingly require courage, emotional intelligence, humility, and the ability to see your job as being like a DJ.