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Slight off-topic/meta: "...In a statement released late Thursday, Elmendorf said the school did not intend to honor Manning in any way or to endorse any of her

Slight off-topic/meta: "...In a statement released late Thursday, Elmendorf said the school did not intend to honor Manning in any way or to endorse any of her words or deeds..." What is the purpose of having visiting fellows? As a reader, if I knew that, I might have some initial ability to start forming opinions about this story. Is it an honor? A job? Both? Neither? ADD: But I guess I'll never know due to the flag-kill brigade.

grzm 9y ago
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Visiting_scholar https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Visiting_scholar > The purpose of a visiting scholars programs is generally to bring to the university or educational institution in question an exceptional senior scholar who can contribute to and enrich the community's intellectual and research endeavors and international projection.
- DanielBMarkham 9y ago
  So for somebody without a lot of academic experience to bring to bear, it's basically a sinecure. Unless I missed something. Thanks.
  - dredmorbius 9y ago
    There are paths to knowledge which don't pass through the Ivory Tower. Dan Gillmor at University of Arizona comes to mind. Many lawyers, doctors, and computer science professionals. An enormous number of politicians. Military officers. Political activists. I'd strongly recommend you consider some of the existing and prior examples, your response doesn't do the reality justice.
    - DanielBMarkham 9y ago
      I'm happy with my response, although I understand that for a college with a lot of money to spend, the definition and mission of fellows can be quite broad. To defend my position a little more, I was asking for a definition of the job of visiting fellow that was presented in a format that advanced the institution's mission. I found the Wikipedia page quite adequate in that regard. I also understand that people like their colleges with a diverse and outstanding mix of personalities and folks with unusual life experiences to share. I have no problem with that. I think it's a great idea. It's just that it's a sinecure. Nothing wrong with being honest about it. Manning or some military person is not going to visit Harvard and proceed to discover the cure for cancer. It's a checkbox both on their resume and the college's brochure. I think it's a mistake to view this in terms of supporting or attacking either Harvard or Manning. The purpose of my question was simply to clarify terms of the discussion. It seems to me that there are two definitions of "visiting fellow'. One definition is based on the academic credentials of the fellow. The other is based on the type of experience the unviersity can provide undergrads by having somewhat famous people hanging around. I'm okay with that.

grzm 9y ago

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Visiting_scholar https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Visiting_scholar > The purpose of a visiting scholars programs is generally to bring to the university or educational institution in question an exceptional senior scholar who can contribute to and enrich the community's intellectual and research endeavors and international projection.

DanielBMarkham 9y ago
So for somebody without a lot of academic experience to bring to bear, it's basically a sinecure. Unless I missed something. Thanks.
- dredmorbius 9y ago
  There are paths to knowledge which don't pass through the Ivory Tower. Dan Gillmor at University of Arizona comes to mind. Many lawyers, doctors, and computer science professionals. An enormous number of politicians. Military officers. Political activists. I'd strongly recommend you consider some of the existing and prior examples, your response doesn't do the reality justice.
  - DanielBMarkham 9y ago
    I'm happy with my response, although I understand that for a college with a lot of money to spend, the definition and mission of fellows can be quite broad. To defend my position a little more, I was asking for a definition of the job of visiting fellow that was presented in a format that advanced the institution's mission. I found the Wikipedia page quite adequate in that regard. I also understand that people like their colleges with a diverse and outstanding mix of personalities and folks with unusual life experiences to share. I have no problem with that. I think it's a great idea. It's just that it's a sinecure. Nothing wrong with being honest about it. Manning or some military person is not going to visit Harvard and proceed to discover the cure for cancer. It's a checkbox both on their resume and the college's brochure. I think it's a mistake to view this in terms of supporting or attacking either Harvard or Manning. The purpose of my question was simply to clarify terms of the discussion. It seems to me that there are two definitions of "visiting fellow'. One definition is based on the academic credentials of the fellow. The other is based on the type of experience the unviersity can provide undergrads by having somewhat famous people hanging around. I'm okay with that.