The Mindset List, aka the “always/never” list, is a compilation of key points about incoming college students. Created at Beloit College in 1998 to reflect the world view of entering first year students—and to help faculty understand incoming classes—the list started with the members of the class of 2002, born in 1980. In 2019, the … Continue reading Introducing! The Class of 2025!
School board members are typically unpaid volunteers, often parents who step forward to shape school policy, choose a superintendent, and review the budget. In most places, and during most times, it was a relatively unremarkable, yet vital position, one that few people paid attention to, or even knew who the members of the local school … Continue reading Why Would Anyone Want to Be on Their Local School Board?
If I am driving on a four-lane highway (two lanes in each direction), and I see a sign that indicates that the left or right lane is closed ahead, I generally try and get out of the lane that is going to be closed as soon as possible, or if I am already in the … Continue reading I Guess I’ve Been Merging Incorrectly All These Years
We are nearly two weeks into the semester, and once again I am blessed with a wonderful group of students. They are engaged, curious, friendly, respectful, and just seem happy to be here. I wrote in a post a couple of weeks ago that this was the start of my 36th year at Villanova. So … Continue reading As If I Needed to Be Reminded That I’m Old
Overdose deaths from stimulants in California nearly quadrupled between 2010 and 2019, and the problem has gotten even worse since. Preliminary data from the first nine months of 2020 — when much of the state was locked down because of the coronavirus— shows stimulant overdose deaths jumped 42% compared to 2019. California has proposed a … Continue reading Can Money Help People to “Just Say No”?
I never was, and never will be, a Don Juan. Growing up, I was always nervous around girls. I just blamed it on my looks and/or my awkwardness. As a result, I did my best to avoid them, and they seemed quite happy with my decision. However, on those rare occasions when a girl would … Continue reading I Wish Those Nuns Had Never Taught Me to Enunciate
Like many ideas for a blog post, this one just randomly popped into my head. And while it may not be of much interest to many readers, I found it fascinating to find out who are some of the famous musical artists who attended Villanova. I'll start with those individuals who actually graduated from Villanova: … Continue reading Music Monday: Villanova’s Famous Musical Students
It seems kind of important that a doctor can correctly interpret the following scenario: A 40-year old woman has a positive mammography in a routine screening. The doctor is told the following about scanning for breast cancer: 1% of women at age forty who participate in routine screening have breast cancer. 80% of women with … Continue reading Why Everyone Needs to Study Statistics, Even Doctors
This post may seem a bit odd coming just one day after I wrote about the controversy surrounding behavioral economist, Dan Ariely. While I personally don't think it looks good for Dan, I'm hoping it's an isolated incident and it doesn't negate all the other research he has done. Plus, people are supposed to be … Continue reading Practicing, Not YouTubing, Makes Perfect
Many readers of this blog will recognize the name, Dan Ariely. Dan is a world-renowned behavioral economist at Duke University and the best-selling author of several books on decision making. He also writes a biweekly column for the Wall Street Journal in which he answers readers' questions. That column has been a frequent source of … Continue reading Say It Ain’t So, Dan!
Borden's Blather 