The study aimed to identify the reality of total quality management in university colleges in Gaza Strip, through its dimensions, which are (commitment of senior management; organizational building; employee empowerment; continuous improvement; focus on beneficiaries; management by facts), and to detect differences in the responses of sample members according to For personal variables (type; educational qualification; college; nature of work; years of service). The researchers used the descriptive analytical method, and used a main tool to collect information: the (...) questionnaire consisted of (42) phrases, and the study population reached (596) academic and administrative employees distributed to (5) university colleges in Gaza Strip, and it was chosen A stratified random sample of them consisted of (240) employees, approximately (40.3%) of the study population. (SPSS) was used to analyze the data. The study concluded a set of results, the most important of which are: (1) The application of the requirements of total quality management in university colleges in Gaza Strip is generally appropriate in terms of: (the commitment of senior management to total quality management, organizational building, facts management, focus on beneficiaries, employee empowerment, continuous improvement), where the response of the sample members was about the dimensions Total quality management with relative weight (69.93%). (2) There are differences at the level of significance (α =.05) between the averages of the respondents' responses to total quality management in university colleges in Gaza Strip due to gender and differences in favor of the male category. And differences attributed to the college and in favor of the University College of Professional Sciences. (3) There are no differences between the averages of the respondents' responses to total quality management in university colleges in Gaza Strip due to (Educational Qualification, Nature of Work, and Years of Service). Among the most important recommendations of the study: The need for university colleges to ensure: (achieving job satisfaction, employee participation when setting regulations and policies and making important decisions, adhering to the requirements of scientific research and encouraging scientific achievements and job creativity among employees, while providing material and moral facilities for scientific research and development, developing Mechanisms and patterns of electronic work). And that university colleges give attention to handling complaints and grievances through: (assigning a competent and competent committee to handle complaints and grievances in all fairness and transparency, adopting and following up on the results of implementing complaints and grievances, protecting the complainants from any arbitrary procedure against them). (shrink)

The study aimed to identify the effect of Total Quality Management in achieving the requirements of the quality of job life among university college employees, and the researchers used the descriptive and analytical approach, and used a main tool to collect information, which is: the questionnaire. The study population reached (596) academic and administrative employees distributed among (5) University colleges in Gaza Strip, and a stratified random sample of (240) employees was selected, approximately (40.3%) of the study (...) population. SPSS software was used to analyze the data. The study concluded that the application of the requirements of total quality management in university colleges in Gaza Strip is appropriate in general in terms of: (the commitment of the top management to total quality management, organizational structure, management with facts, focus on beneficiaries, staff empowerment, and continuous improvement). The sample on the dimensions of total quality management with a relative weight is (69.93%). And that the elements of job quality in university colleges in Gaza Strip are generally adequate in terms of: (moral working conditions, wages and rewards, participation in decision-making, handling of complaints and grievances, benefits provided to employees), where the response of the sample respondents was about the dimensions of job quality with a relative weight (63.30%), and the existence of a strong positive relationship between Total Quality Management in university colleges in Gaza Strip. And that there is a statistically significant effect of the variables of comprehensive quality management and quality of career in university colleges in Gaza Strip at a significance level (α = 0.05). And that the dimensions of total quality management most influencing the dimensions of job quality are: (empowering employees; continuous improvement; focusing on beneficiaries; managing with facts). The absence of differences between the answers of the sample members about the impact of Total Quality Management in achieving the requirements of the quality of the job life of the employees in university colleges due to the variable (academic qualification, years of service). And the existence of differences attributed to a variable (gender in favor of the male category, the college in favor of the university college of applied sciences category, and the nature of work attributed to an academic category with an administrative position). Among the most important recommendations of the study is the necessity for university colleges to be keen on: (achieving job satisfaction, employee participation when setting regulations and policies and making important decisions, adhering to scientific research requirements and encouraging scientific achievements and career creativity among employees, while providing material and moral facilities for scientific research and development, developing mechanisms and patterns of electronic work). University colleges must provide benefits to employees such as: (providing health care, organizing leisure trips, contributing to solving economic problems, providing club subscriptions). And the necessity for university colleges to pay attention to handling complaints and grievances through: (Assigning an efficient and competent committee to handle complaints and grievances in all fairness and transparency, adopting and following up the results of the application of handling complaints and grievances, protecting complainants from any arbitrary action against them). And the need for the Ministry of Education and Higher Education to develop the evaluation role of the National Authority for Accreditation, Quality and Quality of Higher Education Institutions to evaluate the performance of university colleges, to ensure the application of academic and administrative quality standards in colleges, and to seek the help of quality and excellence experts in evaluating the application of Total Quality Management in the academic and administrative f ield in accordance with regional performance standards And global. (shrink)

This paper was chosen from ninety papers presented at (Conference on Higher Education in the Islamic world: challenges and prospects, Malaysia in 2008) to be chapter of the book “Higher education in the Islamic world: challenges and prospects” During the human history, philosophy organizes education, and the societies revert to philosophy to regulate education policy .Philosophy contributes to: suggesting education goals, provide the learning outcome, classification of topics and learning activities in educational institutions , and proposes an educational curriculum The (...) paper titled The Design of Curricula in the Universities: College of Humanities and Social Sciences UAEU Model, which introduced the vocabulary in which modernist experiment in the UAEU. It shows that the process of curriculum design has been in the holistic pattern in the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, where it began re-building the organizational structure of the college, update regulations, activate the systems, and designing curriculum using modern technical and the English language into the curriculum for each specialty. (shrink)

We are in a state of impending crisis. And the fault lies in part with academia. For two centuries or so, academia has been devoted to the pursuit of knowledge and technological know-how. This has enormously increased our power to act which has, in turn, brought us both all the great benefits of the modern world and the crises we now face. Modern science and technology have made possible modern industry and agriculture, the explosive growth of the world’s population, global (...) warming, modern armaments and the lethal character of modern warfare, destruction of natural habitats and rapid extinction of species, immense inequalities of wealth and power across the globe, pollution of earth, sea and air, even the aids epidemic (aids being spread by modern travel). All these global problems have arisen because some of us have acquired unprecedented powers to act, via science and technology, without also acquiring the capacity to act wisely. We urgently need to bring about a revolution in universities so that the basic intellectual aim becomes, not knowledge merely, but rather wisdom – wisdom being the capacity to realize what is of value in life, for oneself and others, thus including knowledge and technological know-how, but much else besides. (shrink)

Michael Dummett says in the preface to his book on Frege that he is always disappointed when a book lacks a preface. ‘it is like arriving at someone’s house for dinner’ Dummett says ‘and being conducted straight into the dining room’. I feel the same way about inaugural lectures. To give an inaugural lecture is in part an acknowledgement of a professional honour, and in part an opportunity to pay a personal tribute to the institution which has honoured you in (...) this way. It is not difficult, and a pleasant task, to do this. My professorship has no predecessor, of course, but I hope that this does not disqualify me from saying something about what I owe to UCL and to its philosophy department. The intellectual character of the department as it is now was largely shaped by the influence of the late Richard Wollheim. I am sorry to say that I did not know Richard Wollheim well, and it is a cause of great sadness for the whole department that Richard was never able to return to the department as he had planned to do before he died last autumn. But I nonetheless feel the influence he left in the department, and I would like to pay a small tribute to it here. (shrink)

The aim of this book is to promote understanding and enjoyment of the arts. With this aim in mind, Lyas introduces the key issues of philosophical aesthetics through examples drawn from high and popular culture, and from a variety of art forms, from music and painting to literature and poetry. The book is pitched as a springboard into undergraduate courses in aesthetics and as an introduction to philosophical aesthetics for the general reader. It is refreshing to read a book on (...) aesthetics written by someone for whom problems in aesthetics are more than just grist for the academic mill. That this is the case shows not only in his choice of examples but also in the perspective he brings to them. Lyas argues, for example, that one must feel the merit of the work for oneself; rather then simply, as he puts it, assuming 'that certain things are worth studying ("in the canon" as they put it)' and then performing 'various classificatory dances round them' (p.75). The question for appreciation, he reminds us, is why those things in the canon deserve to be there. According to Lyas, teaching aesthetics is not simply a matter of imparting a body of knowledge to the student. Instead, the teacher's role is to develop capacities in the student for an appreciative experiencing (p.131). (shrink)

The society could be understood through data around us. Hence, each individual must be equipped with knowledge and skills in managing data. This study aimed to describe data management skills of the college students. It made use of a mixed method of the qualitative and quantitative type of research, particularly descriptive approach. The study was conducted in the undergraduate schools of Saint Mary’s University at Bayombong, Nueva Vizcaya, Philippines. The data management skills assessment is a researcher-made questionnaire that intended (...) to measure the ability of senior students to properly handle data for easy access like sorting or arranging and coding. Findings revealed that most of the senior students were moderately skillful in managing data. It suggests that the data management skills of the students are not yet fully achieved. Hence, data management skills should be taught as much as writing or computational skills are taught because of the importance it plays in the society. (shrink)

The abrupt shift in learning mode demands students to adjust from the comfort of their homes, as well as the challenges of face-to-face learning. As a result, as the pandemic fades, institutions in the Philippines have begun to reopen their doors to students. Hence, this study employed a correlational design to investigate the relationship between procrastination and academic burnout among 150 first-year college students in a state university. Based on the statistical analysis, the r coefficient of 0.67 indicates a (...) moderate positive correlation between the variables. The p-value of 0.00, which is less than 0.05, leads to the decision to reject the null hypothesis. Hence, a significant relationship exists between procrastination and academic burnout among first-year college students. Implications and recommendations were discussed in the study. (shrink)

The study aims to identify the impact of the use of artificial intelligence techniques in improving the outputs of higher education in Business Administrative Colleges in the universities under study that formed the research community. As for the sample, it consisted of (130) academic respondents in these universities under study. The research concluded that there is a statistically significant effect of using artificial intelligence techniques (expert systems, neural networks) in improving the outputs of higher education in Business Administrative (...) class='Hi'>Colleges under study. It was found that artificial intelligence technologies contribute to finding graduates who are able to carry out the process of modernization and professional development in various fields of work. These technologies also contribute to improving and developing the skills of graduates in the labor market and providing them with new skills and characteristics to perform their duties. The research recommended increasing interest in the expert systems technology by the universities under study because of its scientific importance in improving the outputs of higher education by reformulating them in the form of programs embraced by computers. (shrink)

The following provides to facilitate a better understanding of Niche doctoral programs, which was elaborated on the frequency of major institutions within the doctoral program listings. While no definitive ranking unlike the college rankings and programs is available, we are able to conjecture the breadth of doctoral programs for the list institutions. Others on instant sense may see in a mild aura of college or program strength. Then, they may refer to A/B/C tables below the Niche Doctoral Rank, whose focus (...) runs solely on the availability and breadth of programs. (shrink)

This study investigates the relationship between self-efficacy and resilience among 150 first-year college students. This study used a correlational research design. Thus, General Self-Efficacy Scale and Resilience Scale were utilized to measure the variables. Furthermore, the statistical analysis reveals that the r coefficient of 0.48 indicates a low positive correlation between the variables. The p-value of 0.00, which is less than 0.05, leads to the decision to reject the null hypothesis. Hence, a significant relationship exists between self-efficacy and resilience among (...) first-year college students. Implications were discussed in the study. (shrink)

The Mindoro State University Bongabong Campus extension unit is still opera- tional amid the COVID-19 pandemic. This paper evaluates the implementation of the "eSupport: Continuation of Extension Services Amid Covid-19 Pandemic," an extension program by the College of Computer Studies faculty and students. This ex- tension program included six topics delivered via a free webinar series and online training programs through Google Meet, Zoom, MS Teams, and Facebook Live and some conducted face-to-face. Participants or beneficiaries in the webinars, online (...) and face-to-face training, and extensionists served as respondents of the study. The narrative research design was used, and the data were treated using the weighted mean. The instrument used in the study was a university evaluation questionnaire on extension services. The evaluation sheet was divided into strategy, speaker, and services. The study revealed that community beneficiaries gave positive assessments and feedback on the College of Computer Studies' extension project. Participants' and extensionists' or implementers' experiences and recommendations will be considered in future planning, implementation, and impact assessments. (shrink)

At Temple College, a community college in Texas, the administration forced Kerry Laird, a literature and composition professor, to remove from his office door the quote from Friedrich Nietzsche "Gott ist tot." The college says that to leave the phrase up would offend others and constitute an endorsement of the phrase. Laird, Cary Nelson, the national president of the American Association of University Professors, and William O. Stephens, chair of the American Philosophical Association Committee for the Defense of the (...) Professional Rights of Philosophers, see the ban as a violation of academic freedom and a double standard, since many other faculty members are permitted to display pro-religion statements and images on their doors. Stephens said that ever the ancient Athenians put Socrates to death for expressing non-traditional views, great philosophers have often caused offense. (shrink)

The study aimed to identify the creative environment of the technical colleges operating in Gaza Strip. The analytical descriptive method was used through a questionnaire which was randomly distributed to 289 employees of the technical colleges in Gaza Strip with a total number of (1168) employees and a response rate equal to (79.2%) of the sample study. The results confirmed the existence of a high degree of approval for the dimensions of the creative environment with a relative weight (...) of (75.19%) according to the perspective of the employees of the technical colleges in Gaza Strip. The results of the study showed a high level of creative environment (fluency, flexibility, originality, sensitivity to problems) in the technical colleges in Gaza Strip, where the field (fluency) ranked first and relative weight (76.86%), in the second place came the area (sense of problems) and relative weight (74.89%). The field of elasticity came in third place with a relative weight of (74.59%). Finally, the field of originality came in fourth and final rank with a relative weight of (74.41%). The results showed that there are differences between the technical colleges in the principles of the creative environment in all fields and the overall degree except for the field of flexibility. The most available colleges in these principles were the university college of applied sciences, and that was the least of the Faculty of Al-Aqsa Society. The results showed that there were differences according to the age variable in the areas of creative environment only in the sense of problems for age groups (less than 30 years) and (from 40 to 50 years). The researchers suggested a number of recommendations, the need to enhance the dimensions of the creative environment in technical colleges by working to improve the faculties of fluency, flexibility, originality and sensitivity to problems. The need to work on continuity and improve aspects of the creative environment of the colleges and the creation of new and innovative ways to support and develop and support these aspects combined. Necessity of technical colleges to continue to develop the creative environment (fluency, flexibility, originality, sensitivity to problems) for employees by engaging them in specialized training courses for creative thinking and problem solving. Developing work procedures with new innovative methods that will accomplish the various tasks quickly and accurately, and provide the effort, time and costs. The researchers urged more future studies that address the same variables of the current study in the field of creative environment and applied to other sectors. (shrink)

College towns contain mixtures of students and locals, tied to the intitution’s urban life. Due to students’ health, community engagement must be prioritized in these towns. However, technology is often blamed for distancing people. A paradoxical use of it, specifically immersive technology, a youth favorite, can be the solution by focusing on the technological narratives of the institute-related materials to improve community cohesion. This strategy shaped connections between students and locals and among past, present, and future. In this presentation, the (...) impact of immersive technology will be discussed and compared in two college towns, Lancaster, UK, and Lubbock, USA. (shrink)

The aims of this book is clear and straightforward. It was motivated to convert an inhumane or insipid experience with the various sources of global ranking into the kind of humanly and cultural experience within our daily lifestyle. Their outlook from presentation is masked with the number purely and perhaps through a myriad of complicated data or ranking information. The concept or self-identification within the experience or exposure would be less substantial or hard to get palpable. My attempt to improve (...) this aspect of contemporary practice certainly will fall short, but you can sense in some paragraphs or titles. I wrote this small piece of book in the end to take care of human integrity and stories for advancing the inherence and liveliness of interested actors or consumers despite all the wind-heads from the turf of existing ranking sources. The idea hopefully might be compatible with brand personification for the people interested in this area of world phenomenon. The structure of book was organized in less complete way, but might look cursory and spontaneous. The dealings obviously are never exhaustive unlike the major commercial providers, rather more akin to the consulting webs primarily in direct contact with the customers. Nevertheless, the ranking results finalized through this book is original in its methodology or in terms of data collection although the presentation is little in scope and mainly suggestive as a kind of ranking philosopher. Given my status as a college professor, it would be an unusual chemistry or brought me to shimmer at some point of meditation on how I could rank fairly and meaningfully. I merely hope that the readership can generously take this attempt as a pilot work or as the kind of post-modern work Avant Gardo or civilization strolls from understanding, criticism. It might be even through a bootstrap with the universal constitutionalism or communicative democracy. The book had been prepared mainly by editing into each section the previous work of articles and flowing through each of my brief pertaining to the purported ranking. Nevertheless, I am presenting an up-to-date elaboration on the graduate or post-graduate study and KIOSK on research doctorates. As followed by section four, the conventional spectrum of global CU rankings was discussed with a new attempt to measure them. Lastly, a reflection and piece of thought were wrought through little pages titled Epilogue at the end of this booklet. (shrink)

Choice Based Credit System (CBCS) is a modern curriculum system of higher education in India which was first introduced by the Academic and Administrative Reforms committee of University Grant Commission (UGC) in 2008 headed by Prof. A. Gnanam. It is a system that promises to bring in holistic development of an individual by providing flexible and multi-disciplinary learning experience. The CBCS provides a cafeteria type approach in which the students can take courses of their choice, learn at their own (...) pace, undergo additional courses and acquire more than the required credits, and adopt an interdisciplinary approach to learning. The courses shall be evaluated on the grading system, which is considered to be better than the conventional marks system. To make the present curriculum uniform, international standard and more developed UGC implement the Choice Based Credit System at higher education level. There are different Universities in the country that have adopted this system through modifying up to 30% of core papers’ syllabus under the proposed UGC curriculum. The major objectives of the study were to explore the nature of the present CBCS curriculum of Zoology and measure the perception level of the students on the present CBCS curriculum of Zoology of Vidyasagar University. The major Findings of the study were suggested that the Vidyasagar University followed the UGC recommended curriculum pattern for framing the CBCS curriculum of Zoology and it has also been found that there was no significant difference in the male and female students’’ perception about CBCS curriculum of zoology at undergraduate level in Vidyasagar University. -/- . (shrink)

It was a precious opportunity as a teacher and researcher that I had completed two research method classes with the peers of Laureate Education Inc. Since the generation of creative knowledge and meaningful contribution to the field is charged on the professional researcher, the classes are foundational, but unfortunately with less an attention by the scholars, and, if more problematically, even lack of courses for some graduate or training programs. Within this paper, I can be gladly reminiscent of the course (...) learning, and can present a work of demonstration by employing the issues of global college rankings. In this article, my purpose is gone with three basic aims; (i) present the brief summary of my experience on the two method classes (ii) suggest a new perspective and mindset within the changing technology and post-modern transformation of society (iii) finally show two examples of mixed method involved with the global college rankings and provide a view for the students situated within the temporal boundary I had set forth. (shrink)

The major research universities in the United States had been investigated for the doctoral ranking of 2022 College Factual. The investigation had been performed as best as possible for the accuracy of data, but never be perfect nor exhaustive about the search terms. Suggestion and advice are truly welcome (Kiyoung Kim, Professor of Law and Public Policy, College of Law and Social Studies, Chosun University, Gwang-ju, South Korea). I plan that the data would be used for the next research (...) publication. (shrink)

Recent work on women’s underrepresentation in philosophy has focused on a distinction between “in class” and “pre-university” effects as the primary cause of women’s underrepresentation in philosophy. This paper reports from a large dataset (n > 2,000,000) from the Cooperative Institutional Research Program that shows that, of the American students that intended to major in philosophy before they started college, about two-thirds are men. This lends credence to the pre-university effects explanation for women’s underrepresentation in philosophy. This paper (...) will discuss this finding in light of Louise Antony’s “perfect storm” theory of women’s underrepresentation in philosophy. I will argue that a major part of the perfect storm for women in philosophy is a masculine philosopher schema that discourages women from continuing in philosophy even before they enter a college philosophy class. I will also consider two objections to this argument, what I call the “problem of ignorance” and the “transmission problem.”. (shrink)

The purpose of this research is to determine the variables influencing college students' engagement in swimming activities, as well as the significant themes that often appear in these occurrences. A descriptive research design was used to identify the factors influencing college students' perception of participating in swimming activities. Descriptive research is a type of nonexperimental study that aims to describe the features of phenomena as it occurs. It was found out that participating in swimming activities provides various benefits, some of (...) these include helping build endurance, muscle strength, and cardiovascular fitness, enhanced swimming skills, and maintaining a healthy weight. As a result, the implementation of active recreational activities in schools must be reinforced, not simply for the purpose of participation, but also because students are driven to do so. And these activities must be carried out not just on school grounds, but also at home and in the community. (shrink)

Individuals with high self-concept will likely have high life satisfaction, they easily get adjusted to life, and they communicate their feeling more appropriately. However, it was not certain whether self-concept would decline or improve as individuals age, or whether self-concept would vary between genders and ethnic groups. To prove, a study was carried out to compare the self-concept of college students in an Asian context. The inquiry utilized the cross-sectional design in finding out significant differences in the self-concept of participants (...) in terms of age, gender, and ethnicity. A 22-item questionnaire was adapted and administered to 222 Bachelor of Public Administration and Bachelor of Science in Business Administration students from the satellite campus of Bukidnon State University in the Philippines. Initially, a sample was randomly drawn from the population. During the actual data collection, the researchers had difficulty getting the responses from the randomly selected individuals due to internet connection and it was done amidst a pandemic. Instead, it took all responses from those who were available, have access to the internet, and could accomplish the google forms. The data were analyzed using Mean, Standard Deviation, T-test for independent sample, ANOVA and Post Hoc test. The results revealed that college students at the locale have a high level of self-concept in self-fulfilment, emotional adjustment, and honesty. Yet, they only had a moderate level of self-concept in autonomy. Further, there were significant differences in college students’ autonomy and honesty in terms of age and gender. Furthermore, there were significant differences in their emotional adjustment and self-fulfilment as to their ethnicity. The results have implications for instruction, administration, guidance services, and future research. (shrink)

While a plethora of studies has been conducted to examine stress and its impact on mental health in western countries, research is scarce investigating the relationship between student challenge stress and health illness in the context of Chinese colleges. No studies examined the moderating effect of self-efficacy on the relationship between challenge stress and health illness. This study attempted to investigate the relationships between these three variables among Chinese college students. Especially, this study focused on examining whether self-efficacy moderated (...) the effect of perceived challenge stress on students’ mental health. Also, the differences were tested between male and female students in terms of these three variables. A sample of 578 Chinese college students was recruited over an approximately 12-week period from 7 Chinese universities. An online survey link was distributed through WeChat. The SPSS version 26 software was used to analyze the data. Results showed that there is no significant difference between genders in terms of perceived challenge stress, self-efficacy, and students’ mental health. In addition, challenge stress was positively related to the students’ mental health (β = 0.35, p < 0.01) while there was a negative association between self-efficacy and mental health (β = -0.41, p < 0.01). Furthermore, self-efficacy plays a moderating role in the relationship between challenge stress and mental health (β = -0.11, p = 0.02). Students with low self-efficacy tend to experience more mental health issues. It is suggested that Chinese colleges and universities pay more attention to students with low self-efficacy, either through faculty/staff interventions or peer counseling. Professors consider reducing students’ academic stress to improve their mental health. (shrink)

Aim: This paper assessed the relationship of the university teachers’ work-life balance with their work commitment in Jimei University Chengyi College in creating dynamics on managing competing demands aligned with personal and professional satisfaction. -/- Methodology: A descriptive research design was used in this study. The research locale is at Jimei University Chengyi College. The purposive sampling technique was used. This study used statistical treatment wherein responses were summarized, classified, and tabulated using statistical treatment such as frequency, (...) percentage, weighted mean, standard deviation and Likert scale. -/- Results: The overall mean of 3.52 shows that the teachers strongly agree that the work-life-school balance is very highly manifested in their lives and that they are able to juggle the different responsibilities in both their personal and professional lives. Teacher’s commitment is shown to a very great extent and is indicative of their commitment being very highly manifested which shows that the teachers are very committed to their task as a teacher. Comparing the assessment of the teacher respondents on their relationship between level of work-life-school balance and work commitment, the R-value indicates a weak positive correlation between the teacher’s level of work-life-school balance and work commitment. -/- Conclusion: Teachers experience feelings of anxiety or depression if the balance between the three aspects of their lives, their work, the school, and their personal lives, is disrupted. They constantly think about many other things about their work and their personal life that ‘easily’ relaxing might not be the easiest thing to do. Teachers strongly agree that the work-life-school balance is very highly manifested in their lives and that they are able to juggle the different responsibilities in both their personal and professional lives. (shrink)

La última década ha supuesto un renovado interés por la filosofía de Wilfrid Sellars. Este libro representa el paradigma de este renovado interés, si bien no es el único. Gracias al trabajo editorial de James O’Shea, la mayoría de las presentaciones de la Sellars Centenary Conference, que tuvo lugar en la University College Dublin, en 2012, fueron editadas y compiladas en este volumen. En la mencionada conferencia, varios herederos de Sellars hicieron explícita su influencia, elaboraron críticas concienzudas, o extendieron (...) algunas de las ideas del que para muchos de ellos es su principal mentor intelectual. De ahí el título del volumen, del que la mayoría de las contribuciones adopta una línea parricida. En esta reseña quiero desta- car la trama principal de cada una de las contribuciones, de forma que sea visible la diversidad de las cuestiones filosóficas en las que se juega la influencia de Sellars. (shrink)

Aim: This research determined the relationship between university teachers’ professional identity and their work performance. -/- Methodology: The design that was used in this study is a Descriptive Comparative- Correlational research design using the quantitative approach. Participants in this study were taken from the 967 university teachers at Guangdong Business and Technology University from the 14 colleges. They were chosen randomly. The researcher used the Qualtrics calculator at a 5% margin of error to arrive at 275 (...) respondents. Data analyses include frequency count and percentage, weighted mean, and descriptive equivalent. A five-point scale was used in this study as a guide to answer the questionnaire. -/- Results: Based on the result, the highest manifestation of teachers’ professional identity was found to be on their professional behavior tendency which was ranked first among the four indicators. It was followed by professional values and professional belonging, while role values tend to be the least manifested professional identity based on the self -assessment of the teachers. The over-all mean value of 3.52 reveals that professional identity was highly manifested among the teachers of Guangdong Business and Technology University. Teacher respondents have manifested an outstanding work performance particularly on work attitude as this was given the highest rating by the teachers themselves. Second in rank was the interpersonal promotion, followed by completion of teaching activities which also shows an outstanding work performance. On the other hand, teachers’ work performance on student achievement was given the lowest assessment by the teachers showing a very satisfactory performance. Generally, the result reveals that teachers exhibited an outstanding work performance as perceived by themselves. Based on the result, there were no significant differences in the assessment of teacher respondents when they are grouped according to gender. This is taken to mean that male and female teachers have relatively the same assessment as regards their work performance in terms of work attitude, interpersonal promotion, completion of teaching activities, and student achievement. Generally, the result reveals that there was a significant relationship between the teachers’ professional identity and their work performance. The result reveals that professional identity of teachers has positive impact on their work performance. -/- Conclusion: Respondents are dominated by female teachers who are mostly in their middle age. A good number of teachers who have earned master’s and doctoral degrees are also evident. They perceived themselves to have a high level of professional identity specifically on professional behavior tendency, professional values, and professional belonging. Teachers have relatively the same assessments on their professional identity regardless of their gender, age, educational attainment, and monthly income. They exhibit an outstanding work performance particularly on work attitude, interpersonal promotion, and completion of teaching activities. However, they feel that they had less contribution to student achievement. Teachers have relatively the same assessments on their work performance regardless of their gender, age, educational attainment, and monthly income. Professional identity of teachers can somehow influence their work performance in general. Specifically, professional values and professional belonging give positive effect to work attitude of teachers, and to their completion of teaching activities. (shrink)

The study sought to investigate the level of the knowledge possessed by Home Economics lecturers and students on the objectives of Patchwork and Quilting Craft. The design of the study was a descriptive survey. The study was carried out in Colleges of Education in South-East zone of Nigeria. The population of the study comprised of all the Home Economics lecturers and final year students in Colleges of Education. A census sampling approach was used in selecting all the lecturers (...) and students for the study. A researcher-developed questionnaire titled, “Level of knowledge on the Objectives of Patchwork and Quilting Craft Questionnaire” was used for data collection. The instrument was validated by experts in Home Economics and Measurement and Evaluation in Universities and Colleges of Education. The reliability of the instrument was determined using Cronbach’s alpha procedure and an index of 0.84 was obtained. The instrument was administered and collected back by five research assistants. Mean and standard deviation were used for data analysis. Findings show that twenty-four possible specific objectives of teaching patchwork and quilting craft in colleges of education were identified. There was a significant difference at p < 0.05 between the mean ratings of Home Economics lecturers and students on the objectives of teaching patchwork and quilting craft. Based on the findings, it was recommended that lecturers and students of Home Economics should be adequately retrained to gain more knowledge of the objectives of patchwork and quilting craft in colleges of Education. (shrink)

Technological advancement makes translation convenient due to the emergence of various translation tools. This Explanatory-Sequential study aims to determine the preference and the factors affecting the preference of Filipino and Foreign college students toward the Online Translation Tool. Likewise, it also aimed to identify if there is a significant difference between the respondents' choices. To acquire the data, the researchers used a survey conducted on 15 Filipino and foreign collegiate students enrolled in universities in Manila and a focus group discussion (...) among 3 Filipino students. The transcribed data were analyzed using Thematic Analysis. Moreover, the results of the quantitative data revealed that Google Translate was the preferred Online Translation Tool of Filipino and Foreign students for the reason of accessibility, user-friendliness, and the tendency of users to brand bias. The reasons presented in quantitative data are strengthened by the themes identified in the qualitative data. The three prevailing themes of Brand Bias, Accessibility, and Accuracy constituted the central theme of User Friendliness. It was identified through the Chi-Square Test that there is no significant difference among respondents' preferences (0.345 P-Value) toward online Translation software. (shrink)

This study investigates the relationship between personality traits and coping styles among college students in private higher educational institution. Hence, employing correlational design to assess the relationship between coping styles and personality of 150 college students. The statistical analysis reveals that the r coefficient of 0.54 indicates a moderate positive correlation between the variables. The p-value of 0.00, which is less than 0.05, leads to the decision to reject the null hypothesis. Hence, a significant relationship exists between coping style and (...) personality traits among fourth-year college students in a private state university. (shrink)

Kampus Merdeka was part of the Merdeka Belajar policy released by the Indonesian Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology (Kemendikbudristek) at the end of January 2020. This study focuses on a university program that gave students opportunities to develop skills in accordance with their talents and interests by entering the workforce right away as training for future careers. Until the middle of September 2022, 12 programs had launched. To provide a reliable reference, a comprehensive analysis of the Merdeka (...) Curriculum program was carried out in this work. We took a qualitative approach, conducting observations and interviews with fellow actors as well as a thorough analysis of pertinent databases on the related subjects. We found that active student participation and support from the university are the keys to the success of Kampus Merdeka. Furthermore, serious commitment is needed from all parties to gain a company’s trust. This study is important to gain deep insights into the Kampus Merdeka policy so that the needs of Kurikulum Merdeka can be met effectively. (shrink)

Evidence shows that the COVID-19 pandemic has increased stress and despair levels. During the outbreak, everyone’s health and safety are given high importance. The only practical option at this time is for schools and institutions all around the world to switch to online classes. Students, parents, professors, and teachers in the Philippines are aware of the long-term difficulties of online learning, notably their effects on college student’s mental health. This hasn't, however, been adequately documented. The challenges and consequences of online (...) learning on the mental health of students taking up the Hospitality Management program at Romblon State University were investigated in this study. It would add to the body of knowledge regarding mental health, especially for Filipino students. The descriptive quantitative research was employed in the study, and purposive sampling was used to choose the respondents. A researcher-modified instrument with a Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-10) was translated into a Google form and it was used as the standard tool to collect data. The online survey was carried out and data analysis was done using frequency and percentage distribution as well as weighted mean. According to the results, the respondent’s 3-5 hours weekly online activity demonstrates their lack of involvement. Home distractions, a lack of engaging online teaching techniques, procrastination, increased workload, depression, and anxiety are a few of the difficulties encountered. The effect on the HM students is a perceived stress scale interpreted as stressed sometimes. (shrink)

In the contemporary context of business and management, the leadership studies are considered as one of essential genre to allow sight of the holistic picture of the organizational performance. The general theory of leadership studies has given us a scope of elements involving the nature of leadership, and a body of research work contributed to elicit and deal with the factors significant to determine the effect of leadership, e.g, LMX (Leader and manager exchange).The participatory leadership and diversity or democracy in (...) the workplace has been a key concept for the organizational theorists and practitioners. There are a scope of case studies about the leadership and organizational change, yet being relatively small in number, however, concerning the higher educational institutions, and least in the context of Korean universities. We see that Korea would no longer be a developing country. Its national education is fine and of quality setting aside the national context of particularities. One would be the election system of University chancellors, and the other would be a recent pressure from the government. It triggers a rationalization of poor quality of colleges and universities. In this mainstream, the local universities and their leadership can be generally located to interact with the local compassion and requirements. The paper, in this context, aims to describe the leadership from a former CU Chancellor H. J. Cheon,organization change s well as the evaluation of his leadership. I hopefully expect that the narratives can increase an awareness of leadership elements, its play within the educational nstitutions, and particularly about the local universities of Korea in distinct flavor. (shrink)

This paper considers the nature of the changes that took place in logic teaching at the University of Oxford from the beginning of the sixteenth century, when students attended university lectures on Aristotle’s texts as well as studying short works dealing with specifically medieval developments, to the beginning of the eighteenth century when teaching was centred in the colleges, the medieval developments had largely disappeared, and manuals summarizing Aristotelian logic were used. The paper also considers the reasons (...) for these changes, including changes in English society, and the effect of humanism and the more scholarly Aristotelianism that it produced. (shrink)

Kuban State Agrarian University is the largest center of science, education and innovation in the South Federal District, and is rated by the Ministry of Education as the best agrarian university in Russia. It is headed by the Kuban State Agrarian Scientific and Educational Association, which includes 29 agrarian organizations, 12 scientific research institutes of the Russian Academy of Agricultural Sciences, and 12 colleges and technical schools of the province.

As State Colleges and Universities (SUCs) grow, they need to offer more services to the community. This is termed as community extension program, and colleges are required by law to have one. The community's needs must be met, and they must also be looked at. This assessment aims to figure out what the communities around J.H. Cerilles State College (JHCSC) need. Through the Peace and Order, Security, and Ability to Serve Enrichment (POSASE) framework, this assessment also set up (...) the framework for extending community services in SUCs. The study's results showed that the communities close to JHCSC needed more governance extension initiatives in the areas of public safety and security, as well as disaster planning and response. (shrink)

This paper seeks to establish the reflexive fundamentals about the importance of language in initiave-functional college education, with the general objective of finding and developing categories that allow synthesizing schemes of different approaches to language, in order to contribute to the teaching practice with discourse analysis -/- techniques, which favor processes that promote the pupils’operative intellectual habits. To present this, we will show some propositions that underlie didactic strategies we have used, to motivate, stimulate, and provoke participation from the students (...) in the teaching-learning process of the topics raised in the different subjects that integrate the Sciences of Communication course at the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM). -/- Therefore, the aim of this exposition of causes is to define: 1) our experiential context so to make explicit the limitations and challenges we experiment with and face in this academic exercise to provoke the pupils’ amazement or at least keep their interest; and 2) the theoretical assumptions that underlie our investigation about the relationship between observed language (system) and lived language (act). (shrink)

Although an inverse relationship between religion and deviance is empirically well-established in the western context, previous studies on Islam and deviance conducted in non-western countries are limited. To address this gap in deviance research, we hypothesized that individual religiosity would be inversely related to deviance with the inverse relationship being more likely for ascetic than anti-ascetic or secular deviance. To test this hypothesis, we applied ordinary least squares and logistic regression methods to analyze data collected from 2,005 survey participants of (...) a Turkish public university student population. Regression results provided partial support for the hypothesis, as we found that religiosity was inversely related to both ascetic and secular deviance. The observed inverse relationship is noteworthy in that it was found in an institutionally secular, Muslim country. Implications of our findings are discussed. (shrink)

Various changes and advances have taken place in the ways of teaching and learning. With the encountered global pandemic crisis, flexible learning has been practiced particularly in state universities and colleges. This study sought to determine the level of procedural fluency in College Algebra as well as the difficulties and interventions applied by tertiary students of Cotabato State University (CSU) in the flexible learning set-up. The period covered by the study was during the first semester of the school (...) year 2021-2022. The respondents were a sample of 30 first-year mathematics major students of CSU. It used mixed methods; the quantitative approach was utilized to know the students’ knowledge of procedures in solving mathematical problems while the qualitative approach was utilized to explore the difficulties of the students in learning mathematics as well as the coping strategies that can serve as basis for mathematics intervention program. The findings revealed that most of the respondents have a low level of procedural fluency in College Algebra, particularly emerging in the understanding the problem, devising a strategy, and solving steps while inept in the problem-solving checking process. On the part of new normal learning, difficulties were experienced such as poor knowledge of the prerequisite skills and unstable internet connection. As part of their interventions, facing the encountered problems, practicing repeatedly, and watching online video tutorials were applied. Based on the findings of the study, it is concluded that the first-year students have low level of procedural fluency in College Algebra problem-solving particularly in the Polya’s principles of understanding the problem, devising a plan, carrying out the plan, and checking the answer. Because of the learning challenges encountered by the students, it is recommended to develop step-by-step video tutorials that can address their problem-solving difficulties and supplement their learning in the flexible mode of delivery. (shrink)

This study aimed to highlight the nature of the relationship between knowledge management and the strategic decision-making process, considering that strategic decisions are formulated and made based on a specific knowledge perspective. The study targeted the university management, deans of faculties, and college directors at Al-Azhar University - Gaza. The study followed a descriptive-analytical approach, and data was collected through a questionnaire designed to cover six dimensions related to knowledge management processes and an axis related to strategic decision-making. (...) The data was analyzed using various statistical methods. The study results showed a statistically significant positive relationship between the role of knowledge management processes and activating the strategic decision-making process at Al-Azhar University - Gaza. The study recommended that the university pay more attention to the processes of knowledge awareness and application as they serve as the link between existing knowledge and the creation of good knowledge. Furthermore, these processes are considered the essential means through which the university improves the effectiveness of strategic decisions and enhances its position. (shrink)

In this short essay, I report results from a representative national dataset from the Cooperative Institutional Research Program that shows that significantly more men than women intend to major in philosophy at the high-school and pre-university level. This lends credence to pre-university effects hypotheses of women's underrepresentation in philosophy and successfully replicates a smaller analysis performed by Cheshire Calhoun at Colby College in 2009. I also defend my analysis against an objection that claims that intention to major is (...) not a good predictor of final major selection. Finally, I argue that this new analysis should lead to further investment in university-level diversity programs. (shrink)

Many students consider mathematics as the most dreaded subject in their curriculum, so much so that the term “math phobia” or “math anxiety” is practically a part of clinical psychological literature. This symptom is widespread and students suffer mental disturbances when facing mathematical activity because understanding mathematics is a great task for them. This paper described the students’ cognitive skills performance in Basic Mathematics based on the following logical operations: Classification, Seriation, Logical Multiplication, Compensation, Ratio and Proportional Thinking, Probability Thinking (...) and Correlation Thinking as it serves a critical element of teaching and learning, that is determining the current position of the learners’ mathematical capacity. Its implications for mathematics education were also revealed. A descriptive quantitative design was used in this study. The study included 1011 first-year college students from six state universities in the Philippines who were enrolled in the Bachelor of Science of Secondary Education Program during the first semester of the Academic Year 2019-2020. This study made use of the teacher-made test called the Test on Logical Operations. Findings revealed that the cognitive skills achievement of the first year BSE students from different state universities in the Philippines falls under the category of late concrete operational stage. As a result, students are unable to perform the logical operational skills expected of their age. At their age level, they are expected to be under the formal operational stage based on Piaget’s stages of cognitive development. These findings revealed a weak mathematical education foundation among students which requires immediate attention. This reality should be recognized by educational planners and implementers when making curricular and other instructional decisions. (shrink)

Loneliness is an invisible epidemic that has swept across the world and has manifested as a serious mental and societal adjustment issues, etc. The present study was designed to make a comparison between males and females on attachment styles (dimensions),Perceived Social Support (dimension) and Loneliness. The authors also examined the relationship between loneliness, attachment style, and perceived social support and Attachment Style and Perceived Social Support as Predictors of Loneliness among College Students. 256 Students studying in Jamia Millia Islamia, and (...) Delhi University were selected through purposive sampling. Measure of Attachment Style Questionnaire, Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support and UCLA Loneliness Scale were administered. Results of the study indicated that both Ambivalent and Avoidant attachment style emerged as a predictor of loneliness. Males experienced greater loneliness as compared to female counterparts. Our study is specific and relevant to parents, mental health professionals and educators working with college students. (shrink)

This article attempts to comprehend the current issues and hurdles that Indian colleges affiliated with Tamil Nadu State Universities encounter when trying to subscribe to a software that detects plagiarism. The study’s goals are to determine whether colleges employ anti-plagiarism software, whether they ensure that their student-given assignments are free of copyright infringement, whether tutors teach about academic misconduct, and what people seem to think of anti-plagiarism software. We surveyed for this study and distributed the questionnaires among college (...) administrators, principals, and librarians. The study respondents are 15.9 per cent principals, 64.2 per cent library professionals, and 19.9 per cent college administrators. The survey study report shows that 70.9 per cent of the majority of the colleges did not subscribe. 41.7 per cent gave the reason it is too expensive, and 30.5 per cent of respondents thought that for their college, it is unnecessary to subscribe. However, nobody has confirmed whether or not all colleges possess access to plagiarism detection software. Thus, according to this investigation, further Indian states must be involved in this research to understand the specific context fully. This report advises the UGC to enforce the requirement that colleges have plagiarism detection software; they either provide colleges additional money to subscribe to such software, or the university must grant free access to the affiliated colleges. (shrink)

The practice of reading both for academic purposes and pleasure is largely agreed to have diminished over the years mainly because of advancements in social media technology. This paper thus examined the reading habits in general among English major students at Sherubtse College, Royal University of Bhutan. For data collection, a questionnaire with nine items was designed and administered to 106 English major students with gender and the year of study as the moderating variables. The questionnaire investigated the students’ (...) general attitudes towards reading, the reasons they read, the average time they spend on reading, the challenges they faced in reading, and the effects of social media on their reading habits. In addition, informal interviews were conducted to verify and triangulate the responses received from the participants. Both these quantitative and qualitative data revealed interesting insights into the reading habits of the students in question. The results are discussed and recommendations provided at the end. (shrink)

This paper discusses the rationale for, and efforts to quantify the success of, philosophy outreach efforts at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, with a focus on the National High School Ethics Bowl (NHSEB). We explore the program's democratic foundations and its potential to promote civic and intellectual virtues. After describing pioneering efforts to empirically access the impact of NHSEB, we offer recommendations to empower publicly and empirically-engaged philosophers to conduct further studies in the future.

Graduates' employability indicates the excellent education and relevant preparation they obtained from their respective degrees. Tracer studies have enabled higher education institutions to profile their graduates while also reflecting on the quality of education they provide. With the foregoing, a tracer study determined the demographic and academic profile of teacher education graduates from 2017 to 2020 in a state university in the West Philippines. It also ascertained the advanced studies they attended after college, their employment data, the relevance of (...) college preparation with their current employment, difficulties they encountered while securing employment and in their present job, and recommendations to strengthen the teacher education program. The study utilized a descriptive survey research design with 80 non-random samples chosen based on availability. The survey was based on the Philippine Commission on Higher Education with modifications elucidated from previous studies. Results showed that graduates took the teacher education program with a strong passion for the teaching profession. More graduates received honors and awards, passed the licensure examinations for teachers, attended advanced studies for professional development, and are employable. Besides, the graduates’ college preparation is relevant to their current employment. Further, difficulties and problems encountered and recommendations to strengthen the teacher education program were noted. These findings may serve as a baseline for curriculum review and give suggestions for future tracer studies. (shrink)

This study is done in order to find the factor of depression among the college student in Malaysia. Depression among the college student are increasing as it come from many factor. This study used behavioural theory as the foundations theories for the model development. The study involved 406 respondents, selected through google form responses involving all the university students around Malaysia. A structured questionnaire was used for data collection. All variables were measured through scales previously used by other researchers. (...) In behavioural theory, state that depression people precisely those who do not know how to cope with the fact that they are no longer receiving positive reinforcement like they before. Results shows the data analysis described that respondents having a financial problem where did not what how to differentiate between wants and need with the overall mean (M=2.51) and students always spend their money on uncertain things. (shrink)

This research aims to identify the use of decision support systems as an entry point for operations of re-engineering in the Palestinian universities in Gaza Strip. The researchers used the method of questionnaire to collect data, and the researchers used a sample stratified random way, were (350) questionnaire distributed on the research sample and (312) questionnaire were collected back (89.1%). The study results showed that the most important ones are: there exists statistically significant impact at the level of significance (α (...) ≤ 0.05) for physical requirements, human requirements. technical requirements and regulatory requirements. The results showed also, the presence of statistically significant differences between the averages of the study sample estimates on the use of decision support systems as an entry point for operations of re-engineering in the Palestinian universities in Gaza Strip due to the variable sex in favor of males requirements. Furthermore, the results showed the existence of differences to the variable name of the university and each area of study for the benefit of the Islamic University then Al-Azhar University and then Al-Aqsa University. The study also concluded a series of recommendations including: encourage Palestinian universities in Gaza Strip, which are planning to re-engine Information Systems to start implementing the programs in the radical change as soon as possible. The need for the Palestinian universities in Gaza Strip, to develop the infrastructure for information technology in general, and decision support systems, in particular, when doing re-engineering operations. And the need for a separate unit of decision support systems and organizational structure to allow information to flow seamlessly between colleges and various departments and divisions. And investment of available information in building the capacities of integration techniques, in order to enable them to continue with the re-engineering of Information Systems. (shrink)

The study aimed at measuring the dominant pattern of leadership and its relation to the performance of the administrative staff in the Palestinian universities. The study community consists of all the administrative staff from Al-Azhar University and the Islamic University, and through the census of the study society it was found to consist of (655) administrative staff. In order to achieve the objectives of the study, the researchers used the method of random sample in the study, and the (...) study was conducted on a sample of (221) administrative staff of the surveyed universities and the response rate was (82.35%). The study found that there is a high degree of satisfaction with the Dominant Pattern of Leadership in the Palestinian universities in Gaza Strip from the point of view of the administrative staff, which reached (71.67%). There is a high level of performance from the point of view of administrative staff, with a percentage of (82.53%). There is a direct correlation between the dominant pattern of leadership and the functional Performance of Administrative Staff, the absence of differences between the sample according to the gender variable in their perception of the dominant pattern of leadership and the functional Performance of Administrative Staff, the absence of differences in the perception of employees of the dominant pattern of leadership and the functional Performance of Administrative Staff depending on the age variable. There are differences of statistical significance according to the variable of scientific qualification in the Dominant Pattern of Leadership, while there were no differences in performance, the differences in the dominant pattern of leadership according to the scientific qualification were in favor of those who obtained the diploma degree compared to other practical qualifications, the absence of differences in the perception of employees of the dominant pattern of leadership and the functional Performance of Administrative Staff depending on the variable years of service, the absence of differences in the perception of employees of the dominant pattern of leadership and the functional Performance of Administrative Staff depending on the variable level of career (Director, Head of Department, and Administrative Officer). There were differences in the perception of workers to the dominant pattern of leadership depending on the variable of the workplace, where there were differences in favor of workers in deanships and colleges compared with the workers in the technical departments. While there were no differences in job performance according to the workplace variable, the existence of differences in the perception of workers to the dominant pattern of leadership depending on the university in which they work in favor of the Islamic University and the absence of differences in performance between the Islamic University and Al-Azhar University. The study reached a number of recommendations, the most important of which is that the interest of the managements of the Palestinian universities in improving the dominant pattern of leadership, to give universities the opportunity to participate in decision-making, the continued administration of universities interest and continuous improvement of the performance of its employees, enhance the periodic evaluation of job performance and to inform employees and express their opinion, solving workers' problems and giving them the opportunity to contribute to solving their own problems, the use of the staff rotation method periodically and strengthening the democratic the dominant pattern of leadership and empowering university staff. -/- . (shrink)

Joan McGregor argues that “colleges and universities should adopt as part of their core mission the development of skills of civil discourse” rather than engaging in the practice of restricting controversial speakers from making presentations on campuses. I agree with McGregor concerning the need for increased civil discourse. However, this does not mean universities should welcome speakers to publicly present any material they wish without restriction or oversight. In this paper, I make three main arguments: (i) Colleges and (...) universities have a duty to protect members of the campus community from the harm and exclusion resulting from hateful or harmful speech, in the same way that they must protect them from sexual assaults and concussions. (ii) In the vast majority of cases, this duty can be fulfilled by holding speakers to standards of discourse that prevail in academic debate, and insisting on a number of procedural requirements. (iii) We should be wary of conservative arguments framed in terms of free speech, because they can be deployed to undermine important functions of the university in a democratic society, namely, to teach students how to be discerning citizens, and to protect thinkers willing to be critical of the government and the ruling classes. (shrink)