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From the issue dated February 24, 2006 |
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Short SubjectsFROM HEARTLAND TO HOLLYWOODA distance-learning program in Nebraska helps young celebrities earn high-school diplomas. CAMPUS ORIENTATION: Blind pedestrians at San Francisco State University navigate by the sound of wind chimes. ANATOMY OF A DISPUTE: An outcry against The Vagina Monologues, predictable at many conservative institutions, erupted this month at Smith College, a stronghold of liberal feminism. READY FOR PRIME TIME: A student at the University of Laval, in Quebec, won a national competition to choose the "Next Great Prime Minister." WHAT THEY'RE READING ON COLLEGE CAMPUSES: a list of the best-selling books The FacultyCOMMON GROUNDSome colleges have found ways to ameliorate a lack of understanding and sympathy between faculty members and trustees. 'NOBODY HAS TO COOK'The American Academy's Rome Prize brings together scholars and artists whose work relies on the rich and ancient city, and feeds them too. NONE OF THE ABOVEMultiple-choice testing is going the way of the slide rule, thanks to cellphones and the Web, write Daniel J. Cohen and Roy Rosenzweig, both of George Mason University. PROFESSOR GOODGRADEOr how I learned to stop worrying and give lots of A's. WHAT CONSPIRACY?Professors are all too willing to adopt an "us versus them" attitude toward administrators, but it's never that simple. BETRAYED BY YOUR ADVISERA dissertation shows your potential as a scholar; it shouldn't be simply a footnote to your mentor's career. SOME OTHER TIME: After inadvertently distributing an anti-Semitic article to people planning to attend a meeting on academic boycotts, the American Association of University Professors has postponed the session. PEER REVIEW: The president of the Louisiana State University System plans to step down this summer to devote more time to hurricane recovery and fund raising. Some observers wonder if he was forced out because of his opposition to the proposed closure and consolidation of some campuses. ... Some professors are not happy with the way a search is being conducted to fill the new job of chancellor of Arkansas State University's main campus. ... The University of Notre Dame has found its next spokesman at the Chicago Tribune. SYLLABUS: In "Sociology of Love," at the University of Akron, students learn that falling head over heels is far more than a personal experience. THE ARTS & ACADEME: A dance performance at Wesleyan University mimics the movement of molecules. ... Ball State University's Biomechanics Laboratory uses motion-capture technology to create a video model of a double bassist's unusual technique. ... Other arts news in higher education Research & BooksHIS GOOD NAMEA report on a University of Pittsburgh scientist's role in the Korean stem-cell scandal says he was unaware of the fraud -- but should have been suspicious. RACE TO THE SEAA study using satellite radar shows that Greenland's glaciers are speeding up and losing more ice to the ocean. 'NOBODY HAS TO COOK'The American Academy's Rome Prize brings together scholars and artists whose work relies on the rich and ancient city, and feeds them too. RUDDY GOOD SHOWA memorial service celebrated Kipling as more than an apologist for empire. Jay Parini, a professor of English at Middlebury College, was there. ENGENDERING CONTROVERSYThe technology involved in selecting a baby's sex has societal implications we've only begun to contemplate, writes Barbara Katz Rothman, a professor of sociology at the City University of New York's Baruch College and Graduate Center. A JUMP ON EVOLUTION: Evolution is hastening Australia's 70-year-old infestation of cane toads, a toxic species that kills native animals, while researchers who seek to halt the carnage are stymied. VERBATIM: A professor of musicology at Christopher Newport University who has written a book about figure skating discusses the new scoring system being used at the Winter Olympics. HOT TYPE: A history professor at the University of Notre Dame has updated his book on American culture and fundamentalism in the wake of the 2004 elections. ... An associate professor of history at Texas Christian University examines three religious groups' conflicts with the federal government in the American West. WHO KNEW? If you are trying to cut back on drinking, use a tall, narrow glass, suggest two researchers who looked into the psychology of pouring. ... Celebrity voice-overs don't work in advertising when the potential customer recognizes whose voice it is, a study found. ... Why Barbara and Beth probably like Bit O Honey. NOTA BENE: A film historian at Rowan University investigates noir as a wartime rather than a postwar phenomenon. 'SALVAGE LOGGING': The federal government has restored a grant to an Oregon State University research project on timberlands after the decision to cut off the funds had come under increasing criticism as an example of the politicization of science. Government & PoliticsONE STEP AT A TIMEHurricane-swept colleges in Mississippi have made progress toward resuming normal operations but face long-term uncertainties in an effort that officials estimate will cost at least $674-million. NO GUTS, ALL GLORYThe rigor of a student's high-school curriculum is the strongest indicator of the likelihood of his or her earning a postsecondary degree, says a report from the U.S. Education Department. BALLOTS AND BULLETSBush critics dismiss the export of democracy as a basis for foreign policy. But do they have a better one? asks Irving Louis Horowitz, a distinguished university professor emeritus of sociology and political science at Rutgers University at New Brunswick. MATCHING MONEY: The University of Minnesota system will expand a scholarship program for undergraduates eligible to receive federal Pell Grants. ADVANCING PLACEMENT: America must do more to prepare high-school students for college-level mathematics and science, the U.S. education secretary has told a Senate committee. PROTECTING OUR OWN: Issues of international competitiveness took center stage at the annual meeting of the American Council on Education. REVENGE BUDGETING? The interim president of Murray State University has accused Kentucky's governor of withholding money from the institution in retaliation for a friend's dismissal. $2.4-MILLION DISCREPANCY: A state audit says the Colorado Community College System has failed to account for salaries charged to a federal vocational-aid program. STATE NEWS IN BRIEF: a roundup of higher-education news in the states 'SALVAGE LOGGING': The federal government has restored a grant to an Oregon State University research project on timberlands after the decision to cut off the funds had come under increasing criticism as an example of the politicization of science. MATTERS OF REPAYMENT: Government policies that are designed to help borrowers who have taken on unmanageable levels of student-loan debt are "well intentioned but flawed," a report says. WASHINGTON NEWS IN BRIEF: a roundup of higher-education news Money & ManagementIN THE MONEYThe country's colleges raised a collective $25.6-billion in private donations during the 2005 fiscal year, a 4.9-percent increase from 2004, but the proportion of alumni who donated fell again. BEATING INFLATION AGAINThe median salary of college administrators increased by 3.5 percent in 2005, outpacing inflation for the ninth straight year. COMMON GROUNDSome colleges have found ways to ameliorate a lack of understanding and sympathy between faculty members and trustees. LESSONS FROM THE ASHESEven when campus fires spare lives, they severely disrupt professional lives. Gary S. Foster, Darren Hendrickson, and Lisa New Freeland, all of Eastern Illinois University, offer some tips on minimizing the risk. WHAT CONSPIRACY?Professors are all too willing to adopt an "us versus them" attitude toward administrators, but it's never that simple. $2-MILLION EACH: Tufts University and Boston University share a large bequest for women's scholarships from a female bank executive whose father would not pay for her education. SLOTS AND PUCKS: Duquesne University is not pleased about the plans of the city's professional hockey team to help build a casino near the campus. DEBT AND DEMAND: The credit outlook for American public and private nonprofit colleges is mixed for 2006, report Standard & Poor's and Moody's Investors Service. $600-MILLION: In its first capital campaign, Harvard Business School has raised the largest amount ever taken in by an American business school. PEER REVIEW: The president of the Louisiana State University System plans to step down this summer to devote more time to hurricane recovery and fund raising. Some observers wonder if he was forced out because of his opposition to the proposed closure and consolidation of some campuses. ... Some professors are not happy with the way a search is being conducted to fill the new job of chancellor of Arkansas State University's main campus. ... The University of Notre Dame has found its next spokesman at the Chicago Tribune. Information TechnologySCRIBBLES AND SCREENSStudents at Coppin State University use a technology that allows them to integrate video recordings of lectures with their own notes. FROM HEARTLAND TO HOLLYWOODA distance-learning program in Nebraska helps young celebrities earn high-school diplomas. POOLING PIXELS: About 40 liberal-arts colleges have formed a consortium to share their online courses and to raise money for more of them. ANTITERRORISM COMPROMISE: A long-term renewal of the USA Patriot Act was expected to pass Congress after the Bush administration agreed to add civil-liberties protections to the controversial antiterrorism law. GMAIL GOES TO COLLEGE: San Jose City College is paying Google an undisclosed sum to provide server space and maintenance to provide the college's 10,000 students with free e-mail service. StudentsNO GUTS, ALL GLORYThe rigor of a student's high-school curriculum is the strongest indicator of the likelihood of his or her earning a postsecondary degree, says a report from the U.S. Education Department. FRATERNITIES, IN THEIR PLACEUnion College, in New York, is trying to redefine its campus social life with the (sometimes grudging) help of its Greek system. RAISING THE BAR: Law schools would have to demonstrate what steps they were taking to ensure that their students, faculties, and staffs are racially and ethnically diverse under a revised standard approved by the accrediting arm of the American Bar Association. CRACKDOWN ON RIOTERS: The regents of the University System of Maryland have voted to punish students who celebrate sports victories with violence. A YEAR'S DELAY: The Educational Testing Service has postponed releasing the Web-based version of the Graduate Record Examination until the fall of 2007. International'BRAIN MOBILITY'Ján Figel', the European Union's commissioner for education, spoke with The Chronicle about his plans for harmonizing higher education across the Continent and the Atlantic. 'NOBODY HAS TO COOK'The American Academy's Rome Prize brings together scholars and artists whose work relies on the rich and ancient city, and feeds them too. HOME REMEDY: Austria's government wants to cap the number of foreign medical students at its universities. SECULAR VS. SACRED: A Turkish court has ruled that students who attend religious high schools cannot improve their chances of admission to a university by finishing their studies at other high schools. DIGITAL PRIVACY? Canadian authorities are investigating whether collecting thumbprints of people who take the Law School Admission Test violates the law. DRAWN AND SACKED: An American professor in the United Arab Emirates was fired after she showed her students cartoons that have infuriated Muslims around the world. ELITE EXPANSION: The Indian government has decided to allow the prestigious Indian Institutes of Management to set up programs in other countries. ACTING GLOBALLY: Five colleges were given awards for their efforts at internationalization, both institutionally and in their curricula. Notes From Academe'NOBODY HAS TO COOK'The American Academy's Rome Prize brings together scholars and artists whose work relies on the rich and ancient city, and feeds them too. The Chronicle ReviewNONE OF THE ABOVEMultiple-choice testing is going the way of the slide rule, thanks to cellphones and the Web, write Daniel J. Cohen and Roy Rosenzweig, both of George Mason University. RUDDY GOOD SHOWA memorial service celebrated Kipling as more than an apologist for empire. Jay Parini, a professor of English at Middlebury College, was there. LESSONS FROM THE ASHESEven when campus fires spare lives, they severely disrupt professional lives. Gary S. Foster, Darren Hendrickson, and Lisa New Freeland, all of Eastern Illinois University, offer some tips on minimizing the risk. BALLOTS AND BULLETSBush critics dismiss the export of democracy as a basis for foreign policy. But do they have a better one? asks Irving Louis Horowitz, a distinguished university professor emeritus of sociology and political science at Rutgers University at New Brunswick. MS.-ING THE BIG PICTUREIn their politically correct passivity, feminists have abandoned the global populations who need them most, writes Phyllis Chesler, an emerita professor of psychology and women's studies at the City University of New York's College of Staten Island. YOU LOOKIN' AT ME?When the painter Lalla Essaydi felt Jean-Léon Gérôme's Orientalist gaze, she turned and stared him down. ENGENDERING CONTROVERSYThe technology involved in selecting a baby's sex has societal implications we've only begun to contemplate, writes Barbara Katz Rothman, a professor of sociology at the City University of New York's Baruch College and Graduate Center. MELANGE: Excerpts from books of interest to academe Letters to the EditorChronicle CareersPROFESSOR GOODGRADEOr how I learned to stop worrying and give lots of A's. WHAT CONSPIRACY?Professors are all too willing to adopt an "us versus them" attitude toward administrators, but it's never that simple. BETRAYED BY YOUR ADVISERA dissertation shows your potential as a scholar; it shouldn't be simply a footnote to your mentor's career. DETAILS OF AVAILABLE POSTS, including teaching and research positions in higher education, administrative and executive jobs, and openings outside academe |