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From the issue dated February 29, 2008 |
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Short SubjectsTHE YUCK FACTORColleges are working hard to persuade students to keep their hands bacteria-free, but the germs appear to be winning this war. 'DESIGN AND THE ELASTIC MIND'Scientists see their research reconceived as artwork in a new exhibit at New York's Museum of Modern Art. THE WORLD ON A BUN: McDonald's Big Mac meal is the perfect symbol for how global the human diet has become, say researchers at the University of Stellenbosch. FOUR OF A KIND: Quadruplets get down to business together in a course at Texas A&M.; ALICE, THROUGH THE INTERNET: Performers leaped among three universities in a digital theater production called "Alice Experiments in Wonderland." WHAT THEY'RE READING ON COLLEGE CAMPUSES: A list of the best-selling books. The FacultyWHOSE WORDS THESE ARE ...The founder of Turnitin, a software program that detects plagiarism, has declared war on student cheaters. Some professors, however, say the first victim is a sense of trust in the classroom. LOBBYING FOR RECOGNITIONThe University of Maryland's graduate students look to state lawmakers to help them gain collective-bargaining rights. The push for favorable legislation has been a cornerstone of unionization campaigns in other states. PEER REVIEW: A prominent legal scholar leaves the University of Chicago for Harvard ... The University of Colorado sticks with its choice for president whether the faculty likes it or not ... The president of Clark Atlanta University steps down after years of criticism. Research & BooksYOUR BRAIN ON POVERTYNew research indicates that children who grow up poor may be at risk for specific neurological deficits. 'DESIGN AND THE ELASTIC MIND'Scientists see their research reconceived as artwork in a new exhibit at New York's Museum of Modern Art. NEWS ANALYSIS: At the AAAS meeting this month, many speakers made the case that university-based science is an engine of economic growth, but needs an economic stimulus. HOT TYPE: Subscription-only access to Harvard University faculty members' online research ended with a bang and some whimpers. Information TechnologyGETTING THE WORD OUTA new service that allows people to send notes to a set list of recipients' cellphones is being used as a teaching tool by some professors and college librarians. LINKED IN WITH: Andries van Dam, of Brown University, on what's wrong with computer-science education and what should be done to fix it. Money & ManagementWHAT GOES UP ...Donations to the nation's colleges increased in 2007 for the fourth consecutive year. But the troubled economy has some fund-raising experts worried that the gains may not hold. THE MORTGAGE CRISIS COMES HOMEHigher-education officials fear that the credit problems already facing student-loan companies and colleges may soon hit students in the pocketbook. HELP YOURSELF: Colleges hoping for more cash from states should bring cost-cutting ideas to the table, panelists tell higher-education leaders at a discussion in Washington. SALARIES ON THE RISEMedian pay for college administrators rose 4 percent in the 2007-8 fiscal year, beating inflation for the 11th straight year. GIVE AND TAKE: What role should colleges play in economic development, and how might their results be evaluated? Excerpts from a recent online discussion with Leslie Boney, of the University of North Carolina system. THE CHRONICLE INDEX OF FOR-PROFIT HIGHER EDUCATION: Recent developments in the industry. PEER REVIEW: A prominent legal scholar leaves the University of Chicago for Harvard ... The University of Colorado sticks with its choice for president whether the faculty likes it or not ... The president of Clark Atlanta University steps down after years of criticism. Government & PoliticsUNEXPECTED RESULTS: Governors and other state officials say federal lawmakers' plan to force states to provide consistent spending increases for their higher-education systems would backfire. ANTE UP: The National Science Foundation should again require universities to share the cost of some projects in order to receive certain kinds of research centers, a new report recommends. BETTER PREPARED: States have made great progress in aligning their high schools' academic standards with college and career expectations. StudentsHELP FOR TROUBLED STUDENTSThe provision of good mental-health services could be a safety issue, college officials have realized in the wake of recent campus shootings. What's less clear is how to improve those services with limited funds. KEEPING ON IN DEKALBIn the days after a shooting rampage on his campus, the president of Northern Illinois University and other administrators tackle the big and small challenges of managing a crisis. RENOUNCING A CULTURE OF FEARHeightened attention to campus violence has brought about some important and long-overdue changes, says James Alan Fox -- but it is important to keep worries of bloodshed at universities in perspective. ASSESSING STUDENT THREATSColleges shouldn't dismiss troubled students first and ask questions later, writes Gary Pavela. There are better ways to prevent campus violence, including mental-health support and thoughtful, responsible risk assessment. WHEN THE SHOOTING STARTEDThree new assistant professors of teaching and learning at Northern Illinois University react to the campus killings. InternationalA DECLARATION OF INNOCENCE: Thailand's new prime minister, who recently stirred outrage by denying that 46 people had died in a violent crackdown on university students and other pro-democracy protesters in 1976, swore before Parliament this month that he had not been involved. PROFESSORS ON THE MOVE: A new report on the brain drain from Israeli universities suggests that the number of Israeli academics working in the United States is equal to one-quarter of those in Israel. HIGHER-ED HUB: Hong Kong wants to attract more foreign students, like Singapore, Malaysia, and South Korea do. CommentaryRENOUNCING A CULTURE OF FEARHeightened attention to campus violence has brought about some important and long-overdue changes, says James Alan Fox -- but it is important to keep worries of bloodshed at universities in perspective. ASSESSING STUDENT THREATSColleges shouldn't dismiss troubled students first and ask questions later, writes Gary Pavela. There are better ways to prevent campus violence, including mental-health support and thoughtful, responsible risk assessment. A DISTINCTION BETWEEN COST AND QUALITYThe college-cost crisis is not about a lack of money, but rather a lack of information, Kevin Carey writes. Congress's nixing of the Education Department's attempt to focus on student outcomes for accreditation is wrongheaded. A PRESIDENT AT THE MOVIESGraham Spanier reflects on his movie-reviewing hobby. EFFECTING GLOBAL CHANGETo tackle the world's biggest problems, we must engage and nurture the talent of future generations, writes former President Bill Clinton. The Chronicle ReviewPOSTETHNIC AMERICAIdentity politics have changed since the civil-rights era. Barack Obama is both part and proof of that change, writes David A. Hollinger. GRAY AREASStanford's Richard Thompson Ford doesn't always see racism where he sees racial inequality, writes Peter Schmidt. A WORLD OF HURTWith Funny Games, the Austrian filmmaker Michael Haneke brings his cerebrally sadistic vision to a broader American audience, writes Roy Grundmann. MY MEPHISTOPHELESHeidi Storl describes a historic pub, an elfin professor, and how philosophy works in mysterious ways. PORTFOLIO: Milt Hinton played a mean bass, and shot a mean photo too. CRITICAL MASS: The archbishop of Canterbury's remarks on Shariah in Europe raise a ruckus. CONSIDER THIS: Russel Jacopy describes a complication of scholars' addiction to complicating things. NOTA BENE: On exhibit: Robert Wilson's celebrity video portraits, six centuries of visages, and 10 artists' depictions of the dispossessed. Letters to the EditorChronicle CareersWHEN THE SHOOTING STARTEDThree new assistant professors of teaching and learning at Northern Illinois University react to the campus killings. CREATING A THIRD CULTUREHow can we bridge the gorge that separates academe from K-12 education? TOO MUCH INFORMATION?When you're new and professionally vulnerable, you often have to be strategically silent. DETAILS OF AVAILABLE POSTS, including teaching and research positions in higher education, administrative and executive jobs, and openings outside academe |