 |
|
 |
|
|
|
 |
|
|
From the issue dated September 21, 2007 |
|
Short SubjectsEVERYONE'S A CRITICEven the famous are subject to scathing student evaluations on ratemyprofessors.com. ACADEMIC MUSCLE: A professor at Bridgewater State College won the world weightlifting championship for her age and weight group. TRUE CRIME: Reports from campus police logs. 'HI MOM!' St. Olaf College has installed a Web cam for students to send greetings to their families and friends back home. A RIOT OF TITLES: In academe there is a journal for every subcategory of every subdiscipline. The FacultyONE FAMILY HOLDS ONThe husband and daughter of a French instructor killed on April 16 value Virginia Tech's support — mostly. EVERYONE'S A CRITICEven the famous are subject to scathing student evaluations on ratemyprofessors.com. PROFESSOR AVATARHow six scholars have found educational value for their students and institutions in the virtual world of Second Life. YEARNING POTENTIALSometimes, a campus can seem like a road to nowhere. But then when you're on the road next to your old campus, it suddenly looks like somewhere, says Frankie Gamber, a writer in Baltimore. FINDING A LIGHTA self-published book on teaching is the surprising source of some valuable insights on the college classroom. COPYCAT CLAIMS: Battles over plagiarism at Southern Illinois University have reached the president's office. OPINIONS, NOT INDOCTRINATION: The American Association of University Professors defends academics against critics who say they inject ideologically tainted material into the classroom. PEER REVIEW: The University of California at Irvine has rescinded the offer it made to a Duke professor to be dean of its new law school. ... The chief executive of the investment company that manages Harvard's endowment is leaving. ... The former president of Agnes Scott College will become a visiting professor at Emory University. Research & BooksTHE REAL CRISIS IN AMERICAN SCIENCEDespite years of research on ways to reform graduate education, young scientists face uncertain futures in academe. WHEN RESEARCH IS QUESTIONEDA professor at Idaho State University believes administrators revealed too much when a mining company asked questions about his research. SIGMUND AND ANNAWhen the Gestapo took his daughter in for questioning, Freud — the patriarch whose theories helped end patriarchy — felt the full vulnerability of fatherhood, writes Mark Edmundson, a professor of English at the University of Virginia. RICOCHETGun control is a policy and cultural issue that goes far beyond debate over the Second Amendment. Acknowledging that is the first step in curbing gun violence, writes Mark V. Tushnet, a professor at Harvard Law School. HEAVEN KNOWSHow should secularists and atheists treat sacred texts? asks Carlin Romano, critic at large for The Chronicle. BIN LADEN'S RHETORICAl Qaeda offers one rationale for its actions to Western audiences, but another to Muslims, writes Raymond Ibrahim, editor and translator of The Al Qaeda Reader. RIGID SCHOLARSHIPEventually gender studies was bound to notice men. The results aren't pretty, writes Camille Paglia, a professor of humanities and media studies at the University of the Arts. REMEMBERING ED SEIDENSTICKERJapanology has lost one of its giants, writes Anthony H. Chambers, a professor of Japanese at Arizona State University. 'THE WAR'Ken Burns started his mammoth project in peacetime. Iraq makes his recounting of American involvement in World War II look strange to us in some ways, but sadly familiar in others, writes Marianna Torgovnick, a professor of English at Duke University. HOT TYPE: University presses and open-access advocates are angry with the Association of American Publishers over its new public-relations campaign. NOTA BENE: "Gin Before Breakfast: The Dilemma of the Poet in the Newsroom" explores how poet-journalists have straddled their two worlds. COLLABORATIVE SHIFT: The NIH has awarded $210-million in grants meant to foster interdisciplinary studies. THE PENTAGON'S BUDGET: Defense spending on basic research would receive no increase in 2008 under a plan approved by the Senate Appropriations Committee. A RIOT OF TITLES: In academe there is a journal for every subcategory of every subdiscipline. Government & PoliticsA HISTORIC INCREASEOver the objections of loan companies, Congress approves legislation that would provide the largest jump in federal student aid since the GI Bill. QUESTIONS OF RESPONSIBILITYExperts on higher-education law are divided on the likely impact of a federal court's decision to revive a gender-discrimination lawsuit against the University of Colorado at Boulder. MENDING LENDINGThe four-decade-old student-loan system doesn't need tweaking. It needs reinventing, writes Frederick M. Hess, director of education-policy studies, and Juliet Squire, a research assistant, both at the American Enterprise Institute. 'NOT ENOUGH': Presidents of historically black colleges tell the U.S. education secretary that their students need more federal aid. IF IT PLEASE THE LEGISLATURE: In Kentucky some public-service lawyers say they deserve to have their student loans paid off by the state. SPEAKING UP: Fred Thompson, the newest Republican candidate for president, has had a lot to say about college topics in his commentaries for ABC News Radio. PAID UP: The rate at which borrowers default on their federally guaranteed student loans has declined to 4.6 percent, the Education Department says. FAILING GRADE: The Department of Education's inspector general has found widespread problems at the agency. HEALTHY DISCLOSURE: A new bill calls on drug companies and medical-device manufacturers to publicly report money, gifts, and travel they offer doctors. COLLABORATIVE SHIFT: The NIH has awarded $210-million in grants meant to foster interdisciplinary studies. RIGHTS REFORMS: The U.S. House of Representatives has approved a major bill to alter patent law after agreeing to some amendments pushed by colleges. THE PENTAGON'S BUDGET: Defense spending on basic research would receive no increase in 2008 under a plan approved by the Senate Appropriations Committee. AID QUESTIONED: Arizona's treasurer is asking the state's Board of Regents to investigate whether Arizona State University is breaking a new law by providing funds from a private foundation to illegal immigrants. MONEY DISPUTE: A Missouri judge denied a request for a preliminary injunction that would have frozen the transfer of $230-million from the state's student-loan agency to construction projects on several university campuses. IN BRIEF: A roundup of state higher-education news Money & ManagementWHEN RESEARCH IS QUESTIONEDA professor at Idaho State University believes administrators revealed too much when a mining company asked questions about his research. COSTLY STUDENT BODIESAs the "obesity epidemic" hits campuses, the related health-care issues are prompting colleges to encourage students to shed some pounds. MARSHALL OUR RESOURCESColleges and universities should think globally, and act globally, to confront deepening humanitarian crises. There are worthy precedents for such bold plans, writes David J. Skorton, president of Cornell University. ADVICE FOR A ROOKIE STAFF MEMBERHere's a guide for entry-level administrators as they embark on careers in higher education. THE DELICATE ART OF REJECTIONAn ability to communicate negative information without alienating your audience has become an essential skill of an effective administrator. THE BIG ONE: The appointment of a new top fund raiser at Harvard feeds rumors of an impending $5-billion campaign. ANOTHER BATTLE? The Ave Maria School of Law faces a challenge to its accreditation after faculty members complained about a planned change in location. CASH ON HAND: The University of California at Berkeley has received the largest gift in its history, $113-million, from the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation. MEDICINE BUBBLE: Research dollars have dropped, but American medical schools are still in a building boom. PRESIDENTIAL PACT: Leaders of 19 colleges have agreed not to promote their U.S. News rankings. PEER REVIEW: The University of California at Irvine has rescinded the offer it made to a Duke professor to be dean of its new law school. ... The chief executive of the investment company that manages Harvard's endowment is leaving. ... The former president of Agnes Scott College will become a visiting professor at Emory University. Information TechnologyPROFESSOR AVATARHow six scholars have found educational value for their students and institutions in the virtual world of Second Life. WHAT'S SO SUPER? Computer scientists discuss why supercomputers haven't tackled the world's biggest problems, and how computer scientists' narrow academic focus can limit supercomputers' potential. THE WIRED CAMPUS: A roundup of technology news in higher education. StudentsCOSTLY STUDENT BODIESAs the "obesity epidemic" hits campuses, the related health-care issues are prompting colleges to encourage students to shed some pounds. A HISTORIC INCREASEOver the objections of loan companies, Congress approves legislation that would provide the largest jump in federal student aid since the GI Bill. PRESIDENTIAL PACT: Leaders of 19 colleges have agreed not to promote their U.S. News rankings. TOO MUCH MARKETING: Enterprising students at Northeastern University were a little too public in advertising their business. TROUBLING REPORT: Students on all 10 campuses in the University of Hawaii system said they had experienced domestic violence, stalking, or sexual assault during their college careers. 'NOT ENOUGH': Presidents of historically black colleges tell the U.S. education secretary that their students need more federal aid. AthleticsQUESTIONS OF RESPONSIBILITYExperts on higher-education law are divided on the likely impact of a federal court's decision to revive a gender-discrimination lawsuit against the University of Colorado at Boulder. ON YOUR MARK, GET SET, SUE: In a lawsuit against the University of Hawaii, the women's track coach says her program has been shortchanged. InternationalDOC SALVAGEA neurosurgeon at Duke University scrounged through storerooms to find $1-million in surplus medical equipment for a needy hospital in Uganda. INTERNATIONAL NOTES: A roundup of news in higher education from around the world. Notes From AcademeA LIGHT TOUCHAt Italy's foremost art-conservation school, restorers never presume to take the artist's place. The Chronicle ReviewSIGMUND AND ANNAWhen the Gestapo took his daughter in for questioning, Freud — the patriarch whose theories helped end patriarchy — felt the full vulnerability of fatherhood, writes Mark Edmundson, a professor of English at the University of Virginia. RICOCHETGun control is a policy and cultural issue that goes far beyond debate over the Second Amendment. Acknowledging that is the first step in curbing gun violence, writes Mark V. Tushnet, a professor at Harvard Law School. YEARNING POTENTIALSometimes, a campus can seem like a road to nowhere. But then when you're on the road next to your old campus, it suddenly looks like somewhere, says Frankie Gamber, a writer in Baltimore. HEAVEN KNOWSHow should secularists and atheists treat sacred texts? asks Carlin Romano, critic at large for The Chronicle. BIN LADEN'S RHETORICAl Qaeda offers one rationale for its actions to Western audiences, but another to Muslims, writes Raymond Ibrahim, editor and translator of The Al Qaeda Reader. RIGID SCHOLARSHIPEventually gender studies was bound to notice men. The results aren't pretty, writes Camille Paglia, a professor of humanities and media studies at the University of the Arts. MENDING LENDINGThe four-decade-old student-loan system doesn't need tweaking. It needs reinventing, writes Frederick M. Hess, director of education-policy studies, and Juliet Squire, a research assistant, both at the American Enterprise Institute. REMEMBERING ED SEIDENSTICKERJapanology has lost one of its giants, writes Anthony H. Chambers, a professor of Japanese at Arizona State University. 'THE WAR'Ken Burns started his mammoth project in peacetime. Iraq makes his recounting of American involvement in World War II look strange to us in some ways, but sadly familiar in others, writes Marianna Torgovnick, a professor of English at Duke University. MARSHALL OUR RESOURCESColleges and universities should think globally, and act globally, to confront deepening humanitarian crises. There are worthy precedents for such bold plans, writes David J. Skorton, president of Cornell University. 'A NORTHWEST ORIGINAL'Give Scott Fife an X-Acto knife, a paintbrush, some trash, and construction materials, and he'll give you a world. CRITICAL MASS: Mearsheimer and Walt redux. Letters to the EditorChronicle CareersADVICE FOR A ROOKIE STAFF MEMBERHere's a guide for entry-level administrators as they embark on careers in higher education. FINDING A LIGHTA self-published book on teaching is the surprising source of some valuable insights on the college classroom. THE DELICATE ART OF REJECTIONAn ability to communicate negative information without alienating your audience has become an essential skill of an effective administrator. DETAILS OF AVAILABLE POSTS, including teaching and research positions in higher education, administrative and executive jobs, and openings outside academe |