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From the issue dated September 28, 2007 |
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Short SubjectsIRONY, THY NAME IS 123HELPME.COMAn essay based on a Chronicle article about an academic honor code can be purchased from an online term-paper mill. ARMED CONFLICT: A statue of Christopher Newport at his namesake university has been criticized because it depicts him with both arms intact, when the ship captain is thought to have lost his right arm as a young man. PICTURE THIS: A pair of law professors in California, working with two artists, have written a law-review article in comic-book style. WHAT THEY'RE READING ON COLLEGE CAMPUSES: A list of the best-selling books. The FacultyNICE TO MEET YOUAt Wheaton College in Massachusetts, a semester-length orientation makes new faculty members feel welcome indeed. THE DIVERSE PROFESSORIATEAlthough the number of scholars from minority groups has increased markedly in the past decade, some experts expected the numbers would be even higher by now. PHILOSOPHICAL OUTSIDERSFewer than 30 black women hold full-time jobs in philosophy departments, but the number has inched up in recent years. YOU DIDN'T GET TENURE, PART 2A blueprint for rescuing your academic career from the ashes of tenure denial. PEER REVIEW: Two scholars are returning to Harvard University's department of African and African-American studies. ... Dinesh D'Souza resigned his fellowship at the Hoover Institution, while Donald Rumsfeld prepares to arrive. ... The University of California at Santa Cruz appoints a chancellor. ... A professor at the University of Nebraska at Lincoln agrees to resign following an incident involving firecrackers in his classroom. SYLLABUS: An anthropology professor at Washington and Lee University escorts students six feet under. CREDIBILITY AND AUTHORITY: A conflict over faculty governance has pitted professors against the provost at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. CIVILIZED SEPARATION: A scholarly center for the study of Western civilization was to be built at Hamilton College but will rise off the campus instead. CAREER SURVEY: Private institutions get higher marks than public ones in young professors' ratings of job satisfaction. Research & BooksTHE 'EFFICIENT FRONTIER'Borrowing from how they analyze business, two economists at the College of William and Mary have devised a new method of comparing colleges' graduation rates. CONVERSING MARGINALLYNew software for digital books updates a hallowed tradition of scholarship, the margin note, and lets readers comment on the comments. PRESERVING ANCIENT CULTURESSome colleges are working to keep American Indian languages from becoming a lost part of history. CONFESSIONS OF A JOURNAL EDITORWant to know what an editor is really thinking when he's reading that article you submitted? VERBATIM: What, really, is the difference between a white-collar criminal and a street thug? HOT TYPE: A group of publishers and college librarians has proposed a standard document of understanding for the use of electronic materials. BACKING OFF: Under criticism, the American Association of Publishers has toned down the language of its campaign against open access to science journals. FROM MACHU PICCHU: Yale University has agreed to return to Peru some artifacts from the campus museum. NOTA BENE: Dissident Syria: Making Oppositional Arts Official explores the contradiction between the regime's emphasis on culture and the actual chill on free expression. Government & PoliticsTHE SPELLINGS REPORT, ONE YEAR LATERThe recommendations of the commission assembled by the education secretary are apparently encouraging colleges to document their performance. HOW DO YOU CALCULATE RELIEF?A bill pending in Congress would allow borrowers to get out from under private student loans through bankruptcy. HOW TO AVOID SCANDAL: College leaders met in Washington to talk about improving their conflict-of-interest policies. ENOUGH IS ENOUGH: Citing his frustration with red tape, the head of the White House Initiative on Historically Black Colleges and Universities is quitting. TOUGH GUY: As a presidential candidate, Rudolph W. Giuliani hasn't talked about colleges. But as a mayor, he played hardball with the City University of New York. The first in a series on candidates' positions on higher education. GOING ONLINE: The U.S. Education Department will stop routinely mailing out millions of copies of the Free Application for Federal Student Aid. AIR OF URGENCY: The federal government should expand research by social scientists on how to help policy makers mitigate climate change, a report says. 'MIRROR IMAGES': A report suggests that, while increasingly popular, alternative certification for schoolteachers may differ little from traditional programs. 6 PROBLEMS IDENTIFIED: The University of California must restore credibility to its president's office and improve governance if it is to preserve excellence in teaching and research, an external audit has found. IN BRIEF: A roundup of higher-education news from the states. Information TechnologyCONVERSING MARGINALLYNew software for digital books updates a hallowed tradition of scholarship, the margin note, and lets readers comment on the comments. PRIVACY AT ISSUE: Facebook's plan to allow search engines access to many of its pages has upset some users. 'RIVER OF ALLIGATORS': Ohio University's new chief information officer doesn't mind the pressure that came with the job. Money & ManagementINSTITUTIONAL WHIPLASHThe University of California at Irvine hired, rejected, and rehired a dean for its new law school in short order, raising questions about outside political interference. FEED THE KITTYA small team of dedicated volunteers has cut a deal with Stanford to care for the campus's longtime population of feral cats. DISCRIMINATION REDUXTo infer anything about a person's character or sensibility on the basis of physical racial characteristics is legally suspect. Yet that is what "diversity hiring" practices require us to do, writes Jennifer Delton. GOOD-NEIGHBOR POLICYIs it a conflict of interest, or just plain stupid, to share tricks of the trade with another nonprofit group? CALL FOR ACCOUNTABILITY: A new nonprofit group wants big donors to be more "hands on" in negotiating their gifts to higher education. IN BRIEF: A roundup of higher-education news. StudentsADMISSION LESSONSA study asks what students learn, for better or worse, in the process of applying to college. RANKINGS RAINBOWThe college-guide market has exploded, with books and rankings that cater to students of all ethnic origins, faiths, and interests. IRONY, THY NAME IS 123HELPME.COMAn essay based on a Chronicle article about an academic honor code can be be purchased from an online term-paper mill. CURRENT EVENT: Talk of police brutality is heard at the University of Florida after campus officers used a Taser to shock a raucous student into submission. SLOW GAINS: Minority students still do worse in college than white students do, a study has shown. NO FREE TRIPS: Tufts University will no longer allow its study-abroad adviser to travel on the dime of international-study vendors. PEER REVIEW: Two scholars are returning to Harvard University's department of African and African-American studies. ... Dinesh D'Souza resigned his fellowship at the Hoover Institution, while Donald Rumsfeld prepares to arrive. ... The University of California at Santa Cruz appoints a chancellor. ... A professor at the University of Nebraska at Lincoln agrees to resign following an incident involving firecrackers in his classroom. WHAT THEY'RE READING ON COLLEGE CAMPUSES: A list of the best-selling books. AthleticsSWEATING THE DETAILSThe NCAA expects to process more cases of rules infractions than ever this year, a result of increasing competitive pressure. InternationalCONTINENTAL COMPETITIONLooking to increase enrollments, European universities are challenging America's dominance in the foreign-student market. ONE SIZE FITS ALL? An international effort to develop comparable assessment standards of student learning at universities is provoking concern among some education groups. PARTICULARLY IN THE SCIENCES: Other countries are overtaking the United States by turning out young college graduates at a faster rate, says a report. HIS FATHER'S DREAM: A faculty couple at Drury University have spent $1.5-million of their own money to build schools in India. Notes From AcademeFEED THE KITTYA small team of dedicated volunteers has cut a deal with Stanford to care for the campus's longtime population of feral cats. Special Supplement: Diversity in AcademeTHE DIVERSE PROFESSORIATEAlthough the number of scholars from minority groups has increased markedly in the past decade, some experts expected the numbers would be even higher by now. PHILOSOPHICAL OUTSIDERSFewer than 30 black women hold full-time jobs in philosophy departments, but the number has inched up in recent years. RELIGIOUS INTOLERANCE?Some evangelical professors say they are discriminated against, but others ask whether that is because of faith — or politics. FIGHTING FOR BENEFITSMany gay and lesbian academics say a lack of health insurance for partners remains a major issue, even though outright discrimination has faded. RANKINGS RAINBOWThe college-guide market has exploded, with books and rankings that cater to students of all ethnic origins, faiths, and interests. PRESERVING ANCIENT CULTURESSome colleges are working to keep American Indian languages from becoming a lost part of history. DISCRIMINATION REDUXTo infer anything about a person's character or sensibility on the basis of physical racial characteristics is legally suspect. Yet that is what "diversity hiring" practices require us to do, writes Jennifer Delton. A BROAD UMBRELLAHiring foreign scholars in the name of diversity does little to help the education of minority youth in the United States, says Richard A. Tapia. CRUCIAL STEPSJames A. Anderson says campus leaders need to consider eight key points if they intend to stay true to their commitment to diversity. TOOLS TO SUCCEEDElite colleges must do more to help low-income students succeed, writes Julio Alves. UNDERGRADUATE PERSPECTIVETwo minority students write about their perspectives on diversity after taking part in exchange programs. FIGHTING STEREOTYPESThe perspectives of single academics need to be brought more directly into teaching and scholarship, write Bella DePaulo, Rachel F. Moran, and E. Kay Trimberger. PERSISTENT GAPAlthough female undergraduates may seem to be outpacing men, they still face many obstacles on campuses, writes Linda J. Sax. Letters to the EditorChronicle CareersCONFESSIONS OF A JOURNAL EDITORWant to know what an editor is really thinking when he's reading that article you submitted? YOU DIDN'T GET TENURE, PART 2A blueprint for rescuing your academic career from the ashes of tenure denial. GOOD-NEIGHBOR POLICYIs it a conflict of interest, or just plain stupid, to share tricks of the trade with another nonprofit group? 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