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From the issue dated May 2, 2008 |
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Short SubjectsCOMBATING BOREDOMStudents at Kettering University built a half-size replica of a Panzer tank to drive around a paintball field. CATAPULTED TO COLLEGE: A high-school student won a $100,000 scholarship for building a device that flung an egg 54 feet and nearly into a frying pan. PHYSICAL ATTRACTION: Students at Drury University drop toilets, fruit, and other objects from a three-story building in a monthly "gravity test." PRIME NUMBERS: A majority of historians surveyed by the History News Network say that George W. Bush will go down as the worst president in history. Notes From AcademeFOR BOSNIA'S FUTUREIn the divided country, a professor of English is one of the few to cross ethnic lines. Research & BooksPAPAL AUDIENCE: Pope Benedict's talk to Roman Catholic educators built an intellectual case for academic freedom that is based on a bedrock of fidelity to the received doctrines of the church. ART AND ACADEMIC FREEDOM: A Yale student's claim that she planned to exhibit evidence of multiple self-induced miscarriages set the Internet on fire. The FacultyWHAT DO YOU BELIEVE?Whitworth University, a Christian institution in Washington State, has made personal essays about applicants' faith a key part of the hiring process. INSTRUCTIONAL FILMS 2.0Scholars are embracing do-it-yourself technology to make short online videos for students in their classes. SYLLABUS: A course at the College of William and Mary marries theater and physics. PEER REVIEW: A Columbia University scholar will become the new provost of the American University in Cairo ... The University of Missouri at Cairo finally fills its Kenneth L. Lay chair in economics ... A former student activist takes the helm at Voorhees College. REDEFINING TA'S: A bill introduced in both houses of Congress would allow teaching assistants at private colleges to form unions. Information TechnologyINSTRUCTIONAL FILMS 2.0Scholars are embracing do-it-yourself technology to make short online videos for students in their classes. A NEW BUSINESS MODEL: Flat World Knowledge, a fledgling textbook publisher, says it has the answer to expensive texts: free online ones. LINKED IN WITH: Eszter Hargittai, a sociologist who has found that, contrary to stereotype, students don't know a lot about the Web and its components. Money & ManagementA NEW FOCUS FOR FUND RAISERSAs colleges feel the pressure to lower their price tags, many turn their attention to raising money for student aid. HOW GREEN WAS MY COLLEGE: The Princeton Review will issue "green" ratings in a coming college guide. Even some sustainability experts are questioning that idea. SUNGARD ON GUARD: A major software vendor is under fire for waiting a month to tell colleges that some of their students' personal data had been exposed. PANEL ANNOUNCES DECISION: Administrators at West Virginia University violated procedures and showed poor judgment in their handling of the academic transcript of the governor's daughter. A RELATIONSHIP ENDS: Texas State University at San Marcos cut ties with a local foundation after its president was arrested on cocaine charges. FOUL PLAY? Officials in at least four states have raised concerns about high levels of lead in synthetic-turf fields commonly used in college sports. DISCORD IN CALIFORNIA: Professors at the Claremont Colleges are protesting the consortium's sale of 1,200 rare musical instruments to a new museum. PEER REVIEW: A Columbia University scholar will become the new provost of the American University in Cairo ... The University of Missouri at Cairo finally fills its Kenneth L. Lay chair in economics ... A former student activist takes the helm at Voorhees College. Government & PoliticsYOUR MOVEThe Bush administration has concluded that it does not have the authority to bail out student-loan companies, instead looking to Congress to proceed. LOWERED EXPECTATIONSMany young people who could succeed at four-year colleges are not being encouraged by their families or schools to apply, a new report from the U.S. Education Department suggests. ENCOURAGEMENT FOR LENDERS: The U.S. House of Representatives has approved legislation aimed at averting a crisis in student lending. REDEFINING TA'S: A bill introduced in both houses of Congress would allow teaching assistants at private colleges to form unions. WIDENING DISPARITY: The gaps in life expectancy based on income and educational attainment are growing in the United States, says the Congressional Budget Office. StudentsAFFORDABILITY ON THEIR MINDSA new Chronicle survey reveals what senior admissions officials think of their jobs and their practices. MONEY DOESN'T CHANGE EVERYTHINGDespite wealthy colleges' offers of more financial aid to needy students, the proportion of Pell Grant recipients has fallen at those institutions in recent years. CLOSING THE GAPSome colleges have found ways to improve the graduation rates of black students, and others should adopt their methods, a report says. CHARACTER EDUCATION: A survey finds that students and professors think colleges could do a better job of instruction in morals and ethics. MORE THAN VIRTUE: Tufts University will help both current students and alumni pay off college debt when they enter public-service careers. ART AND ACADEMIC FREEDOM: A Yale student's claim that she planned to exhibit evidence of multiple self-induced miscarriages set the Internet on fire. InternationalLOST IN TRANSLATIONLanguage barriers and faculty turnover contribute to the failure of an American university's campus in China to deliver value to students, its critics say. FOR BOSNIA'S FUTUREIn the divided country, a professor of English is one of the few to cross ethnic lines. A CLOSE WATCH: Visiting international students may soon pay higher visa fees to support a computer system that tracks their activities. EASING UP: Canada is making it easier for foreign students to stay in the country to work for up to three years after graduation. OFFICIAL ADVICE: The State Department's Foreign Service Institute will offer a new training course on overseas security for study-abroad administrators next month. CommentaryCHANGING THE COLLEGE DRINKING CULTUREAttempts to curb alcohol abuse on campuses too often focus on only the heaviest drinkers, Brandon Busteed writes. THE VERY MODEL OF A MODERN COLLEGE PRESIDENTThe common comparison of a college president to a CEO is inapt, writes Mary B. Marcy. A better analogue is the president of the United States. Letters to the EditorSpecial Supplement: Admissions & Student AidWHAT ADMISSIONS OFFICIALS THINKA Chronicle survey reveals their concerns about college costs, changing demographics, and public perceptions of the jobs they do in selecting students. AFTER THE DELUGE, THE DROUGHT?As the last of the baby boomers' children make their way through college, admissions officers are preparing for a shrinking pool of traditional applicants. THE BEAN COUNTERS AND THE GATEKEEPERSAs students become more cognizant of costs, financial-aid offices and admissions staffs are learning the value of working together more closely. THE DISH ON ADMISSIONSDespite grueling hours, high turnover, and competing demands on their time, many in the field say they find their work satisfying. BEWARE 'STEALTH APPLICANTS'The growing numbers of students who are applying without any prior contact with a college can complicate the admissions equation. WHAT ROLE FOR ALUMNI?Some colleges, especially wealthy ones, successfully use their former students to help recruit new ones, but other institutions find such programs too difficult to run. AMERICA'S MOST OVERRATED PRODUCT: THE B.A.Like everything else, attending college has pros and cons. But students don't hear nearly enough about the cons, Marty Nemko writes. ADVANCING BEYOND AP COURSESTeaching to the test has hammered passion and creativity out of high-school Advanced Placement courses. Schools should drop them and create their own enriched curricula, says Bruce G. Hammond. FULL DISCLOSURE NEEDEDKristin Ruth Tichenor says high schools need to give colleges more information about troubled students. IF I WERE KING ...Leaders in the student-aid debate describe what they would do if they could design a new federal student-loan system from scratch. BORROWING TROUBLEThe Rev. Dennis H. Holtschneider, president of DePaul University, says colleges should teach students how to borrow wisely. Chronicle CareersCONFERENCE RULES, PART 3Everything you need to know about your role as a commentator or a member of the audience. WHAT'S IN A NAME?Names matter in academe, but how they matter is a complicated question. THE JOB SEARCH MAKES ME VERY MADStep back, breathe deeply, and try to rise above the anxiety that can turn job seekers into scary creatures. |