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"Measuring graduation rates is indeed a charade. Yes, some programs have a “respectable” rate of graduating athletes, but these grads often take gut courses, major in fields that have little academic rigor (coaching, general studies), and are placed in courses taught by profs who wouldn’t recognize an academic standard if it slept in their bed. The whole enterprise ought to be called academic gerrymandering."
—Gary
NCAA Imposes Stiffer Penalties for Academic Performance of Midlevel Division I Teams
U. of Evansville President Arrested on Drunken-Driving Charges
In a statement released today by the university, Stephen G. Jennings acknowledged making “a very serious mistake” and apologized.
Petitions Are Filed for Arizona and Nebraska Referenda on Affirmative Action
The backers of a similar measure in Colorado filed petitions months ago, but legal challenges may complicate such campaigns.
Oklahoma's Matching-Gift Backlog Booms Despite Moratorium
Instead of helping to clear a $225-million backlog of matching-gift obligations, a July 1 moratorium on the program has set back the state even more.
Italian-American Groups Rally to Save Advanced Placement Test in Italian
The Italian ambassador to the United States is leading efforts to raise money to continue the examination.
U. of Chicago Students Scramble After Lender Pulls Out
The Illinois Student Assistance Commission is ending its “school as lender” arrangement with the university.
Darwin Defeated in the Bayou: Louisiana Encourages 'Critical Thinking' About Evolution | 88
ACLU Complains About Noon-Meal Prayers at Naval Academy | 77
Columbia U. Fires Teachers College Professor Accused of Rampant Plagiarism | 61
U. of Phoenix's Report on Students' Progress Is 'Disingenuous,' Critic Says | 49
Student Who Died at Professor's Home Suffered a Drug Overdose | 47
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May 12, 2008
State Governments Pony Up a Half-Billion Dollars for Specific Research
State-government agencies commissioned just over $500-million in 2006 for specific research and development projects at universities, the National Science Foundation reported in its first such survey in more than a decade.
The NSF contacted 423 state agencies nationwide, of which 209 reported any such expenditures for academic research. The result is a finer-grain analysis than the NSF’s annual survey of universities about their research spending from various financing sources, including state governments. The annual survey covers a broad range of state support, including nonspecific appropriations for the operations of university laboratories and agricultural research stations. The spending totaled $3-billion in the 2006 fiscal year, the most recent reported by the NSF.
The specifically commissioned research described in the new report is a subset of that total, and so the new survey offers “a more complete and consistent accounting of states’ role in supporting R&D” than the annual survey alone, said John E. Jankowski, director of the NSF’s program on R&D statistics and the author of the new report.
Of the 209 agencies reporting any commissioned expenditures for academic R&D, the most common were responsible for natural resources (52 agencies), transportation (48), agriculture (37), health (22), and the environment (19). The leading states were Pennsylvania ($68.7-million), New York ($57.4-million), California ($57.2-million), Michigan ($37.9-million), and Ohio ($34-million). Spending by those states accounted for about half the total.
At the bottom of the list were New Mexico ($65,000), Rhode Island ($150,000), Mississippi ($454,000), Vermont ($610,000), and Alaska ($621,000). The NSF plans to repeat the survey for the 2007 fiscal year, Mr. Jankowski said. —Jeffrey Brainard
Posted on Monday May 12, 2008 | Permalink |
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