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"As Supreme Court opinions have stated, affirmative action is not intended to be a permanent fixture in America. Personally, I look forward to living in a country where people are rewarded on their deeds instead of their pigmentation."
— EC
Petitions Are Filed for Arizona and Nebraska Referenda on Affirmative Action
Washington State Court Says Campus Police Officers Lack Authority to Patrol Dorms
The court ruled that students have a constitutional expectation of privacy in their dormitory hallways.
Saint Louis U. to Pay $1-Million to Settle Overbilling Allegations
The university agreed to the settlement but denied a whistle-blower’s allegations that it had inflated professors’ work hours on federally supported research.
West Virginia U. Hires Former Chief of Land-Grant Association as Its Interim President
The university appointed C. Peter Magrath as interim president and rearranged its governing board, and is facing a state ethics inquiry.
Wedding Bells Ring for Scholars of Genocide and Irrationality
Samantha Power and Cass R. Sunstein, Harvard scholars who have been associated with Sen. Barack Obama’s presidential campaign, were married last week in Ireland.
Senate Panel Approves Bill With Big Increase for Energy Research
But the boost, if enacted, is less than was proposed in the House of Representatives and by President Bush.
Closed Out? Norman Finkelstein, Controversial Scholar Denied Tenure, Can't Find a Job. | 86
U. of Evansville President Arrested on Drunken-Driving Charges | 30
Provost of North Carolina State U. Defends Big Raise for Governor's Wife | 29
Lender Jeered as It Departs Federal Student-Loan Program | 27
Petitions Are Filed for Arizona and Nebraska Referenda on Affirmative Action | 23
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May 16, 2008
Australia Nearly Doubles Endowment for University Infrastructure
Australian universities received a windfall this week when the government announced that it would nearly double the higher-education infrastructure endowment, to 11 billion Australian dollars, the newspaper The Australian reported. The amount equals about $10.5-billion.
The increase fulfilled a campaign promise by Australia’s recently elected prime minister, Kevin Rudd, to invest substantially in education. In making the announcement, Education Minister Julia Gillard said the fund was intended to help universities rebuild their campus infrastructure after 11 years of “government neglect” under the previous prime minister.
Academics have complained in the past that cutbacks in education spending were hurting Australia’s competitiveness.
The government also announced several other changes to encourage scientific research. New students entering mathematics and science programs will pay practically no tuition. A thousand midcareer Australian and international researchers will be awarded fellowships. And the number of Commonwealth scholarships for undergraduates will double, to 88,000, over the next four years.
Carolyn Allport, president of the National Tertiary Education Union, said the amount allocated for higher education exceeded her expectations.
“The education revolution has started,” she said. —Martha Ann Overland
Posted on Friday May 16, 2008 | Permalink |Comments
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What a country!
— Gabrielle Watling May 16, 04:06 PM #
Yeah, Baby! First Fosters, then AC/DC, and now this. What a friggin country indeed.
— Jon May 16, 07:02 PM #
I hope that Australia invests these funds wisely in the ‘greenest’ technologies possible.
— BK May 18, 02:43 PM #
It won’t fix the basic problems of a system that, on the one hand, is supposed to be dedicated to providing a meritocratic, open education, and that, on the other, is being driven ideologically into an American-style grab for profitability. As an ex-patriate Australian now working as an academic in the United States, I wouldn’t ever want to work under the conditions I hear about firsthand from faculty back home, even though America is hardly a picture of health and inspiration.
— PM May 18, 09:57 PM #