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"Some college administrators seem so distracted with fund raising, academic infighting, and community initiatives that they set up their emergency communications departments very poorly. Training is poor to nonexistent, secretaries are pressed into service with tremendous responsibilities for running 'notification systems' 24/7 and on weekends because no one else knows how to do it and the administration won’t pay for additional staff. Procedures are seat-of-the-pants and dependent on HIPPO (highest paid person’s opinion), except when something like Virginia Tech happens and there is some sort of scramble to do something different." --Donna
Most Colleges Avoid Risk Management, Report Says
Jill Biden Shines a Global Spotlight on American Community Colleges
Speaking at a Unesco conference in Paris, the vice president’s wife stressed the importance of two-year institutions to the nation’s educational goals.
Connecticut Public Colleges Lose 200 Professors to Early Retirement
Administrators are scrambling to plug holes in their course schedules for fall, with most expecting to do so by hiring more adjuncts or increasing class sizes.
U. of Georgia Paid 2 Fraternities $2.4-Million to Relocate, Contracts Show
The two were among five with houses on property where the university plans to build new academic facilities.
New Allegations in Admissions Controversy at U. of Illinois Suggest Ex-Provost Played a Role
Linda P.B. Katehi, the incoming chancellor of the University of California at Davis, has insisted she knew nothing of the admission of politically connected applicants at Illinois.
Sonoma State U. Foundation May Lose $350,000 on Loan to Former Board Member
The foundation will be forced to issue fewer scholarships in the 2010-11 academic year because of a diminished endowment, a university official said.
College Suspends Student for Working in Gay Pornography | 58
President Obama's Visit to Notre Dame Carries Barely a Hint of Controversy That Preceded It | 58
Drug Sting Nabs 21 Students at U. of Illinois | 57
Faculty Members and Union Protest Staff Layoffs at Temple U. as 'Cruel' | 57
North Dakota Board's Vote Puts 'Fighting Sioux' Mascot on Thinner Ice | 57
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August 25, 2008
Federal Spending on Academic Research Continued Downward Trend in 2007
Washington — Total spending on academic scientific research grew slightly in 2007 even as the the subtotal financed by the federal government fell, after inflation was factored in, according to a new report. Colleges and other providers made up the difference from their own pockets — but they weren’t happy about it.
The federal government is the largest source of funds for academic research, and the 2007 fiscal year represented the second straight year of decline after inflation, according to the report, which was issued by the National Science Foundation. The federal total was $30.44-billion, a net drop of 1.6 percent compared with 2006. Such a two-year decline had never before occurred since the NSF began tracking those figures, in 1972.
But overall spending on academic research totaled $49.43-billion in 2007, an increase of 0.8 percent after inflation. Academic institutions increased their own spending by nearly 7 percent, for a total of $9.70-billion.
Contributions from industry also surged, by 11 percent, to $2.67-billion. Corporate spending has now more than made up for dips in three consecutive years, from 2001 to 2004.
The numbers add up to a continuation of a trend that universities have decried: The burden of paying for research is slowly shifting away from the federal government and toward them and other sources. Some observers also worry that the growth in industry money will distort the agendas of academic researchers and fuel restrictions on scholarly publishing, although that money remains a small share of the total.
It’s too soon to know yet whether the next president will ride to the rescue. Sen. Barack Obama has proposed doubling federal spending on basic research; Sen. John McCain also wants to expand research in energy and climate change but has emphasized tax credits to pay for it. But after a new president is inaugurated, in January, he could take several months before unveiling detailed spending proposals for the 2009 fiscal year and beyond. —Jeffrey Brainard
Posted on Monday August 25, 2008 | Permalink |Comments
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I’d like a research grant equal to the cost of one tank, please.
— Al Aug 26, 06:21 PM #