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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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January 9, 2009
Spellings Rejects Governors' Request for Waiver on Education-Spending Levels
In October the National Governors Association sent a letter to Education Secretary Margaret Spellings, asking that all states be exempted from a new federal requirement to maintain the same level of higher-education spending they had provided, on average, over the previous five years. The governors cited the deteriorating budget conditions across the nation as a reason to grant the waiver.
Today Ms. Spellings sent a reply to the association, rejecting that blanket request but noting that states may apply individually for waivers from the requirement, known as a “maintenance of effort” provision of legislation enacted last year to renew the Higher Education Act. Ms. Spellings or a future education secretary could approve those waivers, “based on exceptional or uncontrollable circumstances that have led to a precipitous and unforeseen decline in the financial resources,” Ms. Spellings wrote to the governors.
If states fail to meet the provision and do not receive a waiver, they could lose federal College Access Challenge Grant funds, which are matching grants intended to increase the number of low-income students who are prepared to enter and succeed in college.
Both the governors’ association and the National Conference of State Legislatures strongly opposed the requirement for steady funds, arguing that it would force them, over time, to actually curtail higher-education spending in order to avoid penalties in lean fiscal times. —Eric Kelderman
Posted on Friday January 9, 2009 | Permalink |Comments
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Good example of Federal overreach. Colleges and Universities should resist such federal control even when the intention may seem at first to be beneficial. Strength of American higher education has been dependent on independence from federal direction and controls
— Richard Fonte Jan 12, 10:49 AM #
This is indeed an example of the Feds getting involved in something that’s none of their business. I’ll bet this will change in the coming year. However, some states are likely to drastically reduce or even eliminate funding for public universities in the coming year – the prospect is not pretty.
— ap Jan 12, 12:52 PM #