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From the issue dated September 14, 2007 |
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Short SubjectsANIMATED TOPICAn irreverent cartoon to some, The Simpsons covers a wide array of disciplines in college curricula. DR. MAY, WE PRESUME: Brian May, the guitarist, has successfully defended the astronomy dissertation that he set aside more than three decades ago when his band, Queen, achieved star status itself. STEPPING OVER THE BORDERS OF FASHION: Crocs, those ghastly, garish, ubiquitous clogs, have crossed a sociocultural divide on college campuses. SIGNATURE TRADITION: For more than 100 years, at the start of their careers at Whitman College, faculty members and senior administrators have signed in on the pages of the same antique registry. DEPT. OF BAD IDEAS: We propose a handful of rejected college mottos. The FacultyDISSECTING THE DISSERTATIONA higher-education researcher takes a close look at exactly what committees want to see in a Ph.D. thesis. A SCHOLAR'S PARISAlice Kaplan's love for the city stems from 25 years of memories — her own and those gleaned from a thousand books and films. She explores her Paris, from the École des Hautes Études to the trendy Bon Marche department store. STRUGGLING TO MAKE DOThe shrinking financial rewards of faculty jobs are putting a squeeze on some professors, especially in areas where the cost of living is high — and particularly when they aspire to keep up with professionals in other fields. ANIMATED TOPICAn irreverent cartoon to some, The Simpsons covers a wide array of disciplines in college curricula. LEND ME YOUR EARSThere are ways to dress in academe, and every fashion choice sends a message. PEER REVIEW: The dean of admissions at the University of Pennsylvania is leaving earlier than had been expected. ... The University of Tennessee at Knoxville hires a diversity advocate. ... Oliver Sacks joins Columbia University in a multidisciplinary role. TENURE DISPUTE SETTLED: A long-running battle between DePaul University and the political scientist Norman G. Finkelstein has ended with his announcement that he would resign immediately. 'EVOLUTIONARY INFORMATICS': In what a professor calls a violation of academic freedom, Baylor University has removed from its Web site his personal page related to intelligent design. 'NEARLY VERBATIM': The group that licenses pharmacists has suspended its national examination after accusing a professor at the University of Georgia of giving out the questions (again). Research & BooksSTORM STORIESA folklore project at the University of Houston trains survivors of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita to interview others about their experiences. THE SENSUAL YEARSWhat's a single woman over 50 to do about sex? Pepper Schwartz, a leading sociologist who teaches at the University of Washington, answers her own question in a new book. THE CARE AND FEEDING OF THE READERIf scholars are to find readers, they need to think about what pleases readers. ON WAGING WAR: The structure and culture of the military are neglected by political-science courses, said speakers at the discipline's annual conference. PROTECTING THE VOTE: Ways to thwart election tampering remain elusive, political scientists report. VERBATIM: A former football player turned academic asks, Just how "black" does the NFL want to be? HOT TYPE: A book about turmoil at Baylor University that was rejected by the institution's own press will be published by an independent competitor. NOTA BENE: A scholar at the University of New Hampshire looks at the poet Anne Sexton and her unusual way of teaching. Government & PoliticsCAMPAIGN 2008Early in the process, presidential candidates are hearing urgent calls to improve the quality of American higher education. MAPLE LEAF GAGIn response to concerns about the USA Patriot Act, colleges in Canada are preventing faculty members from taking laptops holding research data to the United States. BORROWING MORE TROUBLE: A second report from Sen. Edward M. Kennedy shows how convoluted the arrangements between colleges and student-aid lenders can be. CUTS ON THE TABLE: Congress was expected last week to pass a compromise bill that would slash subsidies to lenders in the government's guaranteed-student-loan program and use the savings to reduce the federal deficit and increase student aid. PORK ON THE PLATE: Despite promises to do so, Congress has not yet tightened the belt on earmarked projects, a study has found. PROBLEMS IN THE LAB: Federal officials say Texas A&M University at College Station, having violated a dozen safety and security rules for research on dangerous microbes, will remain barred from conducting such studies until the problems are fixed. NOT QUITE PREPARED: High-school exit exams have a major impact on how students are taught but do not appear to indicate college readiness, a report says. IN THE STATES: A roundup of higher-education news. Money & Management2-YEAR TURNOVERA wave of retirements has California's community colleges scrambling to find new leadership. BEYOND CONSTRUCTION: The challenges of maintaining buildings has prompted a book from the association for college-facilities officers. NEW ANTI-SWEATSHOP FIGURE: The Fair Labor Association has named its next chairwoman. CITES UNSEEN: The president of Southern Illinois University faces evidence that his decades-old dissertation contains numerous examples of plagiarism and improper citation. ATTENTION PAID: The president of Southern University has agreed to drop a whistle-blower lawsuit against the system's governing board as part of a settlement that could include a $200,000 annual supplement to his salary for two years. DYING TO CONTRIBUTE: Officials of Oklahoma State University are expanding their search for wealthy donors willing to take out life-insurance policies to benefit the institution. CASE DISMISSED: One of two sexual-harassment lawsuits filed against Eastern Oregon University, an administrator there, and the Oregon State Board of Higher Education has been settled. PEER REVIEW: The dean of admissions at the University of Pennsylvania is leaving earlier than had been expected. ... The University of Tennessee at Knoxville hires a diversity advocate. ... Oliver Sacks joins Columbia University in a multidisciplinary role. Information TechnologyMAPLE LEAF GAGIn response to concerns about the USA Patriot Act, colleges in Canada are preventing faculty members from taking laptops holding research data to the United States. MIT'S MEDIA MAVENHenry Jenkins is at the forefront of exploring how digital technologies are reshaping popular culture. He has won millions of dollars for scholarly projects. And he still finds time to serve as an intensely hands-on housemaster. SECOND THOUGHTS ABOUT SECOND LIFEWill you be held accountable for requiring students to participate in a virtual world filled with online harassers? FIT TO SHARE: The New York Times has begun an online collaboration with colleges to create a series of interactive learning communities on the Web. COMPANY TO PAY UNSPECIFIED SUM: Microsoft and the University of California have settled their eight-year dispute over the patent rights to a lucrative Web-browsing technology. THE WIRED CAMPUS: A roundup of information-technology news in higher education. StudentsMORE THAN NUMBERSA new admissions program at Northeastern University gives low-scoring, low-income applicants an opportunity to explain their strengths. LEAVING WITHOUT A DEGREE: The academic performance of part-time students still lags behind that of their full-time classmates, federal data show. AthleticsTHE NCAA'S OWN BLOGGERA 25-year-old staff member has given the tradition-bound organization a path into the digital age. InternationalINSULARITY VS. INNOVATIONSaudi Arabia plans to spend billions of dollars to create a system of Western-style higher education. How well that style will fit the kingdom's rigidly conservative society is the $64-million question. 'POINTS OF ENGAGEMENT'A professor from Notre Dame travels the world to study — and encourage — local efforts at building peace. LEARNING FROM BELOWGayatri Spivak, a leading literary critic at Columbia University, has worked for nearly 20 years to set up schools in rural areas in West Bengal. PINNED FOR $585: A Russian court has merely fined a graduate student from the University of Missouri at St. Louis who feared a prison term for purchasing Soviet war medals as souvenirs. UNCOOPERATIVE EDUCATION: Doctoral programs in Europe suffer from a lack of coordination, says a report. Notes From Academe'POINTS OF ENGAGEMENT'A professor from Notre Dame travels the world to study — and encourage — local efforts at building peace. Special Supplement: The Academic LifeMIT'S MEDIA MAVENHenry Jenkins is at the forefront of exploring how digital technologies are reshaping popular culture. He has won millions of dollars for scholarly projects. And he still finds time to serve as an intensely hands-on housemaster. A SCHOLAR'S PARISAlice Kaplan's love for the city stems from 25 years of memories — her own and those gleaned from a thousand books and films. She explores her Paris, from the École des Hautes Études to the trendy Bon Marche department store. STRUGGLING TO MAKE DOThe shrinking financial rewards of faculty jobs are putting a squeeze on some professors, especially in areas where the cost of living is high — and particularly when they aspire to keep up with professionals in other fields. LEARNING FROM BELOWGayatri Spivak, a leading literary critic at Columbia University, has worked for nearly 20 years to set up schools in rural areas in West Bengal. THE SENSUAL YEARSWhat's a single woman over 50 to do about sex? Pepper Schwartz, a leading sociologist who teaches at the University of Washington, answers her own question in a new book. WADING INTO LITERATUREFor James Barilla, an English professor, fly-fishing is a way to gain insight, an exercise akin to Zen meditation. WINE AND WEATHERAntonio J. Busalacchi, a climate-change expert who is also an oenophile, looks at what vineyards and centuries of their records say about global warming and the future of winemaking. IT JUST TASTES GOODPatrick Fields, a botanist at Olivet College, is an expert in all things chocolate. INDULGENCES: Scholars share their secret (or not so secret) guilty pleasures. FAVORITES: Jazz albums, eating spots around the world, shrinks in films. ASK THE EXPERT: Does tenure make evolutionary sense? ACADEMIC STYLE: An interview with the fashion guru Tim Gunn. ACADEMIC LAIRS: Poetry for sale in Cambridge. Letters to the EditorChronicle CareersSECOND THOUGHTS ABOUT SECOND LIFEWill you be held accountable for requiring students to participate in a virtual world filled with online harassers? THE CARE AND FEEDING OF THE READERIf scholars are to find readers, they need to think about what pleases readers. LEND ME YOUR EARSThere are ways to dress in academe, and every fashion choice sends a message. DETAILS OF AVAILABLE POSTS, including teaching and research positions in higher education, administrative and executive jobs, and openings outside academe |