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From the issue dated March 7, 2008 |
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Short SubjectsACING THE ZZZZ'SIn America's time-is-money culture, naps don't stand a chance against caffeine as a way to recharge. Even in academe, which has its own rhythms, few faculty members are willing to admit to daytime dozing. LESSONS IN HAPPINESS: The Harvard Extension School offers a distance-education version of the university's most popular psychology course ever, "Positive Psychology." WHAT UNIVERSITIES WANT: We sample RFP's from public institutions around the country. ALUMNI FOREVER: The University System of Georgia has rescinded its prohibition on using its logos on coffins and urns. NO LOVE LOST: A protester dressed as Cupid was prevented from loosing a paper-tipped arrow at the Philippines' higher-education commissioner on Valentine's Day. Notes From AcademeDELICATE BALANCEThe University of Nevada at Reno challenges profoundly gifted middle- and high-school students with college classes as it works to accommodate their youthfulness, too. The FacultyDONE DEAL IN DALLASSkeptical faculty members at Southern Methodist University are taking a wait-and-see attitude to its newly signed contract to house George W. Bush's presidential library and an affiliated, but autonomous, conservative think tank. REFRESHING TIRED PROFESSORSOver time, many faculty members become less efficient and less enthusiastic in their teaching. Peter Seldin offers suggestions for rejuvenating those jaded academics. PEER REVIEW: The fashion superstar Shelley Fox joins Parsons. ... Paul G. Mahoney has been named dean of the law school at the University of Virginia. ... Serene Jones will becomes the first woman to lead Union Theological Seminary. Research & BooksTACTICAL SHIFT FOR ANIMAL RIGHTSRecent attacks at academic researchers' homes indicate an escalation in the level of violence used by animal-rights protesters, prompting colleges to increase security. PAINFULLY CLOSE TO HOME: Researchers at Virginia Tech, working in a variety of disciplines, are studying the long-term effects of the campus killings 10 months ago. HOT TYPE: The Gutenberg-e history monograph project goes open-access without fanfare, but with questions remaining about its track record. Money & ManagementEXPANSIVE CONFIDENCEDespite a shaky economy and creditors' concerns, Quinnipiac University, a private, liberal-arts institution in Connecticut, plans to develop two new campuses and sharply increase its enrollment. SUNSHINE AND RED INKA total of $2-billion in proposed budget cuts in Florida is expected to cost the state's public universities dearly. Information TechnologyPATENT VICTORYAfter the leading provider of course-management systems won a closely watched lawsuit against a competitor, it tried to reassure college-technology officials who fear that the law now says, "Blackboard or else." LINKED IN WITH: Columbia University's new copyright adviser explains what faculty and staff members can and cannot do with copyrighted material in a digital world. TECH FORUM NOTEBOOK: At a Chronicle conference, frank talk about hacker attacks, emergency-alert systems, and digital piracy on campus. Government & PoliticsSTUDENTS AS 'WIDGETS' NO MOREYielding to pressure from Congress and grant recipients, the U.S. Education Department has agreed to abandon its evaluation of the Upward Bound college-preparation program. HAVES AND HAVE-NOTS: Thousands of Pell Grant recipients last year may be denied them this year, but those who are still eligible will get much bigger awards, an analysis suggests. TUITION SUPPORT AT 2-YEAR COLLEGES: The number of students at community colleges who apply for federal financial aid increased over the past five years, a study has found. NO JADED YOUTH: A large majority of young voters think they can change the country, according to a poll conducted by Rock the Vote. StudentsTHE DIGITAL LIMITS OF IN LOCO PARENTISIn determining their responsibility for the online behavior of students on social-networking Web site, colleges learn to avert their gaze. DELICATE BALANCEThe University of Nevada at Reno challenges profoundly gifted middle- and high-school students with college classes as it works to accommodate their youthfulness, too. TAKING A GAMBLEColleges need to take a hard look at how gambling, in all its forms, has pervaded their campuses, writes George McClellan, who offers suggestions on understanding and dealing with the varied risks of campus gambling. SERVING OTHERS: A student at the College of William and Mary directs a nonprofit group that gives service-learning grants to students. RUSH TO JUDGMENT? Duke University, the city of Durham, N.C., and their officials have been sued by 38 current and former members of the men's lacrosse team in connection with an investigation of ultimately false accusations of rape. TESTING IN COURT: A private test-preparation company in Texas and the College Board have each sued the other in a battle over the use of the SAT. InternationalCOUNTING ON SUPPORT IN AFRICANew programs focus on training skilled scientists and mathematicians who will help solve the continent's myriad problems. MY EXCURSION INTO 'GLOBAL CITIZENSHIP'On a study-abroad program in India, Nepal, and Tibet, everywhere Talya Zemach-Bersin went she was treated as exactly what she is: a white, privileged American. 2 YEARS IN THE WORLD: Hot topics at the annual meeting of Community Colleges for International Development included strategies for recruiting students overseas and improving study-abroad options. CommentaryTAKING A GAMBLEColleges need to take a hard look at how gambling, in all its forms, has pervaded their campuses, writes George McClellan, who offers suggestions on understanding and dealing with the varied risks of campus gambling. MY EXCURSION INTO 'GLOBAL CITIZENSHIP'On a study-abroad program in India, Nepal, and Tibet, everywhere Talya Zemach-Bersin went she was treated as exactly what she is: a white, privileged American. REFRESHING TIRED PROFESSORSOver time, many faculty members become less efficient and less enthusiastic in their teaching. Peter Seldin offers suggestions for rejuvenating those jaded academics. The Chronicle ReviewBREUER'S ASCENTHow the monks of Saint John's University hired a Modernist to defy gravity with concrete. THE ENVELOPES PLEASE ...Highlights from the Back-of-the-Envelope Bush Library Design Contest. POMONA'S EXTREME MAKEOVERWhat if a top firm created an elegant neo-Classical landmark and nobody came? ARCHITECT, HEAL THYSELFWhy are so many design schools in such lousy buildings? A FOUNDATION IN LANGUAGEArchitecture students should learn how to craft words as artfully as they draft pictures. DESIGN BY INTERROGATIONJust what does a university architect do, anyway? Follow Arizona State's Ron McCoy and find out. DORM THERAPYA Q&A with Susan Painter, a behavioral psychologist and planner who advises colleges on building. THE CAMPUS AS STUDIOArchitecture blends the arts and sciences in a vigorous way — one well suited to a university presidency. CRITICAL MASSJohn R. Silber questions architectural "genius." CONSIDER THISIn the houses of Pablo Neruda, the architecture of the poet's soul is on display. NOTA BENE: A collection of essays on Jane Jacobs, the critic of urban renewal; and an unsentimental consideration of suburban sprawl's potential. Letters to the EditorChronicle CareersTHE ACADEMIC ZODIACIt's time to abandon the career-services office for graduate students and consult an astrologer instead. CLASSROOM POLITICS: Do certain courses invite advocacy? Or should we always strive to remain neutral to our students? WE DON'T LIVE BY SPREADSHEETS: For small development offices, the art of fund raising is more important than the science. DETAILS OF AVAILABLE POSTS, including teaching and research positions in higher education, administrative and executive jobs, and openings outside academe |