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From the issue dated April 25, 2008 |
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Short SubjectsNERF GUNS AND FRAYED NERVESColleges take a harder look at campus games played with toy weapons. HARD-BOILED EGGHEADSThe Chronicle garners some fleeting mentions in pulp fiction. SUSTAINABLE TAKEOUT: At Eckerd College, a reusable plastic container is taking the place of those infamous polystyrene "clamshells" for take-away food. MEET YOU AT THE PARABOLIC GAZEBO: Most sculptures are meant to be seen. But this month Tufts University unveils a "sonic observation post" that is designed to be heard. WHAT THEY'RE READING ON COLLEGE CAMPUSES: A list of the best-selling books. Research & BooksHARD-BOILED EGGHEADSThe Chronicle garners some fleeting mentions in pulp fiction. WHOSE RESEARCH? Academic scientists may by putting their names on papers ghostwritten for them by drug companies, an investigation suggests. WHAT'S GOOD FOR THE GOOSE: Professors who publish in journals may soon be subjected to scans by the same kind of anti-plagiarism software that they use on students. The FacultyTHIS IS YOUR PROFESSOR ON DRUGSAcademics' use of prescription medication to improve concentration and alertness may be more common than most people realize. ACADEMIC FREEDOM AND ASSIGNING GRADESLawrence White analyzes whether the professor or the institution has the last say. HOW TO SUCCEED IN ACADEMESurviving your dissertation is one thing; succeeding as a new professor is something else entirely. Paul Gray and David E. Drew offer their advice. A RESEARCH CAREER AT A LIBERAL-ARTS COLLEGEFor junior faculty members, the best place to focus on research may not be at a research university. GIVE ME TENURE OR GIVE ME ...Here's why it's usually a bad idea to promote assistant professors before the six-year mark. 'I'M YOUR MILLSTONE'Spousal hires are no longer unusual, yet some colleges still let fears about the risks blind them to the obvious benefits. NEWS ANALYSIS: The University of Southern California has closed its tiny German department, and some language scholars say it's a terrible omen for their field. AN ISSUE OF POLITICS: The faculty union at the City University of New York must make it easier for nonmembers to get refunds of dues that are spent on activities other than collective bargaining, a federal judge has ruled. SYLLABUS: Students learn mathematics while do-si-doing through a course on square dancing at North Central College. PEER REVIEW: The State University of New York at Binghamton lands an academic couple. ... Ithaca College appoints a new president. ... McMaster University hires Canada's star astronaut. Information TechnologyHIS MOVEIn a move that scholars say would have horrified her late husband, the widow of a Marxist philosopher has threatened to sue a professor over a copyright on her husband's work. A PAGE FROM FACEBOOKAlumni associations are creating their own versions of popular social-networking sites in an effort to keep in closer touch with former students. LINKED IN WITH: Rich Ling, a sociologist who argues that mobile communication is changing how students learn, and not necessarily for the better. A BARRAGE OF ACCUSATION: The Recording Industry Association of America has fired off an especially large batch of its "pre-litigation" letters to college students whom it suspects of pirating music. WHAT'S GOOD FOR THE GOOSE: Professors who publish in journals may soon be subjected to scans by the same kind of anti-plagiarism software that they use on students. Money & ManagementA PAGE FROM FACEBOOKAlumni associations are creating their own versions of popular social-networking sites in an effort to keep in closer touch with former students. CONFERENCE NOTEBOOK: Trustees discussed their growing role in managing colleges' risks at their association's annual meeting in Boston. MORE THAN A LOGO: The associate vice president for external relations at the University of Cincinnati talks about the dos and don'ts of college marketing. BUILDINGS & GROUNDS: A sudden need for more space on a campus doesn't have to mean trailers, says a guest architecture writer. PAY MORE TO GET MORE: Spending more on fund raising produces a significant increase in revenue, a study shows. NO STRINGS ATTACHED: The chairman of New York University Medical Center's Board of Trustees has given the institution an unrestricted donation of $100-million. COLLECTIVE WISDOM: Four athletics administrators have created a consulting firm to help athletics departments with strategic planning and gender equity. ACCESS DENIED: Ten percent of community-college students cannot get federal student loans because their institutions don't participate in the programs, according to a new report. NICE WHILE IT LASTED: Private colleges showed healthy investment gains in the last fiscal year, but they aren't expected to continue. PEER REVIEW: The State University of New York at Binghamton lands an academic couple. ... Ithaca College appoints a new president. ... McMaster University hires Canada's star astronaut. Government & PoliticsTHE LAST RESORTAs the Education Department develops a new student-loan system for use in the event of a crisis, some colleges and student-aid advocates worry that it could create more problems than it solves. PROTECTING INCENTIVES FOR MEDICAL RESEARCHCongress should not pass a law that would weaken patent protections and data exclusivity of biologic research and development, writes Sheldon Elliot Steinbach. StudentsA SPECIAL TEST FOR COLLEGE STUDENTSA charity in Philadelphia that offers free, on-campus screenings for Jewish genetic diseases hopes to provide young people with information that can help guide their decisions in the future. NERF GUNS AND FRAYED NERVESColleges take a harder look at campus games played with toy weapons. AthleticsCOLLECTIVE WISDOM: Four athletics administrators have created a consulting firm to help athletics departments with strategic planning and gender equity. InternationalA WAKE-UP CALL FOR VIETNAMESE UNIVERSITIESCitizens who got Ph.D.'s abroad find it hard to get jobs at the country's foundering but still conservative institutions of higher learning. JUST 3 PERCENT: Foreign applications to American graduate schools have increased for the third straight year, a study shows, but the rate of growth slowed significantly from 2007. 'CONFLICT, NOT EDUCATION': An Israeli group reports that U.S. colleges' internships in the region are biased toward the Palestinian cause. ON THE LOOKOUT: Officials of USAID signal their intentions to expand a proposed system of screening grant recipients, including colleges, for terrorist connections. QUOTA CONTINUED: India's Supreme Court has upheld a law that allots 27 percent of all seats at national public higher-education institutions to poorer members of lower castes and classes. CommentaryPROTECTING INCENTIVES FOR MEDICAL RESEARCHCongress should not pass a law that would weaken patent protections and data exclusivity of biologic research and development, writes Sheldon Elliot Steinbach. ACADEMIC FREEDOM AND ASSIGNING GRADESLawrence White analyzes whether the professor or the institution has the last say. HOW TO SUCCEED IN ACADEMESurviving your dissertation is one thing; succeeding as a new professor is something else entirely. Paul Gray and David E. Drew offer their advice. The Chronicle ReviewOCEAN HILL-BROWNSVILLEForty years ago, the New York City school strike revealed deep divisions among liberals regarding race and class, writes Richard D. Kahlenberg. UNEARTHING MOTIVESArchaeological digs are being used as a tool of dispossession in Jerusalem's Silwan neighborhood, write Yigal Bronner and Neve Gordon. HIDDEN PREJUDICESIf bias is subconscious, should people be held legally responsible for it? ECONOMIC COMPETITIVENESSScholars reflect on this central campaign issue, which touches on trade, unemployment, job retraining, and other volatile policy areas. SERIOUS DOWNERA new book argues that the 60s were a bad trip that led to a worse one, writes Jay Parini. COMPLEX NATUREToday's environmental-film festivals feature a new breed of documentary offering nuanced narratives about intricate ecologies, writes Randy Malamud. CROSSING THE RUBRICONA creative-writing teacher assesses assessment tools. CRITICAL MASS: Should world leaders boycott the opening ceremonies of the Beijing Olympics? NOTA BENE: Books explore the Amish relationship with the wider world, a 19th-century massacre by Mormon militiamen, and the postmodern implications of Pope Benedict XVI's traditionalism. Letters to the EditorChronicle CareersA RESEARCH CAREER AT A LIBERAL-ARTS COLLEGEFor junior faculty members, the best place to focus on research may not be at a research university. GIVE ME TENURE OR GIVE ME ...Here's why it's usually a bad idea to promote assistant professors before the six-year mark. 'I'M YOUR MILLSTONE'Spousal hires are no longer unusual, yet some colleges still let fears about the risks blind them to the obvious benefits. DETAILS OF AVAILABLE POSTS, including teaching and research positions in higher education, administrative and executive jobs, and openings outside academe |