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From the issue dated November 24, 2006 |
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A Chronicle of 40 Years2 SCORE AND COUNTINGSince November 23, 1966, when The Chronicle of Higher Education published its first issue, both the newspaper and the world it covers have grown substantially. A timeline revisits significant trends and events in higher education over the past four decades. A STUDIED CELEBRATIONFrank H.T. Rhodes, president emeritus of Cornell University, looks at how colleges, and the challenges they face, have changed in four decades. Short SubjectsRAH LANGUAGETwo students have refined the art of rooting at collegiate sporting events. CLASS PROJECT: Students in a public-affairs course at the University of Guelph-Humber decided to run a classmate for mayor of Toronto. SHERWOOD BE INTERESTING: Students can pick up a master's degree in Robin Hood studies at — where else — Britain's University of Nottingham. 19TH-CENTURY MYSTERY: Scholars from the University of Colorado at Boulder dug up a 127-year-old corpse in hopes of laying to rest long-whispered accusations of murder. PIE CHART: What kind of pie do college presidents prefer on Thanksgiving? The FacultyDON'T KNOW MUCH ABOUT HISTORYA report says some of America's most prestigious colleges fail to teach civics effectively, but some administrators and scholars say the study itself is wanting. SEEDS OF CREATIVITYThe art faculty at Delaware Valley College is a 25-year-old M.F.A. who goes to unusual lengths to teach his students at the largely agricultural institution about drawing, painting, and sculpture. BEIJING AND BACKA month into a Fulbright appointment in China, an economist and single mother of four returns home. WHAT DID WE DO WRONG?A department head with egg on her face describes a hiring dilemma for liberal-arts colleges. PEER REVIEW: A former dean of the Florida Institute of Technology's business college says he was fired for complaining about plans to expand distance-learning programs that he feels could jeopardize the college's bid for accreditation. ... The dean of Columbia University's School of Engineering and Applied Science will return to Israel as Tel Aviv University's new president. ... And other comings and goings in academe. SYLLABUS: A professor at the University of South Florida teaches art appreciation for engineers. VIOLATIONS 'ARE RARE': A panel of Pennsylvania legislators who looked into purported liberal bias in college classrooms has issued a draft report that calls a statewide policy on academic freedom unnecessary. Research & BooksVIRTUAL WARResearchers are developing interactive training technologies that immerse soldiers in realistic sounds and sensations of battle. And the possibilities reach beyond the military. HOT TYPE: Dalkey Archive Press has canceled a planned move to the University of Rochester from Illinois State University. NOTA BENE: Insect Poetics scrutinizes bugs in literature, art, film, and other human realms. NONHUMAN SUBJECTS: Legislation meant to deter threats and vandalism against researchers who use animals has been passed by Congress, and President Bush is expected to sign it. 19TH-CENTURY MYSTERY: Scholars from the University of Colorado at Boulder dug up a 127-year-old corpse in hopes of laying to rest long-whispered accusations of murder. COUNTERFEIT TEXTS: After a series of complaints from overseas publishing companies about widespread copyright infringement, China's Ministry of Education has called on universities to stop the photocopying of foreign textbooks. Government & PoliticsNO MEASUREMENT LEFT BEHINDThe decision of Education Secretary Margaret Spellings to focus the department's attention on accreditation has some higher-education officials both annoyed and worried. TALL ORDER: College officials in Arizona say an immigration measure passed by voters will prove costly for their institutions. KICKBACK ALLEGATIONS: The interim president of the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey has been accused by a federal monitor of misleading investigators. NONHUMAN SUBJECTS: Legislation meant to deter threats and vandalism against researchers who use animals has been passed by Congress, and President Bush is expected to sign it. LIGHTEN THE LOAD: More than 150 students who turned out for a series of Education Department hearings on rule making were vocal about wanting their debt burden eased in any rewriting of federal student-aid regulations. VIOLATIONS 'ARE RARE': A panel of Pennsylvania legislators who looked into purported liberal bias in college classrooms has issued a draft report that calls a statewide policy on academic freedom unnecessary. AT ODDS WITH COLLEGES: In Massachusetts, departing Gov. Mitt Romney, has used his emergency fiscal powers to cut $425-million from the budget, including $37.8-million for higher education. SCHEDULED FOR DECEMBER 5: The Senate Finance Committee plans to hold a hearing to question whether colleges are abusing their tax-exempt status, according to a senior committee staff member. 'UNIT-RECORD DATABASE': The U.S. secretary of education has called on higher-education researchers to champion a Bush administration proposal for a national system that would allow the government to track individual students' progress through college. OVERDUE: The Government Accountability Office has recommended that the Education Department undertake a Congressionally mandated study of the effects of a student-aid program for active military members, which the department was supposed to have completed more than 18 months ago. ON THE DEFENSIVE: The NCAA has sought to justify its tax-exempt status in a letter to the chairman of the House of Representatives' Ways and Means Committee. IN THE STATES: A roundup of higher-education news. Money & ManagementMATER CULPABrown University, in a detailed report, has acknowledged its historical ties to the slave trade, but other universities seem to prefer to let bygones be bygones. PAYCHECKS AT THE PINNACLEA Chronicle survey has found that increases in higher-education compensation are spreading from private to public institutions, with a 53-percent jump in the number of college leaders whose pay and benefits have reached at least $500,000. A STUDIED CELEBRATIONFrank H.T. Rhodes, president emeritus of Cornell University, looks at how colleges, and the challenges they face, have changed in four decades. DON'T KNOW MUCH ABOUT HISTORYA report says some of America's most prestigious colleges fail to teach civics effectively, but some administrators and scholars say the study itself is wanting. PEER REVIEW: A former dean of the Florida Institute of Technology's business college says he was fired for complaining about plans to expand distance-learning programs that he feels could jeopardize the college's bid for accreditation. ... The dean of Columbia University's School of Engineering and Applied Science will return to Israel as Tel Aviv University's new president. ... And other comings and goings in academe. SCHEDULED FOR DECEMBER 5: The Senate Finance Committee plans to hold a hearing to question whether colleges are abusing their tax-exempt status, according to a senior committee staff member. PIE CHART: What kind of pie do college presidents prefer on Thanksgiving? Information TechnologyVIRTUAL WARResearchers are developing interactive training technologies that immerse soldiers in realistic sounds and sensations of battle. And the possibilities reach beyond the military. VANITY FARE: Wikipedia deleted a lengthy entry on a little-known topic called "NPA personality theory" because the article was written by the author of the theory. BIGGER EVERY DAY: Online education continues to grow, says a new report. FACED DOWN: Facebook has pulled the page of the career-counseling office at Ursuline College because it was posted by an institution, not an individual. StudentsMODELING CITIZENSFive years after a philanthropist created Project Pericles, which promotes civic engagement of college students, its advisers have met to take stock. They found mixed results. 'CAREER PATHWAYS' APPROACH: Collaborative plans for helping people advance through the educational system and the ranks of a chosen career work best when incorporated through systemic change at community colleges and other institutions, says a report. GUILTY PLEAS: Two former students at Seton Hall University admitted starting a fire in 2000 that killed three freshmen. LIGHTEN THE LOAD: More than 150 students who turned out for a series of Education Department hearings on rule making were vocal about wanting their debt burden eased in any rewriting of federal student-aid regulations. SCHEDULED FOR DECEMBER 5: The Senate Finance Committee plans to hold a hearing to question whether colleges are abusing their tax-exempt status, according to a senior committee staff member. 'UNIT-RECORD DATABASE': The U.S. secretary of education has called on higher-education researchers to champion a Bush administration proposal for a national system that would allow the government to track individual students' progress through college. AthleticsRAH LANGUAGETwo students have refined the art of rooting at collegiate sporting events. ON THE DEFENSIVE: The NCAA has sought to justify its tax-exempt status in a letter to the chairman of the House of Representatives' Ways and Means Committee. InternationalALL THAT JAZZThe Beijing Contemporary Music Institute offers a curriculum that is both modern and seriously academic. In doing so, it occupies a unique niche in China. HERE, WE ARE SAFEA university campus in Oaxaca, Mexico, has become a refuge for antigovernment protesters who fear violent reprisals. 'MISSION ALMA MATER': Venezuela will build 38 institutions of higher learning over the next 15 years, President Hugo Chavez has announced during his campaign for re-election. WANTED: STUDENTS: As their country falls to ninth place among preferred locations for international study, Canadian educators look for ways to recruit more foreign scholars. IRAQI UNIVERSITIES AT RISK: Gunmen in Baghdad abducted scores of men from a government education agency last week, producing renewed fears among Iraqi academics. 'FORK IN THE ROAD': Canada's government needs to step up its support for research and development so that the country's economy can compete globally, says a report. COUNTERFEIT TEXTS: After a series of complaints from overseas publishing companies about widespread copyright infringement, China's Ministry of Education has called on universities to stop the photocopying of foreign textbooks. SHUT DOWN: Uganda's Makerere University has been shut indefinitely since the faculty's refusal to end its strike. Notes From AcademeSEEDS OF CREATIVITYThe art faculty at Delaware Valley College is a 25-year-old M.F.A. who goes to unusual lengths to teach his students at the largely agricultural institution about drawing, painting, and sculpture. Special Report: Executive CompensationPAYCHECKS AT THE PINNACLEA Chronicle survey has found that increases in higher-education compensation are spreading from private to public institutions, with a 53-percent jump in the number of college leaders whose pay and benefits have reached at least $500,000. HAVE RÉSUMÉ, WILL TRAVELAs established institutional leaders command higher salaries, they risk becoming hired guns. MAKING HEADLINESPresidential salaries and spending compensation are showing up on front pages. DOS AND DON'TSA well-thought-out contract can protect both a president and the trustees who do the hiring. GOLDEN STATEThe University of California's leader responds to news-media scrutiny of administrators' pay. FARM TEAMIn Iowa, a state board considers how to stop losing college presidents to higher-paying rivals. RESIDENCES AND RIDES: Where college presidents live and what they drive. PUTTING OFF PAYDAY: Deferred compensation becomes a more accepted part of presidential pay packages. MANY HATS: The college presidency has changed, and governing boards must adapt, says the head of a panel that has studied the issue. Letters to the EditorChronicle CareersBEIJING AND BACKA month into a Fulbright appointment in China, an economist and single mother of four returns home. WHAT DID WE DO WRONG?A department head with egg on her face describes a hiring dilemma for liberal-arts colleges. DETAILS OF AVAILABLE POSTS, including teaching and research positions in higher education, administrative and executive jobs, and openings outside academe |