Post-Secondary News Digest for November 2, 2009
Canada
U of T prof wins U.S. science prize:
(The Star) University of Toronto physics professor Richard Peltier became the first Canadian to win a prestigious U.S. science award. Philadelphia’s Franklin Institute award gave him the Bower Award, worth US$250,000 for his work related to climate change forecasting. The prize has previously been awarded to Thomas Edison, Albert Einstein and Stephen Hawking. Peltier is considered to be one of the world’s foremost experts on earth systems and how they interact to influence climate change.
Gaming can hurt income prospects – N.B. student:
(Telegraph Journal) Ryan MacLeod, a fourth-year economics student at Mt. A, has conducted a study that suggests playing video games can have a negative effect on income. The research, which won top prize at the Atlantic Canada Economics Association Conference at the University of New Brunswick, suggests gamers would earn 0.4 per cent less than non-gamers. The study also concluded that the average gamer spends about 128.3 minutes each day playing video games.
Students want Ont. to stop using water bottles:
(CBC) University students in Toronto are lobbying to stop the Ontario government from using bottled water in provincial buildings. New Democrat Peter Tabuns is introducing a private member’s bill to restrict spending on bottled water. Students from both Ryerson and the University of Toronto are behind the campaign that pushes provincial buildings to serve only tap water.
UBC wants more money for student athletes:
(Ubyssey) The Canadian Interuniversity Sport league is looking to increase athletic scholarships. UBC is behind the push as it hopes this will allow it to keep the best Canadian athletes in Canada. In the U.S. student athletes are given a scholarship that pays for their tuition and living expenses whereas in Canada scholarships cover only tuition. The league is currently exploring the idea that would remove the per-student cap and allow Canadian universities to give full scholarships to key players.
McMaster TAs to strike today:
(Metro News) Teaching assistants and research assistants at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ont., are in a legal strike position today. They are expected to set up picket lines this morning after the union rejected the latest contract offered by the university. The university says its best offer included a raise in pay for graduate teaching and research assistants to $39.40 an hour over a two-year contract. The university it may change some schedules but classes will continue through the strike.
Dalhousie women’s soccer team goes undefeated:
(The Chronicle Herald) The Dalhousie Tigers finished in first place after an undefeated 13-game women’s soccer season. The team’s record this season was 10-0-3. The team played its last regular season game on Sunday with a 5-0 win over the Mount Allison Mounties. Jeanette Huck had a hat trick while Haley MacDonald and Rieka Santilli had the other two goals for their last win of the season.
Huskies win seven straight heading into Loney Bowl:
(Metro News) The Saint Mary’s Huskies finished their AUS football season on Friday after a seven-game winning streak. Justin Palardy set a single-season record with 23 field goals and rookie Tristan Jones had a touchdown to put the Huskies over the Acadia Axeman 21-7. They will play the winner of this Saturday’s game between Acadia and St. F.X. in the semifinals on Nov. 14.
U.S.
College presidents earn US$1M:
(USA Today) Twenty-three presidents of private universities received more than US$1 million in salary compensation for the fiscal year of 2008. Shirley Ann Jackson of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute topped the list, making US$1.6 million in total compensation. Universities argue top-level talent is hard to retain and a good president will contribute greater value to the university compared to the money they earn each year.
Budget shortfall forces colleges to eliminate courses:
(New York Times) Many state universities such as the universities of California, Arizona, Wisconsin and Florida are facing budget shortfalls. The state budget has shrunk when it comes to education and these universities have been forced to eliminate courses to reduce costs. Most have had to raise tuition up to a 6.5 per cent to cover costs. “The students are at a point of rebellion, because they’re paying more and getting less,” says Jane V. Wellman, executive director of the Delta Project on Postsecondary Education Costs, Productivity and Accountability Tuition.
Research universities are better off with academics as leaders:
(Inside Higher Education) A new book suggests research universities need academics as leaders as opposed to professional administrators. Amanda H. Goodall, an academic at the University of Warwick, says this is important because scholars who are presidents come into office with "a deep understanding or expert knowledge about the core business of universities."
Obama to boost enrolment in community colleges:
(The Associated Press) U.S. President Barack Obama wants to invest US$12 billion in community colleges with the aim of seeing an additional 5 million students graduate by 2020. This goal comes while many schools are already jam-packed. "All community colleges are not prepared to take on those potentially large numbers of students," said Debra Bragg, a professor and director of the Forum on the Future of Public Education at the University of Illinois. Obama says increasing the graduation rate will help achieve the goal, as opposed to enrolling more students.
Female applicants to liberal arts colleges face discrimination:
(Inside Higher Education) The U.S. Commission on Civil Rights has started an inquiry into liberal arts colleges primarily in the Washington area. Commission investigators believe colleges may be favouring men in admissions because they are worried about having too many women in largely liberal arts programs. They are considering adding more male athletics teams, but some colleges are reluctant because this would mean they would have to add more women’s teams.
World
Students in Kenya repay loans using cellphones:
(University World News) Kenyan graduates can now repay their student loans with their cellphones. The government student aid program has partnered with cellphone provider Zain Kenya to allow students to repay loans from anywhere in the world with the touch of a mobile button. The goal is to make loan repayment easier in a country that has historically had low rates of loan recovery.
British pharmacology prof fired for drug comments:
(The Chronicle of Higher Education) The British government fired pharmacology professor David J. Nutt as head of the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs for his politically damning comments. Nutt said publicly marijuana is only as bad as alcohol or tobacco, and the government’s approach to drugs has become politicized. Nutt, who teaches at Bristol University and Imperial College London, said he wouldn’t mislead the public on the dangers of drugs just to comply with the government’s message.
Labels to help U.K. students choose courses:
(BBC – Education) Britain’s Department of Business, Innovation and Skills is setting out new rules for higher education in England, which will include imporoved course labelling standards to help students better understand what they’re paying for. Before students sign up for a course, they’ll be able to know instructor and TA contact information, assessment methods, career prospects and even potential future earnings.
Finnish academics underpaid but happier:
(University World News) According to a recent survey, Finnish academics are less well paid than their peers in 19 other countries, but an overwhelming two-thirds are satisfied with their jobs. The Changing Academic Profession study was organized by the University of Tampere and conducted by the University of Kassel in Germany, and asked questions about salary, workload and opportunity for research. Still, academics have lower satisfaction rates than many other professions in Finland.
Early application numbers up in U.K.:
(The Guardian) Top universities in the U.K. have reported that early applications for students are at a record high. Across all universities, applications are up 11.6 per cent. International applications have risen sharply as applications from Pakistan increased 68.3 per cent and applications from China increased 26.8 per cent. The increase in applications has renewed calls expand the number of spots available to students.
India’s education minister asks for U.S. help:
(The Chronicle of Higher Education) India’s new education minister was in the United States last week to build alliances with American universities. A few months into office, Kapil Sibal is starting the process of educational reform and expansion in India. The hope is that American institutions, including Duke, Yale and Georgetown, will work with new Indian institutions both financially and academically to fulfill this change, although the talk now is entirely theoretical.
Screening for student visas ‘not working’ in Britain:
(BBC – Education) New rules governing student immigration to the United Kingdom aren’t working, say British immigration officers. Foreign students are now allowed to file student visa paperwork in their home countries, which means immigration officers have a hard time challenging bogus claims. More students than ever before are entering the U.K., and such high demand doesn’t give officials enough time to adequately screen suspects. People who wouldn’t otherwise be allowed into the U.K. are getting in on fraudulent student visas that they paid for, say officials.