UB Buzz

Conference will 'Rethink' Admissions

Do SATs matter anymore? Is the ACT an accurate measure for college preparedness?
Those questions were raised last fall during the annual NACAC conference, and they will be center stage when Wake Forest University hosts a national conference called "Rethinking Admissions."
The conference, set for April 15-16, will bring together higher ed leaders, economists, sociologists, and others for a debate over the use of standardized testing in college admissions. (Wake Forest was the first top 30 national university to drop the SAT/ACT requirement for undergraduate admissions last May.)
“Higher education has a tremendous responsibility to open our doors wide to those prospective students who can make signal contributions to society with the benefit of a college education,” said Provost Jill Tiefenthaler. “But how do we best identify those most deserving students? The admissions process is supposed to affirm standards of excellence and equity, but we now recognize those very policies and practices deserve our closest scrutiny. Wake Forest’s ‘Rethinking Admissions’ conference brings together leading academicians and higher education experts to discuss these critical questions.”
“Rethinking Admissions” will take place in the Benson University Center and is free and open to the public.

ACE President Reacts to President Obama's Speech

Molly Broad Corbett, president of the American Council on Education, released the following statement today about President Barack Obama's speech before Congress last night and what his vision means for higher education:

“No president in modern times has used an address to a joint session of Congress to make such a clear case for higher education's role in providing the solutions America needs to compete in the world economy—I applaud President Obama for his vision, and can say with certainty that every college and university in the country is ready to help him achieve it.

Especially important is the president's appeal to the national interest and the responsibility of every citizen to aspire to at least one year of postsecondary study. If America is to compete economically—if we are to pull ourselves out of this recession—we must have a competitive work force and a new generation of innovators and entrepreneurs. We cannot afford to lose a single citizen—so important is this new investment in human capital.

The education components of the new economic stimulus package prove that President Obama will back his words with resources and action, and so I remain confident that his administration will focus its energy on reaching these ambitious new goals for student aid, educational attainment and research capacity. I trust the president knows that his efforts in these areas will be leveraged by the work of faculty and administrators at more than 4,000 colleges and universities. Working together, I believe we can achieve this goal and literally change the future of our great country.”

The Stimulus: Now What?

     With the $787 billion economic stimulus package a done deal, signed into law by President Obama, the higher ed community's Washington watchdogs have been poring over its 1,079 pages line by line, trying to identify definitively what's in the measure, and what isn't, for the country's colleges and universities.
     What's in it is most of what they wanted, including $17 billion in new funding for the Pell Grant program that will enable a boost in the maximum award to $5,550 by next year; and a tax credit that will cover up to $2,500 (it's currently $1,800) of the cost of college tuition and other related expenses, like books and supplies, for the first four years of college.
     The Association of American Colleges and Universities, which includes 60 public and private research institutions, likes the $16 billion the stimulus provides for research through several federal agencies.
     The American Association of Community Colleges welcomes $39 billion designated to states for education at all levels, but generally requiring them to support their higher ed institutions through FY2011 at least at the FY2006 level.
     What isn't in the package that the higher ed community pushed hard for was funding for campus infrastructure projects. Apparently, bridges and highways get infrastructure priority.
     Still, as American Council on Education President Molly Corbett Broad said after the final Senate vote that sent the bill to the President for his signature, "we recognize and appreciate the historic resource levels for higher education provided by Congress and the Obama administration."
     She added: "I can assure you that we are up to the task and that our colleges and universities will put these new resources to work immediately."
     Well, not necessarily immediately. They have to wait to get the money, or solid assurances that they will get it, after the Department of Education and other agencies write the nitty-gritty regulations that will put the law into efffect. That's how things work in Washington.
     It's not like just going to the bank and walking out with the cash, particularly in this economy, as bankers, businesses and consumers are finding, let alone colleges and universities. But that's a subject for somebody else's blog.

Education Blog Contest

Karine Joly, who writes the Internet Technology column for University Business, is one of the judges of the Edu Blogger Scholarship Contest -- which is awarding a $1,500 and two $500 "scholarships" for the best K-12 or higher education blog posts about online education.

 

"With 4 years of higher ed blogging under my belt, I know how demanding (and most of the time financially little rewarding) it can be to maintain a great edu blog," says Joly. "That’s one of the reasons I came up with the 'Edu Blogger Scholarship Contest' idea when I was contacted by the folks from Online College."

Stewart Foss from eduStyle and Matt Herzberger from Blog High Ed are also judging.

Participating is free and submissions are being accepted through March 17.  All the rules, the online entry form, and more info on the contest can be found here.  

Course Catalog: A Tree Grows in Huntsville

Art can bring people together in a variety of ways.
For the second year, the International Fiber Collaborative will allow people from around the world to reflect on how we are all connected by contributing leaves for a tree which will be displayed in Huntsville, Alabama, in April 2009.
The theme is "Interdependence" and "Much like a live tree is interdependent
on its leaves and roots for survival, societies are interdependent on the greater whole, family units, communities, and countries" the website explains.
The environmental aspects of our interdependence is reflected in the fact that many people are contributing leaves made of recycled materials, explains founder Jennifer Marsh.
What does this have to do with higher ed?
The project is being managed by the students in Marsh's Public Art/Professional Practices Class the University of Alabama, Huntsville.
In addition to building the tree, students are using their personal strengths to support the project by generating publicity, funding, etc. "One student has strong graphic design skills and has designed letter head," Marsh explains.
The hands on work will probably look good on their resumes and the tree should look good when it is put on display.
Leaves are being accepted until March 15. Information on how to participate is available on the project website.

A Year Later and Still Thankful

On this day last year, Union University (Tenn.) was struck by a tornado that caused about $40 million in damages, wiped out 70 percent of student housing, and badly damaged six other buildings, according to The Jackson Sun. (See the Behind the News section in the March 2008 edition of University Business for a news brief on recovery efforts right after the twister hit.)
The newspaper reports the university community is still giving thanks for the recovery efforts that followed. Tonight, a Thanksgiving dinner and service will acknowledge those who supported the university after the tornado. The event will raise close to $125,000; funds will be used in rebuilding efforts.
Following the storm, academic buildings were repaired and construction of 14 new dormitory buildings has been completed. A new student commons building may be ready by this fall. The university was also impacted in 2001 by high winds and in 2002 by a tornado.

A video produced for the banquet that also highlights the anniversary can be seen on YouTube.

Kansas State Freshmen Get Their Wish

It's all over Twitter and various blogs: Juicy Campus, the website best known for allowing users to post gossip anonymously is closing down because of lack of revenue.
A news item in the February 09 issue of UB reported on a survey at Kansas State University that explored freshmen students' experiences with bullying and cyberbullying.
Responding to a question asking "Common cyberbullying I have personally encountered this school year includes" many students wrote in comments relating to Juicy Campus and indicating it "needs to be stopped." (17 percent experienced cyberbullying through cell phone calls or text messages, but 64 percent indicated they had not personally encountered cyberbullying.)
“Bullying typically requires an audience,” explained Elaine Johannes, an assistant professor of family studies and human services at K-State and lead researcher on the survey. "It is relevant in middle school and levels off around 10th grade."
So while the K-State freshmen breath a sigh of relief, maybe the fall of this gossip website is a chance for everyone to focus on acting a little more grown-up online.

Stimulus Package: R U Shovel Ready?

What do you need to know about the stimulus package and its impact on higher ed? SCUP assembled a group of experts who have been closely following the stimulus package to discuss it in a "virtual conversation" on February 4. Topics included: 

• how the legislation will impact capital planning and projects planning (Judy Marks, National Clearinghouse for Educational Facilities),
• sustainability and the environment (Jim Elder, Campaign for Environmental Literacy), and
• the non-facilities dollars and other changes that will be a boost for things like the Pell Grant and student assistance (Doug Lederman, Inside Higher Ed).

While the audio conversation is only available to paid participants, SCUP has created a web community including background and updates that anyone can access for free by registering here.