UB Buzz

SUNY Students Send Gov. Patterson a Video Petition

Students from the State University of New York system have produced a YouTube video petition imploring Gov. David Patterson to restore funding to the higher education system.
In a "Dear Gov. Patterson" montage, the students speak directly to the governor, asking him to save the state schools:

"Many of us remained quiet while our tuition was raised by $620 and $2,260 for in-state and out of state students, respectively for the 2009-2010 academic year. We cannot, and will not however, stand idly by while our schools budgets are cut by $217 million. The tuition increases are projected to generate an additional $152.2 million but we will not see this money."

Viewers are asked to "sign" the petition by leaving a comment on the video's page.

BSU Textbook Supplement Project Benefits Students and School

Through an innovative project, Ball State University students are creating digital supplements to the textbooks they use. Students film, edit and produce digital content and educational videos, gaining real world experience they can take into the workplace. 

"In return the student gets not only an education, but also a professional credit for their resume, and important and valuable marketplace contacts," says Rodger Smith, director of BSU's Institute for Digital Entertainment and Education. "Ball State gets a portion of the cost of the project back from the vendor. It is a winning situation for the student, for the faculty mentor and for the university."

Spring Reading

Three new articles are available on the Online Only section of University Business magazine's website.

First, "How We Did It: Public Private Partnership" explains how officials at the University of Washington School of Medicine pursued alternative market rate financing to fund the construction of a top-notch, off-campus laboratory. Authored by Anthony Gianopoulos, an associate principal with Perkins+Will's Seattle office, and Jill Morelli, the school's director of facilities, the piece describes the thinking and planning that went into financing this process through a public private partnership.

In another real estate piece, Matthew A. Ward, a senior vice president of The Alter Group, a national corporate real estate developer, discusses in "A Prime Investment" how commercial real estate can fill the need for providing additional student housing. He tells how eight floors of the Pittsfield Building, a historic structure in downtown Chicago, were remodeled to become Fornelli Hall, a residence for Roosevelt University and Robert Morris College (Ill.) students.

Another "R" buzzword for higher education is retention. In "Retain Students Retain Budgets: A How To," Neal Raisman, a researcher, writer, and retention consultant, says, on average, a college or university can lose between 30-48 percent of its enrollment each year. Raisman offers some equations for estimating revenue loss as well as examples on how to rethink your institution's approach to this topic.

Virginia Tech: Remembering, But Moving Forward

On Friday, less than a week before the second anniversary of the Virginia Tech tragedy, the west wing of the second floor of Norris Hall, where the shootings took place, reopened. Administrators were smart to create a new look for the approximately 4,300-square-foot space, as well as to use part of it for the Center for Peace Studies and Violence Prevention.

"When we began considering what the future would hold for this section of Norris Hall, we wanted to, first and foremost, honor and respect the memories of those we lost and those who loved them, and honor and respect those who survived the tragedy," said Senior Vice President and Provost Mark McNamee, in an announcement about the reopening.

The Department of Engineering Science and Mechanics as well as the peace and violence prevention center are occupying six new rooms and laboratories, as well as a teleconferencing center and meeting and administrative space. The space also includes the IDEAS Undergraduate Learning Center, a biomechanics laboratory, and the Biomechanics Cluster Research Center.

The wife of Jerzy Nowak, founding director of the peace studies center, was one of the 32 people killed. In the announcement about the reopening, he said that the center will "develop transdisciplinary programs that target prevention of violence through research, education and engagement," adding that "relocation to Norris Hall has a symbolic character to the families and friends of the victims, to the survivors, to Virginia Tech, the Blacksburg community, and the world."

The renovations of the space, which were based on recommendations from a university task force, cost approximately $1 million, with several individuals and building contractors donating goods and/or services to support the project.

As the community continues to heal, the academic mission of the university will carry on.