Quick Takes
Documenting the Impact of Stimulus Funds
The White House on Monday released a report on the impact of federal stimulus funds on state budgets for education, with most of the attention in the report -- similar to the way most of the funds were used -- focused on K-12. The report finds that $2.2 billion of the $13.1 billion spent on education in the last academic year went to higher ed, and that $3.2 billion of the $20.3 billion to be spent this academic year will go to higher education. The report also features figures for individual states.
At Seattle U., Fallout From an Off Year in Enrollment
Seattle University suddenly removed its dean of admissions, Michael McKeon, last month, following an off year in the enrollment of freshmen, The Seattle Times reported. While McKeon and senior administrators are not talking about his departure, shifts in admissions strategy are prompting discussion on the campus, where some fear that McKeon's emphasis on attracting minority and low-income students will be replaced by one on attracting more students who can pay. Seattle enrolled 747 freshmen this year, missing the university's target by 10 percent. Meanwhile Gonzaga University, also a Jesuit university in Washington States, is seeing enrollment increases.
UCLA Continues Effort to Reshape Animal Research Debate
The University of California at Los Angeles, which has found itself and its researchers under attack by underground animal rights groups, is continuing efforts to try to reshape the debate on the use of animals in research. The latest move is a full-page advertisement in the Los Angeles Times urging people to join the "pro-test petition" in which scientists and non-scientists alike state the need for use of animals in various studies. "It's important that UCLA demonstrate strong support for researchers who have been subjected to violence and harassment by anti–animal research extremists and that the public understand the vital role animal research at UCLA plays in improving our lives," said UCLA's chancellor, Gene Block, in a statement.
What Makes Students Pay for Music?
Given the music industry's intense campaign to discourage students from downloading music without paying for it, one obvious question is: What attitudes lead students to pay? A new study published on the Social Science Research Network, based on a survey of undergraduates at a Southern private university, finds two factors that correlate with students' decision to pay for music. They are the probability of facing a lawsuit and a sense of morality.
Scandal Over Bribes at French University
France's minister of higher education on Monday suspended the president of the University of Toulon and two top aides in a growing scandal over irregularities in the admission and graduation of Chinese students at the institution, The Washington Post reported. The allegations that led to the suspensions involve allegations about both the awarding of degrees, possibly in return for bribes, and charges that the university blocked an investigation into the situation from going forward.
AAUP Will Probe San Francisco Art Institute
The American Association of University Professors announced Monday that it is starting an investigation into allegations concerning the layoffs of tenured professors at the San Francisco Art Institute. While the art institute has said that the dismissals were due to financial exigency, some professors have questioned that, and whether the art institution followed proper procedures.
Undergrad Seeks Personal Assistant
Vox Populi, a Georgetown University blog, has identified a sophomore whose ad for a personal assistant "takes premature self-importance to a whole new level." The ad describes duties this way: "PA example tasks -Organize closet -make bed -Drop off / pick up dry cleaning -Drop me off / pick me up from work -Do laundry -Fill up gas tank -bring car for servicing -schedule appointment for haircut -Pay parking tickets -manage electronic accounts -shopping and running errands -other random tasks." The pay is hourly, but the student isn't just opening his wallet. Consider this description of how time will be counted: "Tasks such as doing laundry that involve a lot of waiting around (time when you could be doing other tasks or doing your own stuff) will be counted for the approximate amount of time it would take to do the labor involved. For instance, laundry will be counted for half an hour even though a laundry cycle takes 1.5 hrs to complete." A Georgetown spokeswoman confirmed that the position is a real posting, and that the job remains open. That is all.
