The University of Wisconsin at Madison plans to cut 400 positions and drastically trim its budget, a response to Republican Governor Scott Walker's plan to cut $300 million from the UW system over the next two years. In a blog post on Friday, Madison Chancellor Becky Blank said the university is facing a "structural deficit that may be as much as $96 million as a result of state budget cuts in the upcoming year." Meanwhile Walker, a possible contender for the Republican presidential nomination, said earlier this week that the state might reduce funding less than originally planned, according to The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
Higher Education Quick Takes
Quick Takes
April 20, 2015
A military veteran was briefly detained by Valdosta State University police Friday after she grabbed a U.S. flag on which protesters were walking, The Valdosta Daily Times reported. The veteran acknowledged that she took a flag that didn't belong to her but said she objected to the protesters walking on the flag. While she admitted to resisting arrest, authorities only gave her a criminal trespass warning. The university issued this statement: "We respect the rights of people to peacefully assemble and voice their opinions. Our primary concern is the safety of our students, faculty and staff and our ability to carry out our responsibilities to all our students on campus. We are monitoring the situation."
April 20, 2015
The Post, the student newspaper at Ohio University, has revealed and apologized for a deal one of its editors made with Roderick J. McDavis, the university's president. Under the deal, McDavis wrote essays for the newspaper with the pledge that no conflicting opinions to his essays would appear for 24 hours. In an editorial revealing the deal, the Post said that the deal was inconsistent with its values of editorial independence, and so was suspending for two weeks the editor who made the deal. A spokesperson for the university told The Athens News that the agreement was reached in a discussion about various other issues, such as the newspaper's editorial guidelines and intended frequency for the feature.
April 20, 2015
Three people were shot at a fraternity and sorority cookout at Delaware State University Saturday, The News Journal reported. Those who were shot were hospitalized and reported to be in stable condition. Early Sunday morning, shots were heard in a university parking lot.
April 20, 2015
Female faculty members at a unit of the University of California at Los Angeles medical school faced biased treatment, "demeaning" treatment and retaliation for reporting violations of research rules, The Los Angeles Times reported an internal investigation has found. The results of the probe have not been released but were obtained by the Times and confirmed by UCLA.
April 20, 2015
More than 50 University of Connecticut students en route to an event for seniors in Boston narrowly escaped a burning bus Saturday, ABC News reported. The students reported that they smelled smoke and were told by the driver that there was not a problem. A short time later, the smoke returned, with flames, and the students managed to get out just before the bus exploded.
April 20, 2015
A Turkish educator, Enver Yucel, has pledged $10 million and is seeking more funds to build universities in Turkey for Syrian refugees, NPR reported. His argument is that the huge population of refugees from the civil war in Syria is unlikely to be able to return home any time soon. Instruction would be offered in Arabic, English and Turkish.
April 20, 2015
The University of Hong Kong has announced plans to require all students to spend time studying in mainland China and also in another country, The South China Morning Post reported. Details of the requirement and any exemptions are still being worked out. Generally, there is strong support for the idea that students should study abroad. But some are concerned about the impact on students who for various reasons (such as past participation in protests) are unable to or do not want to study in mainland China.
April 20, 2015
In today's Academic Minute, Sandee McClowry, professor of counseling psychology at New York University, shows the impact of adapting to students’ needs and playing on their strengths. Learn more about the Academic Minute here.
April 17, 2015
Social science groups are speaking out against a Republican-proposed bill to reauthorize the National Science Foundation that would keep total NSF funding relatively flat but impose deep cuts on the division that supports social science research. An analysis by the Consortium of Social Science Associations notes that most NSF divisions would see their authorization levels go up, but that the social science division would have its authorization level cut by more than 45 percent. Many Republicans in Congress have criticized federal support for the social sciences.
