Universities Weblog

With the arrival of 20 college students in antarctica, Pacific Lutheran University, in Tacoma, Washington, became the first university to achieve the distinction of having campuses on all seven continents.

The students are recording their adventures in a weblog, and seem to be looking more forward to spotting penguins than expanding their education.

Going to college in Antarctica…now that's dedication to higher education! Would you live in always-frozen Antarctica, with minimal civilization and no distractions such as restaurants or movie theaters, to get a degree?

Well…I suppose it would leave a lot of time for studying.

Inside Higher Ed reports:

"This really is a high water mark for us," says Loren Anderson, president of the university. "We live in a globally focused corner of the country — with many ports and much international trade — so we have strong conviction to help our students become the next generation of leaders who can communicate with their global peers."

"It was not until today — our second day at sea — that we realized what we had done; we had left the comforts of civilization for the mysteries of the Antarctic," wrote three members of the group on Monday. "As the latitudes climb and the temperatures drop, we are all anxious to see the wonders ahead: icebergs, penguins, leopard seals, and more.(Photo courtesy of Frans Lanting)

(Source: Boston College)Leave a four-year institution for a community college? Isn't that backwards? Maybe so, but consider this from the New York Times:

Community colleges are best known as steppingstones: Students with dubious academic records, shaky finances or no family tradition of higher education often spend two years at a community college gaining confidence before transferring to a more glamorous four-year campus.

Some "reverse transfers," as they are known, discover belatedly that four years of semiotics and sociology are not for them and seek practical expertise that can translate into secure jobs; others are foundering academically or socially at a traditional university. Some intend to advance no further than the Associate Degree awarded by two-year colleges; but many expect to return to a four-year institution once they have found their footing in a less pressurized environment.

You can read the full article here.

In a controversial decision that lit a fire under the debate of free speech, Le Moyne College kicked student Scott McConnell out of the education program last year, after McConnell wrote a paper endorsing corporal punishment.

After a full year of legal battles, courts have finally ordered the college to reinstate McConnell into the program.

Inside Higher Ed reports:

A New York appeals court on Wednesday ordered Le Moyne College to reinstate Scott McConnell as a master's degree student in education. The court found that the Syracuse college violated McConnell's rights and the institution's own policies when it kicked him out of the program a year ago.

While McConnell never retreated from his endorsement of corporal punishment — in certain instances — in the classroom, he also said that he would abide by the rules of any school in which he worked. He sued the college, charging that his rights had been violated because he was expelled without receiving the standard due process Le Moyne promises to its students.What do you think? Perhaps because this incident follows so closely on the heels of another violation of free speech, we have to wonder if this is a new trend. Do colleges have the right to limit how we express ourselves? Or is the idea of expressing ideas unhindered still a crucial part of higher education?

It was bound to happen: after seven years of being rated online, professors are turning the tables on their students.

'Rate Your Students,' a website created by a tenured Humanities professor, is becoming quite popular.

Like the original site it mirrors, Rate Your Students has professors give candid opinions about their students, including comments such as:

This one wants to leave in the middle of the 75 minute class, and doesn't realize that it is a disruption every time. I'm sure you "had to" go on vacation in Florida with your "family" Thanksgiving week — which must not include your own SISTER, who is also in my class and was in class that week.What do you think? Is turnabout fair play, or is this just a case of sour grapes? Would you feel bad if you saw something about yourself written there? Are these 'ratings' websites helpful, or do they widen the gaps of communication between professors and students?

Students rating professors, and giving both positive and negative opinions about them, is nothing new, with websites such as Rate My Professors long popular.

But a new development is raising questions: students at UCLA are now being offered money to provide taped lectures and course materials from their classes, as well as give candid thoughts on the quality of the professor.

From Inside Higher Ed:"Paying students to inform on professors is right out of the Stalinist playbook," said John McCumber, a professor of Germanic languages at UCLA who is among the faculty members who have already been criticized on UCLAprofs.com, the Web site offering to pay for reports on faculty members.

While there are similar groups of conservative alumni at other campuses, the offers to pay students — which started less than a week ago — sets this effort apart and worries experts on academic freedom.

"Asking students to spy is utterly repugnant," said Jonathan Knight, director of the Department of Academic Freedom and Governance at the American Association of University Professors. "It's hard to conceive of a practice more unlikely to obtain accurate, useful, reliable information about what happens in a classroom than having to pay students for the information."

Jones said that professors were wrong to think that he was sending students to spy on them. He said he was seeking students who had already enrolled, and who were finding themselves troubled by political discussions in the classroom.

Daniel Solorzano, a professor of education at UCLA, said that he found the new campaign "repulsive" and that the efforts of the Bruin Alumni Association were designed "to chill the campuses." He said that material about him that is posted on the group's Web site is inaccurate, and that he's been torn about how vocally to oppose the group. "I don't want to give them attention, but at the same time, it's very, very serious what they are doing."

He said that the campaigns against professors represent "a very real problem in the academy."

What do you think? Do students have the 'right to know' or is this going too far? Does paying for the information elevate this practice to a new level? Would you be willing to supply information for profit? This is quite a fascinating story, and we'd love to know what you think.

(Photo courtesy of Spy Equipment)

(Source: University of Richmond)What not to say, as president, during your "state of the university" address:

"The entering quality of our student body needs to be much higher if we are going to transform bright minds into great achievers instead of transforming mush into mush, and I mean it."Those were the words of University of Richmond President William E. Cooper, whose comments, not surprisingly, offended just about everyone who heard them. He apologized, saying his comments were misinterpreted. Still, students don't like being called mush, regardless of the context. Now Cooper is stepping down, but will return to the faculty after a sabbatical.

Too bad. I interviewed Cooper for a New York Times piece I wrote. He seemed genuinely enthusiastic about his school and its students. I wish him well.

A recent study is inspiring debate, and rightly so.

A major study in Great Britain was recently published, with its results claiming that a student from a 'bad' neighborhood has little to no chance of making it to college.

Does it matter what the numbers say? I was the first person in my family to go to college, and if I had believed surveys like these, maybe it wouldn't have happened.

Can students be reduced to survey statistics? Are studies like these at all helpful; what purpose do they serve? What are their possible ramifications?

Please share your opinions in the Comments section.

From the Education Guardian: Whether a young person goes to university or not is almost entirely dependent on where they live and whether they come from a "good" neighbourhood, according to a major survey of the whole of Great Britain published today.

Hefce found that the gap in participation between well-off and disadvantaged areas widened slightly between 1997 and 2000. "This means that although the extra entrants resulting from the higher participation over the period are slightly more evenly distributed than before, most of the new places in higher education have gone to those from already advantaged areas," concludes the report.

It's always inspiring to see college students banding together to support a cause…no matter what it may be.

When Delwin Olivan was fined $5,000 for sharing music files on the Internet, fellow Princeton students decided they weren't going to let him face this alone. And thus was born 'Free Delwin.'

From the official website:

On November 5 2005, in the final scene of this ongoing tragedy, Shunti from the RIAA Settlement Hotline gave Delwin an early morning wakeup call. The news: he has 60 days to give them $5,000. And thus, with 109 pages of blatant 'evidence,' Del has no choice but to settle.

But that doesn't mean he's giving up. Delwin Olivan will continue to enjoy sunshine. He will continue to enjoy ice cream. And he will continue to enjoy music. With your support, Delwin Olivan will persevere. He is a symbol of our generation and the struggle we undergo each day. Please, help FREE DELWIN.It is truly a spectacular effort, incorporating everything from bake sales to apparel.

The issue has also brought up the issue of free enterprise, with many students feeling the punishment was too harsh. What do you think? Would you help Free Delwin?

Every college student—and every parent of a college student—knows how important it is to make funds stretch as far as possible. Yet you still want the best education you can get. Is there a way to get the best of both worlds?

There just may be! Kiplinger's annual ranking of the "100 best values in public colleges" was recently released.

Does your school make the list? Or perhaps the list can help you choose the perfect school.

Go here to read more.

(Source: UNC-Chapel Hill)The MBA has always provided some competitive advantage for job seekers. People of course took notice of that, and more students have sought the degree, which now can be earned just about anywhere. As a result, the credential has lost some of its currency, much like the B.A. did years ago.

Enter dual-degree programs. Enterprising students can earn a law degree or Ph.D. or a master's degree in another discipline while pursuing an MBA. Sure, it takes longer and potentially costs more, but some figure the career payoffs make it all worthwhile.

Here's a bit from BusinessWeek:

Students have been able to pursue advanced-level degrees, like the JD (law) and MD (medicine), concurrently with their MBAs for years, but many B-schools recently have introduced new dual-degree programs. In November, Yale School of Management announced its plans to offer a seven-year MBA/PhD program (in any subject for which the school already offers PhDs). Last spring, the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania approved several joint-degree programs with the School of Design, including an MBA/master's in architecture and an MBA/master's in city planning. Wharton is now thinking about pairing the MBA with environmental studies. In addition, 11 out of 16 of the top B-schools contacted for this story reported an increase in enrollment or applications to at least one of their joint programs this year as compared to previous years.

But having two degrees doesn't automatically get you a job. Meng also says getting hired depends on many variables, including the candidate's experiences and achievements, the position for which he's applying, and the two degrees earned.You can read the full article here.