http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/highereducation/ en-us Thu, 31 Dec 2009 00:40:56 GMT Focus Forum 15 http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2418033/posts According to the Minneapolis Star Tribune, College of Education officials recently established the “Race, Culture, Class and Gender Task Group.” It’s charged with helping to devise a new system for training prospective K-12 teachers, because current teachers lack “cultural competence,” a factor officials believe contributes to the poor performance of minority students. The task force “recommended that aspiring teachers must repudiate the notion of the ‘American Dream’ and instead “must embrace – and be prepared to teach our state’s kids – the task force’s own vision of America as an oppressive hellhole: racist, sexist and homophobic,” according to writer Katherine... biggovernment.com/ http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2418033/posts#comment Thu, 31 Dec 2009 00:40:56 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2417005/posts (Dec. 29) -- Of all the biographical details that have emerged about the Nigerian man who allegedly tried to blow up a Northwest Airlines jet on Christmas, perhaps the least surprising -- at least to those who study these things -- is what he studied in college. The terrorist suspect, Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, earned a degree in mechanical engineering from University College London in 2008, just over a year before he tried to demonstrate his skills by detonating an explosive device aboard the Detroit-bound plane. Among violent Islamic extremists, that puts him in familiar company. Indeed, the propensity toward... Sphere http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2417005/posts#comment Tue, 29 Dec 2009 16:42:08 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2416505/posts As another year comes to an end, we are reminded that time continually passes, taking with it the societal trends of past years. Some things, however, are so essential to the human condition that no amount of time can erase their impact. This includes our need for social order to secure our nature rights of life, liberty and property. Out of this desire came the Constitution of the United States. It's not perfect, but it's the most perfect document which an association of men has yet created. Does it address every question facing our country? No, because it does not... Aberdeen News http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2416505/posts#comment Mon, 28 Dec 2009 21:04:57 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2414215/posts Late in the negotiations for the Senate version of the health care reform bill, Democratic Sen. Chris Dodd worked to add a provision that could help the University of Connecticut partially fund the new hospital it has been seeking to replace the antiquated John Dempsey Hospital in Farmington. Dodd, chairman of the Banking Committee and a senior member of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions, is facing stiff competition for re-election in November. He introduced the amendment to the main bill, designed to increase the number of Americans covered by health insurance and enact other reforms, that... The Day.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2414215/posts#comment Thu, 24 Dec 2009 02:45:32 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2413960/posts Every once in a while one gets an insight into the sad state of higher education in the United States. Back in 2008, when my agent was attempting to market the manuscript of what recently appeared in two companion volumes under the titles Montesquieu and the Logic of Liberty: War, Religion, Commerce, Climate, Terrain, Technology, Uneasiness of Mind, the Spirit of Political Vigilance, and the Foundations of the Modern Republic and Soft Despotism, Democracy’s Drift: Montesquieu, Rousseau, Tocqueville, and the Modern Prospect, he ran into an unexpected snag. None of the editors at the trade presses he approached had ever... BigGovernment.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2413960/posts#comment Wed, 23 Dec 2009 19:44:26 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2403679/posts Employers and career experts see a growing problem in American society — an abundance of college graduates, many burdened with tuition-loan debt, heading into the work world with a degree that doesn't mean much anymore. The problem isn't just a soft job market — it's an oversupply of graduates. In 1973, a bachelor's degree was more of a rarity, since just 47% of high school graduates went on to college. By October 2008, that number had risen to nearly 70%. For many Americans today, a trip through college is considered as much of a birthright as a driver's license. Marty... Time Magazine http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2403679/posts#comment Wed, 9 Dec 2009 14:37:59 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2402570/posts ANNAPOLIS | U.S. Naval Academy officials said Monday that they were exploring ways of working knowledge about cyberwarfare into the core curriculum for all students because of the rising significance of cybersecurity. Right now, the academy offers some elective courses, classes mostly taken by computer science and information technology majors. But unlike the U.S. Military Academy at West Point in New York and the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, the Annapolis school does not even have a club for students interested in the field. "On a bunch of different levels, in terms of opening up to cyberwarfare, outside... The Washington Times http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2402570/posts#comment Tue, 8 Dec 2009 03:20:59 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2402213/posts Washington - The Supreme Court agreed today to hear an appeal from a Christian student group in San Francisco which refused to admit gays and lesbians and decide whether the group's right to religious liberty and freedom of association can trump a university's ban on discrimination based on sexual orientation. The case, to be heard next year, could set new rules for campus groups across the nation. The University of California's Hastings College of Law says its officially recognized student groups must be open to all of its students. The law school also has a general non-discrimination policy which applies... Baltimore Sun http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2402213/posts#comment Mon, 7 Dec 2009 19:07:45 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2401972/posts The Notre Dame commencement scandal was of such crucial significance to the Church and the renewal of Catholic higher education that it dominated much of the summer. But as students complete their first full month of studies and my colleagues at the Cardinal Newman Society wrap up the second edition of our Catholic college guide, it's a relief to focus attention on the very best of Catholic higher education. But the reality is that the crisis in Catholic higher education is far from over. Generally, but certainly not always, families seeking a Catholic education outside the colleges identified in The... Inside Catholic http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2401972/posts#comment Mon, 7 Dec 2009 13:52:46 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2400937/posts Wei-Chyung Wang is a climate researcher at the University at Albany, State University of New York. He has co-authored with Phil Jones and provided data used to prepare the Fourth Assessment Report of the IPCC (2007). The accuracy of his work is dubious: http://wattsupwiththat.com/2009/05/03/climate-science-fraud-at-albany-university/ http://www.informath.org/pubs/EnE07a.pdf http://www.informath.org/apprise/a5620.htm FReepers living in NYS are encouraged to contact their senator and assemblyman and demand an accounting of the policies concerning academic honesty at the University at Albany. And tax dollars are being used for Wang's salary and pension fund. Why? http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2400937/posts#comment Sat, 5 Dec 2009 14:32:20 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2400977/posts New details revealed Friday about the university's response — from the time the victims were found to when they alerted the campus of a gunman on the loose — brought angry reactions and questions from some victims' families about leadership during the massacre that ended with 33 people dead. APvia AOL http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2400977/posts#comment Sat, 5 Dec 2009 15:30:32 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2400607/posts Colorado State University may be closer to banning concealed weapons on campus after the school's board of governors this morning voted unanimously for a weapons policy. However, the nine-person body is leaving the nuts-and-bolts of a weapons control policy up to the school's three campus presidents. "We respect there are many differing opinions on this issue," said board chairman Patrick McConathy, "but members of the CSU System Board believe this a reasonable, rational and responsible decision for our system." CSU is one of the few universities in the country that allows concealed weapons on campus. This year, however, both CSU-Fort... Denver Post http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2400607/posts#comment Fri, 4 Dec 2009 23:44:35 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2396287/posts It happened at least once a year, every year. In a roomful of a dozen Harvard University financial officials, Jack Meyer, the hugely successful head of Harvard’s endowment, and Lawrence Summers, then the school’s president, would face off in a heated debate. The topic: cash and how the university was managing - or mismanaging - its basic operating funds. Through the first half of this decade, Meyer repeatedly warned Summers and other Harvard officials that the school was being too aggressive with billions of dollars in cash, according to people present for the discussions, investing almost all of it with... Boston Globe http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2396287/posts#comment Sun, 29 Nov 2009 14:24:51 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2396388/posts RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) - Students aren't the only ones benefiting from the billions of new dollars Washington is spending on college aid for the poor. An Associated Press analysis shows surging proportions of both low-income students and the recently boosted government money that follows them are ending up at for-profit schools, from local career colleges to giant publicly traded chains such as the University of Phoenix, Kaplan and Devry. Breitbart http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2396388/posts#comment Sun, 29 Nov 2009 18:34:05 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2396014/posts A program proposed at the University of Minnesota would result in required examinations of teacher candidates on "white privilege" as well as "remedial re-education" for those who hold the "wrong" views, according to the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education. The organization, which promotes civil liberties on the campuses of America's colleges and universities, has dispatched a letter to University of Minnesota President Robert Bruininks asking him to intervene to prevent the adoption of policies proposed in his College of Education and Human Development. "The university's general counsel should be asked to comment as soon as possible," said the letter... WorldNetDaily http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2396014/posts#comment Sat, 28 Nov 2009 21:33:45 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2395350/posts Those who believe that America is a special place where dreams can come true and everyone has the opportunity to succeed, had better keep their thoughts to themselves if they attend the University of Minnesota’s College of Education and Human Development. A new report posted by the Race, Culture, Class and Gender Task Group of the University recommends those training to be Minnesota public school teachers must repudiate our cherished American dream. This “Task Group” even recommends teacher candidates adopt its party line that America is “an oppressive hellhole: racist, sexist and homophobic.” Teachers must harbor hatred and resentment for... The Collins Report http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2395350/posts#comment Fri, 27 Nov 2009 14:09:56 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2392222/posts LEXINGTON, Va. — Virginia Military Institute is defending itself against a lengthy investigation into accusations that the school's policies are sexist and hostile toward female cadets, a dozen years after women won the right to enroll. The federal Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights has an ongoing investigation of a sex discrimination complaint at the small, state-supported school that so far has taken nearly a year and a half — three times longer than usual. Defenders say VMI has worked hard to recruit women and make them comfortable since the U.S. Supreme Court ordered co-education in 1997, but women... AP http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2392222/posts#comment Sun, 22 Nov 2009 21:51:54 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2391612/posts Atheist Student Groups Flower on College Campuses ASSOCIATED PRESS November 21, 2009 AMES, Iowa (AP) -- The sign sits propped on a wooden chair, inviting all comers: ''Ask an Atheist.'' Whenever a student gets within a few feet, Anastasia Bodnar waves and smiles, trying to make a good first impression before eyes drift down to a word many Americans rank down there with ''socialist.'' Bodnar is the happy face of atheism at Iowa State University. Once a week at this booth at a campus community center, the PhD student who spends most of her time researching the nutritional traits of... NYTimes http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2391612/posts#comment Sat, 21 Nov 2009 19:39:21 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2391167/posts Freshman Magali Flores, and ethnic studies major, was locked arm-in-arm with other students outside Wheeler, one day after she'd returned from protests at UCLA, where the regents met this week. "It's horrible, how could they possibly do this?" she said of the fee increases. Flores acknowledged the increase would not affect her because her family earns less than $70,000, and tuition remains free. However, she said that she's already in debt from cost of living, registration fees, and books, totaling $10,000. San Francisco Chronicle http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2391167/posts#comment Sat, 21 Nov 2009 00:37:24 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2390821/posts Title IX Expansions Bethany Stotts, November 20, 2009 During a November 10 press call on “Women Scientists and American Competitiveness,” speakers suggested that Title IX should be used to focus on “educational equity” and not just athletic equity. One speaker stressed, in particular, the importance of reaching out to federal agencies such as the National Science Foundation (NSF), the National Institutes for Health (NIH), the Department of Defense (DOD), and the Department of Energy (DOE) for additional grant money. (Predoctoral women received 63% of the NIH’s awards in 2007, but only 25% of “competitive faculty grants” that same year, reports... Accuracy in Academia http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2390821/posts#comment Fri, 20 Nov 2009 17:05:46 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2389724/posts | The formal introduction: Mike Adams is a professor at the University of North Carolina-Wilmington and a syndicated columnist. The informal: He is probably the most outspoken Christian conservative professor in the United States now teaching at a state university. He's gone from passive writing to fiery prose, and from an incendiary lifestyle to one centered on true ideas. Q: Tell us about your 1.8 GPA in high school. I can't believe you brought that up! That was off limits! Q: How hard did you have to work to get a 1.8? My goal was to graduate with a 1.0,... WORLD http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2389724/posts#comment Thu, 19 Nov 2009 11:01:34 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2385034/posts Of all the sins of the campus left, the worst is hypocrisy. Academic freedom is a spigot they turn on and off at their convenience. This evening, Ray Luc Levasseur, a convicted terrorist who served 18 years of a 45-year sentence, will participate in a "Colloquium on Social Change" at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, sponsored by a "progressive" faculty group called "Social Thought and Political Economy." Levasseur was the leader of the United Freedom Front, which worked for social change from 1976 to 1984 by bombing government buildings, robbing banks, murdering a New Jersey state trooper, and attempting... American Thinker http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2385034/posts#comment Thu, 12 Nov 2009 21:59:00 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2384037/posts WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY (KMOX Radio) -- Twenty years after the fall of the Berlin Wall, a demonstration at Washington University against socialism was making some students uncomfortable. Students cutting across the campus on a warm fall day heard the Soviet National Anthem in the breeze, coming from loud speakers inside a makeshift prison camp complete with a high-wire fence, blood-stained inmates and goose-stepping guards in Soviet-era uniforms. Organizer Dirk Doebler of the conservative group Young Americans for Liberty says the goal was to show a "liberal-leaning" campus the ugly history of socialism. KMOX radio http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2384037/posts#comment Wed, 11 Nov 2009 18:37:29 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2383323/posts -snip- Emily Rutherford, who is active in lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgendered activisim on campus, had advocated for a policy last winter in a progressive campus magazine. These students, she said, especially transgendered students, may feel uncomfortable living with same-sex roommates. "Right now, students can approach the director of student life and have their needs accommodated, but that involves "coming out' and being stigmatized as someone with special needs," Rutherford said. "Making gender a nonissue in rooming removes that stigma for all LGBT students." -snip- Princeton's Anscombe Society, which seeks to promote traditional values on campus, criticized the university's approval... star ledger http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2383323/posts#comment Tue, 10 Nov 2009 22:04:14 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2381182/posts From: DGiannotti@eth.state.ma.us FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE November 6, 2009 Contact: David Giannotti, Communications Division Chief 617-371-9505 Ethics Commission's Enforcement Division Alleges that Town of Harvard School Superintendent and a Former School Committee Chairman Violated the Conflict of Interest Law Allegedly Used Official Positions to Secure Reimbursement of Private School Tuition by Harvard Public Schools The State Ethics Commission's Enforcement Division, in two Orders to Show Cause ("OTSC"), alleged that Harvard Superintendent of Public Schools Thomas Jefferson ("Jefferson") and former Harvard School Committee Chairman Paul Wormser ("Wormser") violated G.L.c. 268A, the conflict of interest law, by using Jefferson's official position as Superintendent,... Email from Massachusetts Ethics Commission http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2381182/posts#comment Sun, 8 Nov 2009 00:33:50 GMT