The Kept-Up Academic Librarian

Gosh, This Can't Be About Our Students

What's the latest craze on college campuses? Well, according to this news report from CNN, its rioting. From Maryland to Minnesota to Ohio to Massachusetts, students have caused hundreds of thousands of dollars of damage in booze-fueled riots following major sporting events. Experts believe the small core of college students who riot for fun do so because being part of a mob both empowers them and gives them anonymity -- a theory supported by at least one first-hand account. Read more at:
http://www.cnn.com/2004/EDUCATION/02/26/life.rioting.reut/index.html

Video Games: Growing Field For Academic Research

Are video games actually fertile material for academic research studies? According to two video game researchers, Mr. Bellin and Dr. Palmer, interviewed for this New York Times article, games are credible objects of intellectual inquiry because they are central to American popular entertainment and a major global industry. According to the Entertainment Software Association, entertainment software sales reached $6.9 billion in the United States in 2002. The two researchers are planning an academic conference on video game research. Read more at:
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/02/26/technology/circuits/26play.html

Slight Hiatus From Kept-Up

I will be attending to other affairs on Monday and Tuesday of next week and will most likely be unable to provide postings to Kept-Up Academic those days. I will look forward to catching up with higher education news developments later next week.

Changes In Pell Grants Threaten Minority Enrollment

The February 2004 issue of American Demographics (sorry, this one is online only for subscribers) has an article titled "School Daze" that provides evidence that multiple developments, such as revisions to the formula for Pell Grants, are reducing the number of African Americans who will be able to afford a college education. The article states that 84,000 students were eliminated for eligibility for Pell Grants in the past year. This is an article worth reading.

Teaching Vs. Research At CSU Campuses

There is a debate growing among IHEs within the California State University system over whether the traditional mission focus on teaching is in growing conflict with faculty who are emphasizing research. This is a debate taking place on many of our campuses. From the article that appeared in the San Francisco Chronicle: University professors are at the heart of a growing debate over a trend toward greater on-campus research -- as opposed to CSU's traditional mission as the teaching workhorse of the state's higher-education system. Critics say the changes amount to "mission creep.'' Read more at:
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2004/02/23/MNGF15655J1.DTL

Higher Education As A Trade Commodity

In 2000, U.S. education and training services totaled more than $14 billion and ranked among the country’s top five service exports, placing the United States among the top three higher education exporters worldwide. International students and their dependents contributed nearly $12 billion to the United States as an importer during the 2001-02 academic year. Read this article about the growing importance of international students and international education as a source of import/export income.
http://www.newhavenregister.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=11019598&BRD=1281&PAG=461&dept_id=7581&rfi=6

Get Involved In Planning Hi-Tech Classrooms

How often do librarians get involved in the planning of campus classroom buildings other than the library? It's probably rare, but given our teaching role and time we spend in classrooms, we should probably be more involved than we are. This article from Syllabus IT is likely directed to faculty but there's some useful information here for how to get involved in projects involving technology classrooms. I advocate librarians being technology leaders on their campuses. Here's one way to be involved. Read more at:
http://www.syllabus.com/news_article.asp?id=8989&typeid=153

Lawsuits Are Not Stopping Student Downloading

“The lawsuits are a joke,” Shawn says. “That doesn’t stop me and my friends. It gives us something to joke about. When I’m downloading a song, I’ll say, (sarcastically) „Here I go breaking the law again. Hope I don’t get sued.’ ” Check out this story from The Detroit News Technology Section. It examines the impact recent RIAA lawsuits are having on illegal downloading of music by college students. Find the story at:
http://www.detnews.com/2004/technology/0402/20/technology-69622.htm

ITT, Major For-Profit IHE Chain, Investigated By FBI

Federal agents on Wednesday searched the headquarters of ITT Technical Institutes and some campuses of its chain of technical schools in eight states. Shares of its parent company, ITT Educational Services Inc., plunged nearly 29 percent by mid-afternoon. ITT Educational Services said the investigation involved grand jury subpoenas of records concerning student placement, retention, graduation, attendance, recruitment, grades, graduates' salaries and tranfers of students' credits to other colleges. Read more at:
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/business/apbiz_story.asp?category=1310&slug=ITT%20Tech%20Subpoenas

Supreme Court Upholds Religion Scholarship Ban

The U.S. Supreme Court upheld on Wednesday a government scholarship program that bars any money for college students who pursue a degree in theology, an important ruling reaffirming church-state separation. By a 7-2 vote, the high court declared Washington state's program does not violate the constitutional right to the free exercise of religion. The program, which gives scholarships to needy and academically gifted students, excludes vocational religious instruction. Read more at:
http://www.publicbroadcasting.net/kunc/news.newsmain?action=article&ARTICLE_ID=608429