The Kept-Up Academic Librarian

Community Colleges Stretch Schedules To Meet The Demand

In an increasingly round-the-clock world, community colleges — already known for tailoring classes to help train people with the skills needed by local employers — must now stretch their schedules, too.

Among the latest offerings is Oakland Community College's new Weekend College. Beginning in January, students willing to spend weekends in a classroom and take online courses can earn an associate's degree in two or 2½ years. It's a shift in how colleges operate. Read more at:
http://www.mlive.com/news/detroit/index.ssf/2009/11/michigan_community_colleges_ad.html

Help For The Helicopter Parent

Colleges and universities are using creative ways to deal with a wave of protective parents who "helicopter" over their children, and regularly contact administrators about grades and roommate woes. College administrators are finding they need to teach parents constructive ways to be a part of their children's collegiate careers through newsletters, social networking Web sites and parent orientations. U of M holds an online forum monthly for parents to directly ask administrators questions about campus wellness and careers and internship opportunities. Several schools also give parents calendars detailing the dates of spring break and exam schedules, along with tips on supporting a collegian with care packages. Read more at:
http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2009/nov/25/schools-helping-anxious-parents/?partner=yahoo_feeds

For-Profit IHEs Reaping Benefits Of Stimulus Pell Grants

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. Last year, the five institutions that received the most federal Pell Grant dollars were all for-profit colleges, collecting over $1 billion among them. critics say the increased federal aid has unleashed a new gold rush. They complain the industry has too many incentives simply to enroll students and tap the spigot from Washington -- and not enough to make sure students succeed. Read more at:
http://finance.yahoo.com/news/AP-Impact-Forprofit-colleges-apf-2337380661.html?x=0&.v=2&.pf=college-education&mod=pf-college-education

Bookstore Manager Claims Students Were Overcharged For Textbooks

 Bob Stubblefield started this war. For two years, the manager of St. Petersburg College's Clearwater bookstore beat his head against the wall and got nowhere. He accused his bosses at Follett Higher Education Group, the largest textbook seller in North America, of systematically overcharging SPC students.  Bob Stubblefield started this war. His bosses never told him he was wrong; they just ordered him to stop complaining. When he kept on, they fired him for insubordination. Book by book the overcharges ranged from less than $1 to more than $14. Multiplied by thousands of students across seven years, the overcharges totaled more than $800,000. Follett spokesman Tom Kline said the company investigated Stubblefield's complaints and determined them to be unfounded. Read more at:
http://www.tampabay.com/news/student-books-cost-extra-at-spc-clearwater-campus/1055174

Next Sputnik On The Horizon For Higher Education

The Obama administration's push to solve the nation's energy problems, a massive federal program that rivals the Manhattan Project, is spurring a once-in-a-generation shift in U.S. science. The government's multibillion-dollar push into energy research is reinvigorating 17 giant U.S.-funded research facilities. University science departments can benefit from the government's unprecedented $18.4 billion in stimulus spending for basic research, as well, provided they sign on to the government's energy mission. Read more at: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB125910876247663245.html?mod=googlenews_wsj

Courses Designed To Give Students The Big Picture

College students interested in complex issues, such as climate change, have long faced an unappealing choice: plow through survey class after survey class, gleaning the basics from multiple subjects, or cram reams of extracurricular reading into their schedules. Through a different method of teaching, administrators at Rutgers University hope they’ve solved that dilemma. Rutgers launched three so-called signature courses this fall, where star professors in different fields lecture about one broad theme. The courses address what many educators describe as a flaw in traditional liberal arts curriculums, which expose students to specialized experts but rarely call on them to blend the knowledge into a "big picture." Read more at: http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2009/11/rutgers_university_introduces.html

Grants Will Support New Methods For Increasing Retention

The Indianapolis-based Lumina Foundation for Education said today it will provide up to $9 million in grants to a group of states -- including Indiana -- to help fund efforts to deliver a college education in new ways, more affordably. Indiana will receive up to $830,948 over the next four years to provide performance funding used to reward regional, four-year colleges for success in retaining and graduating students. According to Lumina, the grants were awarded based upon a state's efforts to tie public funding to increasing the number of college graduates, identify instructional and operational efficiencies and cost savings and educate and train students in innovative and affordable ways. Read more at:
http://www.indystar.com/article/20091124/LOCAL/911240400/1001/NEWS

Aggressive Recruiting Helps Keep Enrollment Steady

In an economy where money is tight and everyone's looking for a bargain, Florida's most expensive universities are attracting more students than expected. The state's private universities, while battling decreased endowments and budget cuts, have been aggressively recruiting students this past year, even those who might think a $22,000-a-year price tag is out of reach. They're holding open houses to educate prospective students about what they offer. They're limiting tuition increases and offering incentives.Their efforts are showing signs of success. Most of the state's private colleges were able to maintain their enrollments or see modest increases. Read more at:
http://www.miamiherald.com/news/florida/AP/story/1346447.html

IHEs Contribute To Local Economies

Higher education institutions in Chicago's Loop generate more than $4 billion in regional economic output annually, including at least $60 million in student purchases directly from retailers, according to a report released Monday by the Chicago Loop Alliance. The Loop is home to 24 higher education institutions. The researchers estimate that the academic institutions themselves account for $2.1 billion in economic output in the Chicago area. Read more at:
http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/chi-biz-study-economic-output,0,5162903.story

Clemson Will Use Grant For Wind Power

What Clemson University officials are calling the largest research grant in school history will lead to a wind turbine research facility in Charleston and create an immediate 100 jobs for its construction.The grant could lead to thousands of jobs in the coming years, according to Clemson and state officials, who were involved with landing the $45 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy and $53 million in matching funds.The wind turbine drive-train research facility will be at the university’s Restoration Institute. Read more at:
http://www.independentmail.com/news/2009/nov/23/big-grant-puts-clemson-wind-turbine-business/