The Kept-Up Academic Librarian

College Pool Party Attracts 2,000 And Gets Out Of Hand

An apartment complex near Colorado State University that used Facebook to advertise "the biggest pool party of the year'" got more than it bargained for -- at least 2,000 people, most of them college students, showed up. The party's Facebook page had nearly 3,000 registered people. The use of social networks such as Twitter and Facebook to spread word of everything from parties to freedom movements has increased exponentially in recent months. In some cases, the events have led to street trouble. Read more at:
http://www.boston.com/news/education/higher/articles/2011/08/29/social_media_fuels_college_megaparty_in_colorado/

Really Fed Up With Lack Of Campus Parking

A professor at Dalhousie University says a severe shortage of parking spaces at the Halifax school has forced him to quit. Middlemiss said parking has always been a problem at Dalhousie. But this time, he simply had enough. "I went straight upstairs, I said, 'I'm not kidding this time, I don't have to put up with this. I'm resigning,'" he told CBC News. Dalhousie, in south-end Halifax, has 2,000 parking spaces for 17,000 students and 3,000 employees. Read more at:
 http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/story/2011/08/30/ns-dalhousie-parking-prof-quits.html

 

Athletic Scandal Could Become President's Downfall

In her decade as University of Miami president, Donna Shalala has strived to get a school once called “Suntan U’’ mentioned with the likes of Duke, Vanderbilt and Stanford. Now, the worst-case scenario: The scandal emerging from Miami’s football team could instead leave the university forever paired in the public’s eye with Southern Methodist University, so far the only school with a football program declared so irredeemable the NCAA shut it down. By many counts, she’s succeeded, not-so-quietly helping Miami improve its standing in recent years — arguably, as much as any major university in the country. Read more at: http://articles.boston.com/2011-08-27/sports/29935987_1_donna-shalala-university-of-miami-president-move

Out-Of-State Applicants Find That Previously Closed Doors Are Opening

One of best-kept secrets in college admissions this coming year is that many top state universities will be admitting more out-of-state applicants than they ever have. This opens up a whole new group of schools that were formerly much more difficult to get into.  Even colleges that shunned out-of-state students for years are showing a marked receptivity.  The University of California’s top campuses – Berkeley and UCLA – have doubled and even tripled the number of out-of-state kids. Read more at:
http://www.forbes.com/sites/stevecohen/2011/08/29/the-latest-shhhh-secret-college-admissions-trend/ 

Getting Into Georgia's Public IHEs Tougher For Prospective Students

Be advised, high school seniors: It may be harder than you think to get into Georgia’s top public colleges next year.This year’s freshmen at the University of Georgia, Georgia Tech, Georgia State and Georgia College & State universities shattered records for SAT scores and high school GPAs. That continued a steady rise that has altered the state’s higher education landscape, making a slot at Tech or UGA hotly competitive and fueling huge growth and higher standards at other public universities. The state’s HOPE scholarship has caused much of the rise. Read more at:
http://www.ajc.com/news/universities-raise-bar-as-1139897.html

Community College Lets Kaplan Know It's Not Interested In Being Partners

Kaplan University’s local campus plans to market itself to Hagerstown Community College graduates, but HCC wants no part of it. Kaplan is offering tuition discounts to HCC graduates. Kaplan will have a new initiative aimed at community college graduates, who would get a tuition break if they pursue a bachelor's degree at Kaplan. HCC President Guy Altieri wrote back that HCC isn't interested in a partnership. Read more at:
http://articles.herald-mail.com/2011-08-28/news/29939855_1_hcc-graduates-hcc-students-kaplan-university

Boston's IHEs Collaborate To Improve Hi-Risk Student Retention Rates

Two years after a study showed that most Boston public school graduates who go on to college fail to earn diplomas, Massachusetts colleges and universities are mobilizing to try to keep students from dropping out. Twenty-five schools are planning to implement new strategies - more scholarships, for example, and free summer sessions to ease the transition into college life - as part of Success Boston, a citywide initiative that aims to double the number of local students who earn degrees. Read more at:
http://articles.boston.com/2011-08-28/news/29939003_1_college-life-selective-private-schools-boston-college

Students Want To Commute Even When Dorm Living Is A Requirement

A new study from Sallie Mae -- a college financing company -- found that more families are cutting costs to save money on higher education. One of those strategies includes living at home instead of in the dorms, where room and board rates run $11,280 a year. University policy requires freshmen to live in a CU dorm for two academic semesters unless they are married, live with parents or legal guardians and have permission to commute or the campus has a housing crunch and can't accommodate all students. CU officials say that the dorms allow freshmen to transition to collegiate life and provide academic support -- like free tutoring to residents. Read more at:
http://www.dailycamera.com/cu-news/ci_18771770

For-Profits' Decline May Soon Reverse

For-profit universities may soon see an end to their yearlong slide in new enrollments, an industry analyst said Thursday, citing his conversations with Internet marketing executives. As schools adjust to the new government rules, enrollment will likely pick up. But he cautioned that the government may cut funds for Pell Grants because of its recent debt deal, which could hurt schools' revenues. Read more at:
http://www.businessweek.com/ap/financialnews/D9PB9QG00.htm

Room For Debate: Why Bother With Research Papers

Is the research paper still justifiable as a means of grading a college student's performance?

Critics of the form say it is outdated because the Internet has made sources so readily accessible. In addition, argues an article published recently by the John William Pope Center for Higher Education, research papers promote deference to conventional opinions. Thomas Bertonneau, the author of the article, "Down With Research Papers!"argued that students should instead be assigned essays, focusing on concise arguments staking out a point of view rather than long, informative surveys of a subject. Many of the professors who assign research papers would disagree that they are encouraging students to think conventionally, and point out that the essay has its own limitations. If research papers -- or dissertations, for that matter -- were to become a thing of the past, what would we lose in our pursuit of knowledge? Is there a better way to assess knowledge? Read more at:
http://www.nytimes.com/roomfordebate/2011/08/28/are-research-papers-a-waste-of-time