Category Archives: Uncategorized

Ammons reveals FAMU’s action plan to trustees

Tallahassee Democrat: Ammons reveals FAMU’s action plan to trustees

Florida A&M University President James Ammons laid out a plan Wednesday designed to get his school out of accreditation danger and fix the 35 citations documented in a state audit report

Creationists Threaten Evolutionary Biologists at U. of Colorado

Denver Post: Threats by religious group spark probe at CU-Boulder

University of Colorado police are investigating a series of threatening messages and documents e-mailed to and slipped under the door of evolutionary biology labs on the Boulder campus.

The messages included the name of a religious-themed group and addressed the debate between evolution and creationism, CU police Cmdr. Brad Wiesley said. Wiesley would not identify the group named because police are still investigating.

“There were no overt threats to anybody specifically by name,” Wiesley said. “It basically said anybody who doesn’t believe in our religious belief is wrong and should be taken care of.”

Firebombs found at UC Riverside; ceremony canceled

Los Angeles Times: Firebombs found at UC Riverside; ceremony canceled

UC Riverside officials Friday canceled a commencement and some final exams after finding two homemade firebombs on campus and receiving threatening letters.

The series of events began about 6 a.m. Friday with a tree fire outside the Life Sciences building, near the outdoor Carillon Mall where the graduation ceremony for the A. Gary Anderson School of Management was to take place.

UK: Academics express outrage at Israeli boycott

The Guardian: Academics express outrage at Israeli boycott

Academics and students today hit back at the decision by university lecturers to support calls for a boycott of Israeli institutions.

Yesterday the University and College Union decided by 158 votes to 99 to circulate a motion to all its branches to discuss calls from Palestinian trade unions for a “comprehensive and consistent international boycott of all Israeli academic institutions”. The motion is going to branches for “their information and discussion”.

Americans Hold Positive Views About Colleges, but Question Their Costs and Operations, Survey Finds

The Chronicle: Americans Hold Positive Views About Colleges, but Question Their Costs and Operations, Survey Finds
A growing proportion of Americans believe in the need for a college education, but skepticism about college operations and costs is also on the rise, according to survey findings scheduled for release today.

Threats Shut Down Colleges in Mississippi and Washington

Clarion-Ledger: Delta State officials “choosing caution” in closing school

Delta State University’s Cleveland campus was shut down at 2 p.m. today after the school received bomb threats in several buildings.

“We are choosing caution,’’ said DSU spokesman Rori Herbison in light of the tragedy at Virginia Tech last week that left 33 students dead, including the lone gunman.

Yakima Herald-Republic: Threat of violence puts schools on edge

Officials at Yakima Valley Community College say they are acting “extra cautious” by closing day and evening classes at the Yakima campus today because of a threat of violence the college received Monday.

Also on Monday, students at Prosser High School were evacuated before noon and police searched the building after reports of a bomb inside.

The college received “threats of harm to people on campus” for today, Yakima police Capt. Greg Copeland said. After receiving the threat, college officials canceled today’s classes and activities in Yakima.

Remark Costs Instructor a Job

Inside Higher Ed: Remark Costs Instructor a Job

# Ozarks Technical Community College, in Missouri, fired a part-time instructor of a geography course last week after several students said that he started class on Wednesday by banging a briefcase on a desk and saying “I am a suicide bomber.” The college said that the instructor never had weapons or bombs and no students were in danger. The name of the instructor cannot be released, according to college officials, because of the incident is a personnel matter. A spokesman for the college said that the dismissal would have taken place even without last week’s shootings at Virginia Tech.

School threats follow Va. Tech massacre

The Boston Globe: School threats follow Va. Tech massacre

Schools and campuses in at least 10 states were locked down or evacuated in the aftermath of a Virginia Tech student’s shooting rampage that killed 33 people.

Threats in Louisiana, Montana and Washington state on Tuesday directly mentioned the massacre in Virginia, while reports of suspicious activity surfaced in Texas, Arizona, Oklahoma, Tennessee, North Dakota, South Dakota and Michigan.

Missouri: Intellectual Diversity or Intellectual Insult?

Inside Higher Ed: Intellectual Diversity or Intellectual Insult?

The Missouri House of Representatives passed a bill last week that would require public colleges to report regularly on how they promote and protect “intellectual diversity.” While the bill still must be approved by the Senate and the governor to become law, House passage was a major victory for groups seeking legislative help to change campus climates they view as hostile to conservative ideas.

Links from the Socialist Teachers Alliance

FROM IRAQ TO WAKEFIELD: THE US COMPANY BACKING TRUST SCHOOL
http://www.socialist-teacher.org/news.asp?d=y&id=995

TESTING REGIME FOR 11-YEAR-OLDS ‘PUTS PUPILS OFF EDUCATION’
http://www.socialist-teacher.org/news.asp?d=y&id=993

TEACHERS IN SUMMER WALKOUT THREAT
http://www.socialist-teacher.org/news.asp?d=y&id=992

Socialist Teachers Alliance | http://www.socialist-teacher.org

Report reduces chance of potential CSU strike

Contra Costa Times: Report reduces chance of potential CSU strike

A systemwide faculty strike at California State University’s 23 campuses appears less likely after a Sunday announcement by CSU administrators and faculty leaders that they would restart settlement talks this week.

Both sides vowed to work toward an agreement in the 22-month-old dispute after an independent fact-finder’s report released Sunday suggested a strike could be averted. The report also recommended pay increases similar to those being sought by the faculty.

California State U. Faculty Union Agrees to Continue Negotiations in Effort to Avoid StrikeCalifornia State U. Faculty Union Agrees to Continue Negotiations in Effort to Avoid Strike

The Chronicle: California State U. Faculty Union Agrees to Continue Negotiations in Effort to Avoid Strike

California State University administrators and unionized faculty members agreed on Sunday to continue negotiations for 10 days in an effort to reach a new contract. Both sides said they hoped the agreement would prevent a systemwide faculty strike.

Polish teachers march in Warsaw

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BBC: Polish teachers march in Warsaw

More than 10,000 teachers have marched through the Polish capital to demand pay rises and demonstrate against the government’s education policy.

Gay rights groups joined to protest against plans to dismiss teachers who promote homosexual behaviour.

Ministers have said they are preparing a bill to ban what they called “homosexual propaganda” from schools.

The teachers were demanding both improved retirement benefits and the dismissal of the education minister.

Seams Show as Newly Merged Faculty Union in Britain Elects New Chief

The Chronicle News Blog: Seams Show as Newly Merged Faculty Union in Britain Elects New Chief

Members of Britain’s recently created main faculty union, the University and College Union, have elected Sally Hunt as their first general secretary. Ms. Hunt had led the Association of University Teachers, which merged last June with the National Association of Teachers in Further and Higher Education, known as Natfhe, to form the new union, and she was instrumental in the creation of the new body.

Ms. Hunt won a little more than 52 percent of the vote, just over the 50-percent tally necessary for a victory under the union’s rules. Less than 14 percent of the union’s 116,000 members voted in the election. Roger Kline, a former Natfhe official who is the new union’s head of equality and employment rights, came in second.

Ms. Hunt’s former union represented faculty members at Britain’s older, more established universities, while Natfhe members were drawn largely from the former vocationally oriented polytechnics and further-education colleges. Differences of approach between the two groups became evident last year during a grading boycott related to a pay dispute. Members of the Association of University Teachers refused to administer examinations, while Natfhe members administered them but refused to grade them.

College Board’s President Defends SAT at Regional Conference

The Chronicle: College Board’s President Defends SAT at Regional Conference

High-school guidance counselors and representatives from colleges in the Midwest grilled Gaston Caperton, president of the College Board, about the writing portion of the SAT on Tuesday at a town-hall meeting that closed the organization’s three-day regional conference in Chicago.

Union Institute Agrees to Sell Campus in Montpelier, Vt., to a Local Group

The Chronicle : Union Institute Agrees to Sell Campus in Montpelier, Vt., to a Local Group

Union Institute & University has agreed to sell its 33.5-acre campus in Montpelier, Vt., and three of its master’s-level academic programs to a nonprofit group that plans to operate a new college focusing on the arts. The Cincinnati-based institute acquired the campus six years ago.

Education Dept. Official Describes Plans for March Summit on Commission’s Recommendations

The Chronicle : Education Dept. Official Describes Plans for March Summit on Commission’s Recommendations

The under secretary of education, Sara Martinez Tucker, described the organizational details of a summit on the future of higher education, in an exclusive interview with The Chronicle on Friday. About 300 people representing colleges, business, and other interests will participate in the summit on March 22.

Colleges Should Beware of Using Social-Networking Sites to Monitor Their Students, Speakers Say

The Chronicle: Colleges Should Beware of Using Social-Networking Sites to Monitor Their Students, Speakers Say

Lawyers, professors, student-affairs administrators, and others discussed the uses and misuses of social-networking sites, and whether colleges should be monitoring those sites, at a conference in Florida on higher-education law.

Politicians lose law school graduation as forum

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: Politicians lose law school graduation as forum

The views of presidential candidate U.S. Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., are in big demand these days.

So are those of another likely presidential candidate, U.S. Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., and those of U.S. Rep. John Murtha, D-Johnstown.

Their ideologies differ, but they have something in common when it comes to the Duquesne University Law School commencement in June: As politicians, all have been deemed “inappropriate” to serve as graduation speakers.

Education dilemma for “illegals”

Deseret Morning News: Education dilemma for illegals

Anne isn’t naive. She knows her undocumented status could prevent her from taking the bar exam, which is key to her dream of becoming an immigration attorney.

She also knows the 2002 law that allows her to pay in-state tuition in Utah is under attack this year. She’d be grandfathered in, but the thought of her younger brother’s potential obstacle to higher education brings her to tears.