Tag Archives: Government

Iraq suspends university for politics

AP: Iraq suspends university for politics

BAGHDAD — Iraq’s prime minister suspended classes and banned political activities at one of Baghdad’s leading universities following student protests on campus, a government spokesman said Wednesday.

Va. Lawmaker Takes Job at William and Mary After Sponsoring $20-Million Deal

Daily Press: Sen. Tommy Norment wearing two hats for W&M: well-paid employee and powerful advocate in the General Assembly

WILLIAMSBURG – On July 1, 2008, state Sen. Tommy Norment boosted his state paycheck nearly tenfold with the stroke of a pen. That’s when he accepted a part-time faculty appointment with the College of William and Mary, his law school alma mater.

His annual salary for teaching two courses: $160,000.

That means Norment now wears two hats with regard to William and Mary: well-paid employee and powerful advocate in the General Assembly.

West Virginia: Emily, John Perdue discuss MU grades controversy

Charleston Gazette: Emily, John Perdue discuss MU grades controversy

CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Emily Perdue said she did nothing wrong and got no special treatment when she earned two A grades this summer to replace two “incomplete” grades for courses she took during the spring 2009 semester at Marshall University.

During an interview on Sunday, Perdue said she received the incomplete grades after she withdrew from two courses taught by Laura Wyant, a professor of adult and technical education at Marshall.

Israel Bars Some Foreign Academics Who Teach in the West Bank

The Chronicle: Israel Bars Some Foreign Academics Who Teach in the West Bank

Israel has clamped down on the movement of foreign academics teaching at Palestinian universities in the West Bank, barring some from entering the region altogether or stamping “Palestinian Authority only” in the passports of others, preventing them from entering Israel.

An English-language instructor from Ireland who taught for several years at the Arab American University, in Jenin, was refused entry on August 23 when she returned to the West Bank to take up a new

Chicago State gets $40 million surprise

Chicago Tribune: Chicago State gets $40 million surprise
State lawmakers plan funding for a West Side campus that the struggling school didn’t request

The president of Chicago State University was scanning the newspaper before an executive staff meeting when he did a double-take. Frank Pogue learned his South Side school would be building an extension campus on the West Side, and state lawmakers were allocating $40 million for it.

Labor Secretary Clarifies Remarks on Adjuncts

Inside Higher Ed: Labor Secretary Clarifies Remarks on Adjuncts

Labor Secretary Hilda Solis last week gave an interview to National Public Radio in which she answered a listener’s question about adjunct instructors in a way that some viewed as questioning their commitment to teaching — but she has now clarified her comments. The comment in question, found toward the bottom of this transcript, is: “[T]he continuance of involvement on the part of part-time faculty members I think is a legitimate issue and should be looked at. Because as it stands, you also find that that faculty member is not as inclined to stay committed to those groups of students that they do teach because they’re off to different — other — what they call, freeway traveling or teaching.…” The American Federation of Teachers approached the Labor Department about the issue and published this statement of clarification that the AFT received: “Adjunct faculty are being particularly hard-hit by the financial crisis at the state level. They deserve to be represented in collective bargaining, and their collective bargaining agreements should be respected. I certainly was not implying that adjuncts are not committed to their students, or that they are anything other than excellent educators. In fact, my involvement with California community colleges has shown me that they are committed professionals who are dedicated to helping students succeed. What I wanted to get across is that, too often, adjunct faculty do not get the level of compensation or professional supports that full-time faculty receive to advise students academically, follow students through their academic careers, develop the college’s curriculum, etc. Too many adjuncts, I noted, wind up needing to move from college to college each week just to put together a small living.”