Fairborn commencement
Badin graduation
Division I regional track finals
Dave Larsen writes about higher education.
Kelly Mori writes about health and higher education.Home > Blogs > On Campus > Archives > 2008 > November
November 2008
Universities host Handel community sings
Cedarville and Wittenberg universities will give the public two opportunities to sing all or portions of Handel’s Messiah next Sunday and Monday, Dec. 7 and 8.
Cedarville will hold its holiday sing 6 p.m. Dec. 7 in the Dixon Ministry Center.
The Cedarville University bands, choirs and ensembles will lead the sing that will include carols sung by the audience, the reading of the Christmas Story and a public singing of the Hallelujah Chorus.
Wittenberg will host the 27th annual Community Sing of Handel’s Messiah at 7:30 p.m. Monday, Dec. 8 in Weaver Chapel.
Established choirs of Wittenberg and the surrounding Springfield area are invited to participate. Singers are asked to bring their own complete score. Admission is free.
Permalink | Comments (0) | Post your comment |
Charles Saxbe appointed to Central State University Board of Trustees
Gov. Ted Strickland on Wednesday, Nov. 26, appointed Charles Saxbe to the Central State University Board of Trustees.
Saxbe, of Columbus, has served since 1982 as an attorney for Chester, Wilcox, and Saxbe LLP. He was elected to the Ohio House of Representatives in 1974 where he served four terms. Saxbe also served in the U.S. Marines and was discharged with the rank of captain. He received a bachelor’s degree from Southern Methodist University in 1969 and a law degree from The Ohio State University in 1975.
Central State’s Board of Trustees sets the tuition and fees of the university, hires and fixes the compensation of the school’s employees and ensures the successful operation of the university.
Central State in Wilberforce is a public, historically black university. It has an enrollment of 2,200 students.
Permalink | Comments (0) | Post your comment |
Merit trumps need in institutional aid awards
Colleges and Universities awarded more merit-based aid than need-based aid to students last year, according to a report released this week by the National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC).
In 1994 colleges and universities, overall, awarded 27 percent of their financial aid according to merit and 66 percent according to need, the NACAC reported.
In 2007, merit-based aid accounted for 43 percent of institutional awards while need-based aid accounted for 27 percent.
“While the concept of need-blind admission was developed to ensure that students were not rejected due to financial need, admission practices that utilize differential financial aid targeting have emerged recently as colleges grapple with difficult aid allocation decisions,” NACAC president William McClintick, stated in a news release. “While such practices are, in many cases, well-intentioned, they provoke questions from stakeholders concerned about access for low-income students, fairness in college pricing, rising college costs and the use of institutional aid.”
Permalink | Comments (1) | Post your comment | Categories: Paying for college
Ohio among top 10 states in study abroad and international students
Ohio is among the top 10 states in the nation for the number of undergraduate students studying abroad and the number of international students studying at its colleges and universities, according to the Open Doors 2008 report. The report, released Nov. 25, is published annually by the Institute of International Education with support from the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs.
Open Doors reports that Ohio had 19,373 foreign students in 2007-2008 (up 4 percent from 2006-2007), and estimated their expenditures in the state at $429.5 million. It reported the number of Ohio students studying abroad rose 4.8 percent to 10,223 over the same time period.
Miami University in Oxford ranks 25th nationally among comparable universities in undergraduate participation in study abroad programs, according to the report.
The 1,421 Miami undergraduates who earned academic credit for study abroad in 2006-2007 translates to a rate of 37 percent of Miami undergraduates going overseas by the time they graduate. That represents an increase of 11 percent from the previous year. Miami is the only Ohio doctoral institution in the top 40 for undergraduate participation in study abroad.
“Ohio has an aggressive international strategy to more effectively recruit international students and promote Ohio’s higher education system across the globe,” said Ohio Board of Regents Chancellor Eric D. Fingerhut in a media release. “While it’s good, of course, for the state to be ranked in the top 10 where we see more international students than ever coming to Ohio colleges and universities, we expect to see even larger increases in years to come as our international education strategy takes hold.”
International students coming to Ohio represent both a direct and indirect economic benefit for the state. As indicated in the Open Doors report, foreign students directly spend millions of dollars when they study in the United States, and in Ohio. In addition, one of the approaches being pursued by the University System of Ohio is to encourage international students to stay in Ohio once they have their degrees.
Permalink | Comments (0) | Post your comment |
Prudence and self-promotion: Small college approach to economic crisis
Wittenberg University President Mark Erickson joined other presidents of small private colleges to talk with the Chronicle of Higher Education about how their institutions are approaching the current economic situation. The video-taped interview was posted today on the Chronicle’s website. http://chronicle.com
Like most accounts I’ve been reading lately, the presidents say they are not seeing a drop in enrollment… yet. Erickson said he, along with other presidents are worried about the future, though.
In other articles I have read, some officials are concerned that students will be forced to reevaluate their finances over the Christmas break and will not be returning in the spring.
In the current Chronicle interview which also included MaryAnn Baenninger, president of the college of St. Benedict and David Pollick, president of Birmingham Southern college, Erickson talked about how smaller endowments weather an unprecedented financial hit and how smaller colleges can capitalize on their size and offerings to invite students facing unsure economic times.
I think you’ll find it interesting
Permalink | Comments (3) | Post your comment | Categories: Wittenberg University
Miami Valley students receive OFIC scholarships
The Ohio Foundation of Independent Colleges has awarded scholarships to 84 Miami Valley students enrolled in its 34 member colleges for the 2008-09 academic year the OFIC announced.
Statewide 1,024 scholarships, totaling $1.7 million were awarded through the Ohio Scholars Program.
The Ohio Scholars Program awards scholarships to academically qualified, financially challenged students. The 18-year-old program is supported by 148 corporations and foundations.
Miami Valley OFIC college members include Cedarville, Urbana and Wittenberg universities, the University of Dayton and Wilmington College.
Permalink | Comments (0) | Post your comment | Categories: Paying for college
Nativity scenes from UD collection on display for Christmas season
Three major installations of Nativity scenes from the University of Dayton Marian Library’s collection will be on display in the Dayton area this Christmas season. The exhibits are open and free to the public.
Nativity scenes, also called creches, tell the Christmas story in the symbols and through the people of individual cultures.
The UD Marian Library’s 2008 exhibit of Nativity scenes opens Nov. 28 in the Marian Library gallery on the 7th floor of Roesch Library on the UD campus.
The highlight of this year’s exhibit is a huge 130-piece village from Czechoslovakia dating from the 1850s. The hand-carved village is largest of about 30 scenes from around the world on display in the annual exhibit.
The Czech village is the newest acquisition in the library’s collection of more than 1,500 creches, according to the Rev. Johann Roten, director of the International Marian Research Institute.
Roten said the scene, which includes about 80 villagers such as a butcher, a baker and street musicians and 50 structures such as churches and homes, was created in the Sudetenland area of Czechoslovakia at a time when depictions of the Nativity were illegal.
In addition to the Czech scene, other scenes on display include a large-scale porcelain set with an elephant more than a foot tall, a century-old creche with wax figures and a Nativity scene set in the Brazilian jungle by artist Sidney Matias.
The exhibit is free and open to the public. For the first time it will be open during the holidays on Saturdays and Sundays from 1 to 6 p.m., on Nov. 29, 30, Dec. 6, 7, 13, 14, 20 and 21. The creches will be on display Monday through Friday 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m through November 2009.
For more information about the Marian Library exhibit call 937-229-4214 or visit www.udayton.edu/mary.
In addition to the UD exhibit, selections from the Marian Library creche collection also will be on display at the Dayton Art Institute and Gallery St. John at Bergamo Center in Beavercreek.
The theme of the DAI exhibition is “A Child’s Delight — An Adult’s Puzzle,” featuring more than 20 creches that capture the diverging approaches of children and adults to the Christmas story.
The DAI exhibit is open Nov. 26 through Jan. 4 every day from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., at DAI, 456 Belmonte Park North. For more information: 937-223-5277 or www.daytonartinstitute.org.
Gallery St. John will feature more than 30 Marian Library creches in a show titled “Christmas Around the World.” The display runs from Nov. 26 through Jan. 4 at Bergamo Center, Mount Saint John, 4400 Shakertown Road, Beavercreek. Hours are noon to 4 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday. For more information: 937-320-5405 or www.bergamocenter.org.
Selections from the Marian Library’s collection are also featured this season at the Knights of Columbus Museum in New Haven, Conn., and the Stan Hywet Hall and Gardens in Akron, Ohio.
To see a photo gallery of scenes from the Marian Library creche collection, click here.
Permalink | Comments (0) | Post your comment |
Wright State University commencement ceremony on Saturday, Nov. 22
Wright State University will hold its 42nd semiannual commencement ceremony on Saturday, Nov. 22, at 10 a.m. at the Ervin J. Nutter Center on the Wright State campus in Fairborn.
Wright State President David R. Hopkins will be the commencement speaker.
Applications were received for 1,469 degrees: 784 bachelor’s degrees, 626 master’s degrees, 1 education specialist, 2 medical, 25 philosophy doctorates, 20 psychology doctorates, and 12 associate’s degrees.
Included in the graduating class are 226 international students representing 25 nations.
The youngest graduate is 21 years old and the oldest is 61.
Permalink | Comments (0) | Post your comment |
Wright State psychology dean authors book about Abu Ghraib experience
Dr. Larry C. James, the new dean of the Wright State University School of Professional Psychology, recently published “Fixing Hell: An Army Psychologist Confronts Abu Ghraib.” The book is a first-person account of his Army service at Guantanomo Bay, Cuba, and Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq. James, a retired U.S. Army colonel, was awarded the Bronze Star for distinguished service in Iraq.
“When the debacle at Guantanamo Bay hit … I was asked to go there and train these young military policemen interrogators in how do you interview someone rather than abuse someone,” said James on Wednesday, Nov. 19, during a meeting with the Dayton Daily News Editorial Board.
James was serving as the chair of the Department of Psychology at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in January 2003, when he was dispatched to Guantanomo Bay. In June 2004, James was sent to Abu Ghraib to serve in a similar capacity after photos depicting brutal prisoner abuse there were published worldwide.
James retired from the military to write “Fixing Hell.” In August, he was named dean of Wright State’s School of Professional Psychology (SOPP). His mission at Wright State is to develop the SOPP into a nationally recognized program for the training of psychologists, and to deliver innovative clinical services to the Dayton community.
“What my predecessors haven’t done very well is market the great things about the School of Professional Psychology,” James said. “For example, you probably don’t know that Wright State’s School of Professional Psychology produces more psychologists per year than any university in the state.”
Wright State’s SOPP graduates 23 psychologists per year on average, James said. Most students are Ohio natives and remain in the Dayton area after graduation.
Clinical psychology is important amid the current economic downturn, James said. As unemployment rates rise, so do the rates for alcoholism, spouse abuse and suicide, he said. “As economically depressed the Miami Valley becomes, the more important my school becomes to this particular region.”
With his military background, James sees great potential for partnerships between the SOPP and Wright-Patterson Air Force Base.
“For some reason my school, the School of Professional Psychology, hasn’t really had close relationships with the psychology department at Wright-Patt,” James said. “I don’t know why. So I know one of the interests in my unique background was that I could bridge that gap. The research opportunities are unlimited, and treatment programs with Wright-Patt.”
Permalink | Comments (0) | Post your comment |
Should private universities reveal executives’ salaries?
While collecting data for a story I’m doing on university presidents’ compensation packages, one local private university told me it wasn’t their policy to release such information.
It might be their policy but is it right?
Senate Finance Committee Chairman Charles E. Grassley doesn’t think so.
In a release Monday, Grassely, (R-Iowa) stated that parents and students who are facing rising tuition costs and tightening student aid, have the right to know this information before choosing a school. His statement was part of an interview he gave to The Chronicle of Higher Education concerning rising university presidents’ salaries.
The university that declined to provide the information was not indicative of all local institutions. Wittenberg University, for example, delivered the information to me within an hour after I asked for it. Wittenberg is a private university.
As far as the “non-disclosure” university, I was able to pull the numbers off of their last tax filing, which is public record.
But should families have to review 990 forms to get this information?
Would they even care if the universities volunteered the information?
Permalink | Comments (2) | Post your comment | Categories: Paying for college
Finance expert “Dr. Bob” Froehlich to discuss stock market meltdown at UD
Robert Froehlich, an internationally prominent financial strategist and national television commentator known as “Dr. Bob,” will give an informal talk about “The Stock Market Crash of 2008” from 4 to 5:15 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 24, in the Kennedy Union ballroom at the University of Dayton.
“History will judge this current stock market meltdown as not just the worst in our generation, but more likely the worst in the history of Wall Street,” Froehlich said.
Froelhlich, a UD graduate, is vice chairman of DWS Investments, where he also serves as chairman of the Investor Strategy Committee for Deutsche Bank in the Americas. Froehlich regularly appears on the financial programs of CNBC, CNN, Fox News and Bloomberg TV.
Froehlich is the author of “Investment Mega Trends,” “Where the Money Is” and “The Three Bears are Dead.” His latest book, “A Bull for All Seasons: Main Street Strategies for Finding the Money in Any Market,” was published in September. “A Bull for All Seasons” explains the issues and events that drive his investment choices.
Froehlich’s talk is directed to UD students, faculty and staff about the recent and ongoing global financial crisis. It is free and open to the public as well.
Froehlich serves on the UD’s board of trustees and is the driving force behind RISE (Redefining Investment Strategy Education), UD’s global student investment forum, which brings more than 2,000 students together every spring with some of the top finance professionals in the world.
Permalink | Comments (0) | Post your comment |
Dayton-area colleges and universities celebrate International Education Week
Officials from the University of Dayton, Wright State University and Sinclair Community College will take part on Friday, Nov. 21, in a digital video conference with educators in India. The event will highlight International Education Week, as well as the importance of international education and exchange in the Dayton region.
For the seventh straight year, India is the leading source of foreign enrollments on U.S. college and university campuses, accounting for a record 94,563 students during the 2007 academic year, according to the Times of India.
The digital video conference, “Perspectives on Internationalism, Individualism and Interchange,” is planned for 7:30 a.m. Friday. The panelists are Stephen P. Foster, Wright State associate vice president for international affairs; Sundar Kumarasamy, UD vice president for enrollment management; and Robert Keener, Sinclair professor of marketing and chair of the international education committee.
International Education Week (IEW) is a joint initiative of the U.S. Department of State and the U.S. Department of Education to promote programs that prepare Americans for a global environment and attract future leaders from abroad to study, learn, and exchange experiences in the U.S.
IEW will be celebrated on Dayton-area campuses this week with events that also include passport fairs, lectures and films.
Passport fairs allow the public to apply for or renew a passport for international travel. They will be held at UD on Tuesday, Nov. 18 from 4-7 p.m. in Alumni Hall Room 012, and at Wright State on Thursday, Nov. 20 from 10 a.m-2 p.m. in the University Center for International Education office in the Student Union. For costs and a list of documents needed, click here.
For more information on IEW events, visit UD’s Center for International Programs and Wright State’s University Center for International Education.
Permalink | Comments (0) | Post your comment |
Cedarville brass choir to perform
The Cedarville University Brass Choir will present a free concert Monday, Nov. 24 at the university’s recital hall.
![BrassChoir[1].jpg](http://alt.coxnewsweb.com/shared-blogs/dayton/oncampus/upload/2008/11/cedarville_brass_choir_to_perf/BrassChoir%5B1%5D.jpg)
The program will take attendees on a journey from the classical works of Bach to 20th-century brass and percussion masterpieces such as “Brass Square,” by Don Gillis and “Three Brass Cats” by British composer Chris Hazell.
The program begins at 8:15 p.m., in Recital Hall, Dixon Ministry Center, 251 N. Main St., Cedarville.
Permalink | Comments (0) | Post your comment | Categories: Cedarville University
White House recognizes Clark State’s Project Jericho
Project Jericho, an outreach of Clark State Community College, has received national recognition for its work with the county’s at-risk youth.
First Lady Laura Bush, this morning, presented the Coming Up Taller Award to Project Jericho Community Outreach and Education Director Scott Dawson and 17-year-old Project Jericho participant Anthony Mitchell during a special ceremony held in the East Room of the White House. The local program was among 19 winners from the U.S., Canada, China, Mexico and Egypt. More than 300 agencies were nominated for the honor.
“It was just an incredible experience,” Dawson said in a telephone interview immediately after the ceremony. The First Lady recognized Project Jericho’s youth, family and detention center programs before presenting the plaque. “Anthony and I were able to shake her hand,” Dawson said.
Anthony was slightly breathless when Dawson handed the cell phone to him. “Man the White House was great,” Anthony said. “It was so big and beautiful, but I wasn’t nervous at all.”
Founded in 1999, Project Jericho is an outreach of Clark State and Job and Family Services of Clark County. Thousands of youth have participated in the program that introduces them to the arts, from photography to theater to dance. Their projects include murals at the Rocking Horse Center and Clark County Juvenile Detention Center, along with renovation projects at local parks and music, dance and theater performances at local events.
The Coming Up Taller awards recognize and support outstanding community arts and humanities programs that celebrate the creativity of young people and provide them with new learning opportunities and a chance to contribute to their communities.
Permalink | Comments (0) | Post your comment | Categories: Clark State Community College
“Jerusalem Women” discuss struggle for peace at UD forum
It sounds like the start of a joke: Three women — a Christian, a Jew and a Muslim — will share their stories of everyday life in the Holy Land on Monday, Nov. 17, at the University of Dayton.
In fact, the women are part of the nonprofit Partners for Peace tour, “Jerusalem Women Speak: Three Women, Three Faiths, One Shared Vision.” Their discussion is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. in Jesse Philips Humanities Center Sears Recital Hall on the UD campus in Dayton. The event is free and open to the public.
Partners for Peace provides a public platform for the voices of Israeli and Palestinian women working for a peaceful and just resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, according to the organization’s Web site. Since 1998, the nonprofit has sponsored tours that bring ordinary women from each of the three major religions in the Holy Land to speak to Americans about their daily lives and efforts for peace.
Special topics in this tour include the Gaza “Disengagement” and its aftermath, and the ongoing political and humanitarian crisis in the Palestinian territories.
UD’s religious studies department, women’s and gender studies program, the Women’s Center and the College of Arts and Sciences dean’s office are sponsoring the event. The Center for International Programs will host a free reception following the discussion.
The speakers include:
Enas Muthaffar, a Palestinian Muslim, is an independent filmmaker born and raised in Jerusalem. Muthaffar’s films have been screened internationally in cities such as Jerusalem, Amman, Zurich, London, Chicago and Montreal. She has also worked as a producer/fixer for international media organizations including CNN, National Geographic and the London Times.
Julia Chaitin, a Jewish Israeli, is a professor, mother of three and lifelong advocate for peace and conflict resolution. She is a senior lecturer in the department of social work at Sapir College near Sderot, Israel, and a senior staff member at the Negev Institute for Strategies of Peace and Development. Chaitin has also been an active member of several organizations that promote peace, equality, nonviolence and dialogue.
Lucy Talgieh, a Palestinian Christian, is a project coordinator for women and youth at the Wi-am Center for Conflict Resolution, a grassroots organization empowering Palestinian women and youth through training and education. She is an active volunteer with organizations promoting democracy, nonviolence, human rights, gender equality and conflict resolution.
For more information on Partners for Peace, click here.
Permalink | Comments (0) | Post your comment |
Sinclair launches League for Innovation initiative
Dr. Gerardo E. de los Santos, president of the League for Innovation in the Community College, visited Sinclair Community College on Wednesday, Nov. 12, to help launch Sinclair’s League for Innovation Team.
The League is an international organization dedicated to catalyzing the community college movement, de los Santos said during a meeting Wednesday with the Dayton Daily News Editorial Board.
“We identify innovation that’s taking place at local colleges, so as we can share what’s working, what’s documented, what are some of the challenges,” de los Santos said. “So that, particularly in very difficult economies like we’re experiencing, there is a lot less recreating the wheel. Which can be incredibly expensive in community colleges when you’re talking about trying to create new programs, new courses, new curriculum.”
Sinclair and Dayton have benefited from the League’s College and Career Transitions Initiative, a $12.5 million project to improve student transitions between secondary and postsecondary education and careers, de los Santos said.
Through the League, best practices from Sinclair’s Miami Valley Tech Prep Consortium and Tech Prep Department have been adopted by community colleges in other states. “For instance, Kentucky took one of the models that was helped to be developed at Sinclair and adopted it for all the community colleges within the state of Kentucky,” de los Santos said.
Sinclair’s League for Innovation Team will consist of 15 faculty and staff members who will search out innovative, creative practices at other U.S. community colleges and advise Sinclair President Steven Lee Johnson and his cabinet on new ideas that have promise for Sinclair.
“We’re going to send them out on benchmarking missions, virtually and physically,” Johnson said. “Making those connections with their counterparts so we have more free-flowing information.”
Permalink | Comments (0) | Post your comment |
MIami student part of NASA expedition to study climate change
Kevin Rose, a Miami University zoology graduate student, is one of 17 researchers in Chile and Bolivia this month to document the impact of rapid climate change on high-altitude lakes in the Central Andes, and their ability to sustain life in a highly dynamic environment.
Rose, who also is a Miami research assistant, became involved in the NASA Astrobiology Institute-funded expedition because of his ongoing research of ultraviolet (UV) light and freshwater ecosystems.
The group is studying high altitude lakes, which are considered “hot spots” of global warming and its effects. Those effects can include loss of precipitation, glacier retreat, and increased impact of UV radiation in bodies of water that evaporate. The researchers say the conditions are very similar to what Mars might have experienced about 3.5 billion years ago.
The project not only addresses questions about early Mars water, habitability and life. It also documents how the Earth’s water resources and life are responding to the climate change Earth is experiencing today.
Adventure filmmaker Gordon Brown is with the group, documenting the progress of the expedition and the research driving it. Brown’s work has been featured on National Geographic Explorer, Discovery, ESPN, MTV and other networks.
Rose will return to Miami at the end of November to analyze samples and data. His hope is to publish his findings in a peer-reviewed journal.
Permalink | Comments (0) | Post your comment |
UD featured in new edition of “Colleges of Distinction”
The University of Dayton has been designated a “college of distinction” in the new 2008-2009 edition of “Colleges of Distinction.”
Unlike traditional numeric ranking-based college guidebooks, “Colleges of Distinction” recognizes and appeals to students’ unique interests, realizing the “best” college for one student might be vastly different from the best for another.
Approximately 40 colleges in each of the six geographical regions in the U.S. were selected as meeting four key criteria that make a college truly exceptional: engaged students, great teaching, vibrant communities, and successful outcomes. The featured colleges and universities were determined by a review board of academicians, guidance counselors and parents.
UD was required to go through an application process to be considered, be nationally recognized by education professionals, employ outstanding teachers that provide innovative learning experiences, have an active campus and community that allows for personal development, and be highly valued by employers for its outstanding preparation.
In Ohio, “Colleges of Distinction” also recognized Baldwin-Wallace College, Ohio Northern University, Hiram College, Ohio Wesleyan University, Mount Union College, Lake Erie College, University of Findlay and Defiance College.
New college applicants can also visit the Colleges of Distinction Web site here.
Permalink | Comments (1) | Post your comment |
Sinclair offers scholarship assistance to DHL workers
Sinclair Community College in Dayton is reaching out to DHL workers in the wake of the Monday, Nov. 10, announcement that DHL will close its ground freight operation in Wilmington, as well as the air cargo hub there.
Sinclair will provide displaced DHL workers access to its Displaced Workers Scholarship Fund, as well as a full range of career planning and counseling services. The college hopes to work with DHL employees through their transition into a new career path.
“This is a great blow to many Ohio communities,” said Steven Lee Johnson, president of Sinclair. “Sinclair stands ready with over 175 degree programs and areas of study matched to jobs that are available now and in the future. With Sinclair’s regular financial aid and special scholarships there is much financial assistance available to ease the transition to college and workforce training at Sinclair.”
Sinclair has set up a Web site with additional information about its services for displaced workers here.
Permalink | Comments (0) | Post your comment |
Four universities partner to increase women faculty in STEM fields
Wright State University, the University of Dayton, Central State University and the Air Force Institute for Technology on Monday, Nov. 10, will launch a consortium to improve the Dayton-area climate for women in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) fields.
The four-university partnership will work in the next five years to create a sustainable woman-friendly STEM community for attracting the best faculty to the region.
Wright State, UD, Central State and AFIT will share a $2.86 million National Science Foundation ADVANCE grant to increase the number of women faculty in the STEM areas and in related industries in the region.
The four institutions have created a consortium for the effort, called Launching Equity in the Academy across the Dayton Entrepreneurial Region (LEADER). The consortium will be led by Michele Wheatly, dean of Wright State’s Collee of Science and Mathematics.
The LEADER Consortium will launch Monday, Nov. 10, at a public event at 3:30 p.m. at the Wright Brothers Aviation Center, Carillion Park in Dayton.
Permalink | Comments (0) | Post your comment |
Obama administration has unprecedented ties to higher education
When President-elect Barack Obama takes the oath of office on Jan. 20, 2009, alongside his running mate, Joe Biden, it will mark the first time in history that a president, vice president and both of their spouses have worked in higher education.
Together, the Obamas and the Bidens have amassed decades of experience at colleges and universities, according to the Chronicle of Higher Education.
Obama taught constitutional law at the University of Chicago Law School from 1992-2004, when he took office in the U.S. Senate. His wife, Michelle, worked in administration at the same university. She currently is on leave from her job as vice president for community and external affairs at the University of Chicago Hospitals.
For the past 17 years, Biden has taught as an adjunct professor at the Widener University School of Law. His wife, Jill, is an English instructor at Delaware Technical and Community College’s Stanton-Wilmington campus.
Obama campaigned on a platform that called for increased aid to students, a doubling of federal funds for basic research, and government grants to “successful community colleges” that train unemployed workers in emerging industries, the Chronicle noted.
Permalink | Comments (8) | Post your comment |
Chancellor Fingerhut addresses college transition from quarters to semesters
The University System of Ohio’s “Strategic Plan for Higher Education” calls for public colleges and universities that are still on the quarter system to consider transitioning to a semester academic calendar.
Having a common academic calendar would allow students greater ease in transferring to institutions that match their academic pursuits and personal circumstances, according to the plan.
Eric D. Fingerhut, chancellor of the Ohio Board of Regents, addressed the transition to a single academic calendar on Friday, Oct. 31, during a question-and-answer session at an Academic Leaders Conference at Sinclair Community College.
“We know that we have to be as flexible for students as we possibly can, and so being on a common academic calendar across the state is in the best interest of our state and the best interest of our students,” Fingerhut said to leaders from 30 Ohio colleges and universities.
“Now I do understand that this is a difficult and expensive process, and time-consuming. I know this going to take some time. That’s why this is a 10-year plan,” he said. “I don’t expect it to happen overnight.”
Fingerhut said that he expects community colleges to follow the lead of four-year institutions in their area in transitioning to a semester calendar.
“The four universities in Ohio that are still on the quarter system, they’re small schools like Ohio State, the University of Cincinnati, Ohio University and Wright State,” Fingerhut said, drawing laughter from the audience.
Fingerhut described the transition to a single academic calendar as “collaborative” with the schools.
“In terms of the implementation timetable, that’s something that’s still up in the air and will be decided by each school separately,” he said.
Permalink | Comments (1) | Post your comment |
Clark State’s president top CEO
Congratulations to Clark State Community College President Karen Rafinski who, this weekend, was named the nation’s top community college CEO.
Rafinski was named the top regional CEO in October and I was using the award as an excuse to write a long-overdue profile on the 11-year president of Clark State.
That story, scheduled to run Sunday, will now profile Rafinski as the top national CEO, chosen among leaders of more than 600 community colleges in the U.S.
A few things Clark State board chairman Jim Doyle credits her for:
•The largest and most rapid growth in Clark State’s history.
•Two new academic centers, including the new Greene Center in Beavercreek.
•A student-to-foundation-assets ratio that ranks number one in the state.
•And last year’s capital campaign that exceeded its goal by 71 percent.
Congratulations Karen and Clark State.
Permalink | Comments (0) | Post your comment | Categories: Clark State Community College
Students need proper ID at the polls
Voters will have to prove residency when they head to the polls tomorrow, Nov. 4.
That can be a challenge for out-of-state/county college students whose every piece of ID likely has their home address.
So what to do?
A utility bill will suffice for students who live off-campus but won’t be much help to students who live in residence halls. And a college ID will not be accepted, according to state elections officials.
Wittenberg University is issuing dorm-room utility bill statements to students who will vote locally. The university hopes to stave off any obstacles for students, some of whom reported some resistance when they registered.
Student complaints ranged from challenges to their right to vote here to claims that their parents would no longer be able to claim them on their taxes.
About 500 students registered for the first time despite the complaints, the university reported.
While we’ll let the Secretary of State’s office handle the complaints, we’ll use this time to remind students and perhaps parents of a student voting away from home to get their residency ducks in order before they head to the polls.
Permalink | Comments (0) | Post your comment | Categories: Higher education politics, Wittenberg University
