University News from the West

New Questions on Women, Academe and Careers
Top scholars gather to share research findings and works in progress that explore why gender gaps persist in the professoriate and other prestigious jobs on campuses.


Did My Job Disappear?
Either in the classroom or at career services, top business schools scramble to counsel students and recent alumni whose job prospects may have taken a hit with the recent shakeups on Wall Street.

Covering Up or Scaring Off?
High school counselors remain divided on what they should tell colleges about the disciplinary records of applicants. Should admissions officers know if potential students were suspended?

The Competition to Be Transparent
Long criticized for providing too little information about their prices and performance, college groups are now pouring (often overlapping) information onto the Internet.

Planning for Contraction
Timothy Burke looks at the changing economic landscape for higher education -- and sees a coming period of relative austerity.

Can Higher Education Regulate Itself?
Amid "pause" in federal push to toughen oversight of campuses and accreditors, academic leaders begin discussion of how to persuade public (and elected officials) that colleges can govern themselves.

I'll Take My Lecture to Go, Please
Comprehensive study finds that students overwhelmingly prefer having their lectures available online, either for remote access or for later viewing.



THE Awards 2008: shortlist
It is four years since the launch of the Times Higher Education Awards.
For the 2008 Awards, more than 130 institutions have submitted an impressive 500-plus entries. As always, shortlisting has been a difficult task, but the entries in the 18 categories paint a picture of a higher education sector that is innovative, imaginative and inspirational

Howdy partners
As state funding for public education plummets, US universities are forging mutually beneficial alliances at local level. Jon Marcus reports

SPECIAL SERIES: How universities help fight crime Keith Nuthall
It's the mother of clichés: crime pays. But, happily for many of the world's top universities, this is sometimes true. With commercial and financial crime becoming ever more complex, academics are responding to demand and becoming experts on a subject that the private and public sectors want to understand. In the first of an occasional series of articles, University World News this week takes a look at some of the better-known North American academics in a cutting edge and developing field.

US: Experts tackle commercial criminals Monica Dobie
Companies fighting commercial crime are always on the lookout for new resources and tools to deal with the problem. Where better to look than the world's best universities in America?

EUROPE: EIT starts work with first board meeting Keith Nuthall
The often controversial European Institute of Innovation and Technology has begun operations, with its newly appointed governing board having its first meeting and the European Commission claiming it will help close Europe's research spending gap compared with the United States.

INDIA: Big grant for biomedical research Subbiah Arunachalam
Biomedical research in India is in for good times. The UK-based Wellcome Trust, the world's largest private sector funding agency for biomedical research, has joined with India's Department of Biotechnology to create a new biomedical research career programme. The £80 million (US$148.3 million), five-year partnership will not only boost cutting-edge biomedical research but also complement the recent Wellcome Trust investment to support public health research in the country.

RUSSIA: Study into training for oil and gas industryNick Holdsworth
Russia's ability to produce specialist graduates for the oil and gas industries will be put under the spotlight in a new European Union-funded comparative study. The six-month investigation, Building Capability in Russian Educational Institutions, is being put out to tender and is expected to be ready to start next year.


US: Investigating collaboration in graduate education
The American Council of Graduate Schools* is to investigate international collaborations in graduate education, following the award of a $200,000 grant from the National Science Foundation. The study will include joint and dual degrees, and student and faculty exchange programmes.


It's All About Teaching - Latest NYT Magazine Education Issue steven bell
The New York Times Magazine fall education issue is now available online and this issue's theme is "It's All About Teaching". From the issue description: Does teaching make you a bad writer? Could it make you a good president? How would you teach on YouTube? How would you teach in Dubai? How can you teach with ... style? From Alaska to Alabama to the Persian Gulf, we look at the mysteries of teaching in all its variety. There's too much here to describe it all so just take a look for yourself.

IHEs Improve Their Environmental Friendliness steven bell
Two out of three colleges and universities are more environmentally friendly than they were a year ago, according to a leading annual survey, as students press for more sustainable practices on their campuses. Just 15 schools received the highest grade. Colleges were graded on a range of factors - administration, climate change and energy, food and recycling, green building, student involvement, transportation, endowment transparency, investment priorities, and shareholder engagement.

Zakumi revealed

We have a new mascot for the 2010 Soccer World Cup - Zakumi! The ZA stand for South Africa and Kumi means 10 in various African languages.

Here is a snippet from his official website:

So what can we say about him? One thing is for sure, Zakumi will be first on the dancefloor and last off it at the biggest party in the world - the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa™. He wants to dance and entertain as many people as he can. He is an animator for fans, players and officials, for schoolchildren, teenagers and big kids alike!

Needless to say, he is extremely proud to be the Official Mascot and determined to be the best host for everyone visiting his beloved country. He symbolizes South Africa and the rest of the African continent through his self-confidence, pride, hospitality, social skills and warm-heartedness.

Zakumi is a jolly, self-confident, adventurous, spontaneous, and actually quite shrewd little fellow. He loves to perform and always follows his instinct and intuition, yet sometimes has the tendency to exaggerate a bit. You will often find him fooling about and teasing people but not in a mean way. He is warm-hearted and caring, and wants to make as many friends as possible.
He loves to play football as it is a great way to connect with others and break down language barriers. He always carries his football around which he will use to invite people to play with him.

AMPS 2008 released

SAARF has released the latest All Media and Products Survey - AMPS 2008A recently.

Overall, only print and online have attracted more media consumers than they did in the previous release, AMPS® 2007B. The electronic media have remained stable, while the out of home sector, once a stranger to the world of audience losses, has seen a number of its media types in decline.

Here are some highlights:

NEWSPAPERS

As in the previous AMPS® survey, the newspaper medium has again significantly improved its numbers. The medium in total is up from 46.8% in AMPS® 2007B, and from 44.4% a year ago, to 48.4%, with a total of 15,162-million readers. In the space of a year, newspapers have attracted a further 1,337-million readers.

MAGAZINES
AMPS® 2008A does not have good news for magazines overall, which have remained stable over the previous survey. While the current reach of 40.4% may not be a significant improvement over AMPS® 2007B, it is however a significant increase over the previous year, when magazine reach was 37.5%. Total magazine readership is 12,632-million, boosted primarily by growth in the Northern Cape, amongst females, and those aged 16-24.

TELEVISION
Across a week, 83.8% of South African adults watch television, remaining stable on the previous survey. The only significant change was seen for DStv, whose audience is up to 15.2%. While some of this increase is due to improvements on the DStv questions in the AMPS® questionnaire, the platform is still enjoying real growth, as seen in the rise in its subscriptions.

RADIO
Total radio listening across the week remains unchanged over the previous survey, with movement only in the North West, where listeners increased. Community radio however, has grown. Currently, the radio medium reaches 94.1% of all adults in SA (29,459-million listeners). The community radio sector reaches 18.4% of adults, up significantly over the 17.1% seen in AMPS® 2007B. Total community listenership is 5,750-million (up in the Northern Cape and North West).

CINEMA
Across all time filters, except “Cinema – Ever”, this medium has shown no significant growth or decline.

INTERNET
Internet usage continues to rise significantly, mirroring the trends seen in the previous AMPS® survey.
Across the week, 2,419-million South African adults go online, accounting for 7.7% of the adult population, a significant increase over the 6.9% seen in AMPS® 2007B. These gains came through specifically from the Northern Cape, and amongst the 16-24 age group.

Civil Aviation Bill 2008

Copyright: clix .

The Parliamentary Committee on Transport has been briefed on the Civil Aviation Bill 2008.

Summary:

The Civil Aviation Bill was presented to the Committee. It was explained that the Bill was quite technical.

Its primary purpose was to ensure that there was compliance with the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO), to improve civil aviation in South Africa as well as consolidation of legislation.

The Bill also introduced the creation of the Aviation Safety Investigation Board (ASIB) whose primary purpose was to identify safety deficiencies, report publicly on its findings and its sole objective was accident prevention.

The Civil Aviation Authority was also covered in clauses 70 to 78, and the Civil Aviation Authority Board in clauses 70 to 90. The monitoring and enforcement of regulatory compliance was set out in clauses 101 to 140. The National Civil Aviation Security Coordinator provisions were in clauses 141 to 151.

Members asked why the Security Coordinator was being paid by the Department, and it was explained that some of the institutional issues would be addressed again after public comment.

The comment was made that it would be useful to look at the International Organisation’s requirements and wording and that the Department must start to develop policy.

Further questions related to the replacement of the Director, the position of the Executive Board, the sub entities associated with the Appeals Board, the need for the Appeals Committee, the disparity between the treatment of disabled people on different flights and airlines, and the need to look again at the clause dealing with owners of aircraft.

New titles @ the library

Copyright: bizior

For Sport & Movement Studies

Physical activity and health / Claude Bouchard, Steven N. Blair, William L. Haskell, editors.
PUBLISHER Champaign, Ill. : Human Kinetics, c2007.
SHELF NO KOP BOUC.

Arnheim's principles of athletic training : a competency-based approach / William E. Prentice.
PUBLISHER Boston : McGraw-Hill Higher Education, c2009.
SHELF NO KOP PREN.

Clinical exercise physiology / Jonathan K. Erhman ... [et al.], editors.
PUBLISHER Champaign, Ill. : Human Kinetics, c2003.
SHELF NO KOP EHRM.

Biomechanical analysis of fundamental human movements / Arthur E.Chapman.
PUBLISHER Champaign, Ill. : Human Kinetics, c2008.
SHELF NO KOP CHAP.

Dynamic physical education for elementary school children / Robert P. Pangrazi.
PUBLISHER San Francisco : Pearson/Benjamin Cummings, c2007.
SHELF NO KOB PANG.



Physical activity and type 2 diabetes : therapeutic effects and mechanisms of action / John A. Hawley, Juleen R. Zierath, editors.
PUBLISHER Champaign, Ill. : Human Kinetics, c2008.
SHELF NO KOP HAWL.

Low back disorders : evidence-based prevention and rehabilitation/ Stuart McGill.
PUBLISHER Champaign, Ill. : Human Kinetics, 2007.
SHELF NO KOP MCGI .

Physical activity assessments for health-related research / Gregory J. Welk, editor.
PUBLISHER Champaign, Ill. : Human Kinetics, c2002.
SHELF NO KOP WELK.

Skeletal muscle damage and repair / Peter M. Tiidus, editor.
PUBLISHER Champaign, Ill. : Human Kinetics, c2008.
SHELF NO KOP TIID.

For Business Management
Strategic management and business policy / Thomas L. Wheelen, J. David Hunger.
PUBLISHER Upper Saddle River, NJ ; Harlow : Pearson Prentice Hall, c2008.
SHELF NO EBM WHEE .

12 : the elements of great managing / by Rodd Wagner and James K.
Harter.
PUBLISHER New York, N.Y. : Gallup Press, 2006.
SHELF NO EBM WAGN.



For Marketing Management
Married to the brand : why consumers bond with some brands for life : lessons from 60 years of research into the psychology of consumer relationships / by William J. McEwen.
PUBLISHER New York : Gallup, 2005.
SHELF NO EBJ MCEW.

Pendorings 2008

Bizcommunity reported that Joe Public South Africa not only won three golden Pendorings at the 14th annual Pendoring advertising competition that took place on Friday, 19 September 2008, at Vodaworld in Midrand, Gauteng, it also walked away with the sought-after Prestige Award, the highest Pendoring honour. Francois de Villiers, executive creative director of Draftfcb (Cape Town), took home the Legend Award, given away for the second time only.

More

University news from the West

Golden opportunities
As the Olympic flame departs Beijing 2008 and the world's attention shifts to London 2012, UK universities are looking forward to sharing the spotlight. Hannah Fearn reports
Judgment calls
Amid worries about examining practices, Times Higher Education asked ten academics to mark a first-year paper. Verdicts ranged from zero to a 2:1, but the markers identified an inherent consensus, says Rebecca Attwood
Reform unfair financial aid system, says Hepi
Report calls for national pool of fee income to end ‘market’ in bursaries
Staff may get a zero salary offer to avoid redundancies Reports from the Universities UK conference


Graduate Enrollments Are Up, but Uneven
Gains are greater for foreign students than those from the U.S., for blacks than for whites, and for those studying in the health sciences than in other disciplines.

Graduate Enrollments Are Up, but Uneven Gains are greater for foreign students than those from the U.S., for blacks than for whites, and for those studying in the health sciences than in other disciplines.

Sharing Your Notes Online -- and Getting Paid for It
A new Web site brings social networking and ad revenues to the traditional note-taking service, but the model could raise copyright issues. Knetwit, as it’s called, is a Web site that combines some familiar Web 2.0 features — user profiles, file sharing, online communities — with the goals of campus note-taking services. Students — or, potentially, professors — join the site for free and can post their notes, papers and other assignments that might be helpful to others. Depending on one’s point of view, that could be equivalent to study sessions or tantamount to cheating.


GLOBAL: OECD calls for greater internationalisation Karen MacGregor
Governments should position their higher education systems in the global arena, develop a strategy and framework for internationalisation and encourage institutions to be more proactive internationally, says an OECD report published last week. Tertiary Education for the Knowledge Society offers this and other policy advice to countries striving to build tertiary education in ways that stimulate innovation, competitiveness and economic growth.

GLOBAL: What are universities for?
The enduring elements of the success of universities explain why, in a global economy, they are now regarded as crucial national assets. But a discussion paper released last Thursday says this has also resulted in a certain amount of "loose thinking" about the roles that universities can play in society, while obscuring their most important contributions to it.

US: Foreign students better at completing PhDs Philip Fine
International students in the US finish their PhDs at a higher rate than domestic students, according to the Council of Graduate Schools which has released results from the largest analysis to date of data on doctoral students.

NEW ZEALAND: New category of university rejected John Gerritsen
A parliamentary committee has advised against creation of a new category of tertiary institution aimed at bridging the gap between New Zealand's universities and polytechnics. The Education and Science Select committee delivered its report on a controversial Bill proposing creation of the 'university of technology' as a separate category of institution.

EUROPE: Radical new ICT approach needed Alan Osborn
The European Commission has launched a major consultation about the development of information and communications technology in the EU following indications that Europe is slipping further behind in the global technology race. The consultation runs until 7 November and is part of Brussels' far-reaching response to the so-called Ahu report issued this summer, which identified a number of key failings in European ICT research and innovation.


Higher Education Will Feel The Impact of Baby Boom Retirements steven bell Higher education in particular will be faced with a significant number of faculty members and administrative staff retiring, and that number is only projected to rise over the years. To gain a firsthand perspective on how the baby boomer retirement phenomenon is projected to affect higher education, we spoke with two key decision makers at prominent Southern California institutions. When they do leave, the administrative staff and faculty members walking out the university door are veritable vessels of institution-specific knowledge. "You're losing the institutional history and continuity of teaching content that you've had over the years," Rushforth said.

Remedial Education Is Costly For IHEs steven bell It's a tough lesson for millions of students just now arriving on campus: even if you have a high school diploma, you may not be ready for college. In fact, a new study calculates, one-third of American college students have to enroll in remedial classes. The bill to colleges and taxpayers for trying to bring them up to speed on material they were supposed to learn in high school comes to between $2.3 billion and $2.9 billion annually.