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From the issue dated October 10, 2008 |
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Short SubjectsTHE 2008 IG NOBELSArmadillos, lap dancers, and indignant coworkers are among the subjects of this year's winning research projects. BACK IN THE SADDLE: The University of Richmond's chancellor crosses the country on his Harley, retracing in reverse the route he hitchhiked 62 years ago. CRASHING THE PARTY: A professor helps himself to the political front that Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman founded and then abandoned. FREE MOVIES: Three students have created a Web site to allow cinemaphiles to share their DVDs with one another. The FacultyBUILDING BRIDGESCommunity colleges try to remedy a shortfall in American engineers by creating programs that help students transfer to four-year programs. ADVICE TO A NEW DEPARTMENT CHAIRNo matter how reluctantly you took the job, no one forced you to accept it. YEARNING AFTER BOOKSWhy are so many artists and writers preoccupied by the so-called demise of bookish culture? NO POACHING ALLOWED: A $35-million gift for endowed professorships will help Cornell University retain high-visibility faculty members sought by other institutions. Research & BooksENUMERATING ARTS AND LETTERSCan the value of journals and scholarship in the humanities be quantified and ranked, as if they were in the sciences? European governments think so, but editors are up in arms. THE 2008 IG NOBELSArmadillos, lap dancers, and indignant coworkers are among the subjects of this year's winning research projects. TRAVELING TITLES: The University of Pennsylvania Press takes over publication of Dissent magazine, and the University of Central Arkansas will provide a home for Exquisite Corpse. THE NOT-SO-LONELY CROWD: The growth of social isolation in America may have been exaggerated in a well-known study, says a sociologist at the University of California at Berkeley. Information TechnologyTOO MUCH INFORMATIONColleges encourage the use of cellphones for emergency-alert purposes, but professors have begun to worry that students can use their phones during exams to cheat off the Web. FROM PAIN TO GAIN: Wall Street's troubles may be creating a boom in information-technology jobs, says Computerworld magazine. DATA-DRIVEN CASE: Thomson Reuters Inc. has sued George Mason University over what the company says is a software product reverse-engineered from one of its own. LINKED IN WITH: Ed L. Schrader, president of Brenau University, a small liberal-arts college that has decided to offer online courses. Money & ManagementCRISIS AND OPPORTUNITYWhile some colleges face big problems as a result of the accelerating economic downturn, others may actually benefit. PREPARING FOR HISTORYChancellor Robert C. Khayat knew that last month's presidential debate could showcase the new Ole Miss, and through that hectic day, he worried that someone might spoil it. MULTIPLE CHOICE, IMPROVEDSince the College of the Holy Cross stopped requiring standardized-test scores from applicants, the quality of its entering classes has improved, writes the director of admissions, Ann B. McDermott. HOW TO AVOID BECOMING A ONE-HIT WONDERAfter three years on the job, a president offers his Top 10 list of dos and don'ts. LESSONS OF RECESSIONS PASTColleges can steel themselves for an imminent economic downturn by taking stock of previous bad times, writes David W. Breneman. SPORTS AND SEX AND DAMAGE CONTROL: The situation at the University of Iowa was all too familiar: Two athletes accused of rape; a botched response by the university; heads roll. Why does such a scenario keep recurring? NO POACHING ALLOWED: A $35-million gift for endowed professorships will help Cornell University retain high-visibility faculty members sought by other institutions. TITLE IX OR SECTION 1983: The U.S. Supreme Court will hear arguments in a case that could narrow plaintiffs' opportunities to win sexual-discrimination lawsuits against colleges. CASH CRUNCH: Wachovia bank is limiting withdrawals from the accounts of hundreds of colleges that invest through Commonfund, leaving them unable to reach billions of dollars they depend on for salaries, construction, and debt payments. DELVING MORE DEEPLY: The IRS has designed a highly detailed financial questionnaire that 400 colleges will soon receive. BACK IN THE SADDLE: The University of Richmond's chancellor crosses the country on his Harley, retracing in reverse the route he hitchhiked 62 years ago. AthleticsSPORTS AND SEX AND DAMAGE CONTROL: The situation at the University of Iowa was all too familiar: Two athletes accused of rape; a botched response by the university; heads roll. Why does such a scenario keep recurring? Government & PoliticsCOLLEGE-RELATED REFERENDAAmong the ballot measures that will be before voters in 13 states this November are 17 proposals that would directly affect higher education. PREPARING FOR HISTORYChancellor Robert C. Khayat knew that last month's presidential debate could showcase the new Ole Miss, and through that hectic day, he worried that someone might spoil it. FOCUS ON RACEBallot initiatives that oppose affirmative action wind up hurting all students, write Michele S. Moses, Patricia Marin, and John T. Yun. JUST SAY NOWinning federal grants attracts attention, says Steven L. Peck, but such awards aren't for every researcher. IN CALIFORNIA: Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed two bills of interest to higher education, including one to protect researchers from animal-rights extremists, but vetoed one that would have created an accountability system for public colleges. 400 MORE COLLEGES JOIN: Student borrowing through the U.S. Education Department's direct-lending program has grown by nearly 50 percent this year. CRASHING THE PARTY: A professor helps himself to the political front that Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman founded and then abandoned. TITLE IX OR SECTION 1983: The U.S. Supreme Court will hear arguments in a case that could narrow plaintiffs' opportunities to win sexual-discrimination lawsuits against colleges. StudentsRESETTING EXPECTATIONSThe challenges that black men and boys face in the classroom are well documented. Now researchers are urging colleges to pay more attention to why some of them succeed academically, and to make the most of that knowledge. FOCUS ON RACEBallot initiatives that oppose affirmative action wind up hurting all students, write Michele S. Moses, Patricia Marin, and John T. Yun. BE BETTER PREPAREDHigh schools, colleges, and state officials must work together to ensure that students are ready for college, says Michael Kirst. TESTY ISSUE: At the annual conference of the National Association for College Admission Counseling, the SAT and ACT were the subjects of heated discussions. WRITING PRIZE AWARDED: A Harvard University senior has won The Chronicle's David W. Miller Award for Student Journalists. 'NO NAME,' NOT BRAND NAME: The late admissions consultant Loren Pope valued the fit between an individual student and a college more than he did an Ivy League pedigree. FREE MOVIES: Three students have created a Web site to allow cinemaphiles to share their DVDs with one another. InternationalTURNING A CORNER IN MEXICOUnder new leadership, the troubled University of the Americas-Puebla starts to restore its once-grand reputation. $800-MILLION PROGRAM: South Korea offers grants to foreign scholars, particularly Americans, to collaborate on research projects with its universities. 'BE PARANOID': Private universities in Mexico have beefed up security in the face of a wave of kidnappings and other violence. GLOBALIZED BY DEGREES: The University of Western Australia is the latest of a half-dozen institutions in the country to overhaul its academic programs in an attempt to fall in line with global standards. CommentaryFOCUS ON RACEBallot initiatives that oppose affirmative action wind up hurting all students, write Michele S. Moses, Patricia Marin, and John T. Yun. BE BETTER PREPAREDHigh schools, colleges, and state officials must work together to ensure that students are ready for college, says Michael Kirst. MULTIPLE CHOICE, IMPROVEDSince the College of the Holy Cross stopped requiring standardized-test scores from applicants, the quality of its entering classes has improved, writes the director of admissions, Ann B. McDermott. JUST SAY NOWinning federal grants attracts attention, says Steven L. Peck, but such awards aren't for every researcher. LESSONS OF RECESSIONS PASTColleges can steel themselves for an imminent economic downturn by taking stock of previous bad times, writes David W. Breneman. The Chronicle ReviewRACE AND THE ELECTIONBarack Obama has been presented as the transracial emblem of a postracial era. The realities of inequality and identity politics say otherwise, writes David R. Roediger. AMERICAS ORIGINAL SINWhere does the Obama campaign leave the black narrative of victimization? asks Gerald L. Early. THOUGHT POLICESubjecting young people to brain imaging to screen for violent tendencies is fraught with reductionist, racist, and classist ethical dangers, writes Troy Duster. OFF THE CHARTSScholars explain how the financial crisis affects their understanding and teaching of economic theory. SCHOOL FOR SCANDALTwo books examine why some public figures can get away with moral lapses while others are ruined by them, writes Susan Bordo. RESTLESS MINDSA composition instructor empathizes with students who have ADHD, because she does too, writes Sarah Rasher. NOTA BENE: New books illuminate Gotham's night lights, survey its repeated fictional destruction, and cross-fade to its interwar film industry. Plus: A documentary looks at Grove Press's Barney Rosset. Letters to the EditorChronicle CareersYEARNING AFTER BOOKSWhy are so many artists and writers preoccupied by the so-called demise of bookish culture? HOW TO AVOID BECOMING A ONE-HIT WONDERAfter three years on the job, a president offers his Top 10 list of dos and don'ts. ADVICE TO A NEW DEPARTMENT CHAIRNo matter how reluctantly you took the job, no one forced you to accept it. DETAILS OF AVAILABLE POSTS, including teaching and research positions in higher education, administrative and executive jobs, and openings outside academe |