Oral Roberts University Prez Steps Down

Web-surfing student complains of finger injury

(NEWSER) - A professor who got fed up with a student surfing the Internet instead of taking notes has been arrested and suspended for closing her laptop. Frank Rybicki, a professor of mass media at Valdosta State University, was arrested for battery after the student complained that her finger had been hurt when he closed the computer. The professor tells Inside Higher Ed that the Georgia university has told him not to discuss the incident, although he stresses that he has never harmed a student. More»

(NEWSER) - An SMU dean has a message for his fellow college professors: Ditch the PowerPoint. Jose A. Bowen isn't anti-technology, explains the Chronicle of Higher Education, he just thinks too many instructors rely on it as a crutch. He's challenging others to "teach naked," without computers in the classroom, that is. Instead, give students podcasts of lectures before class, then use class time to debate and think. More»

Liberal legacy waning with new generation

(NEWSER) - University campuses all over the country are becoming less passionate and more businesslike as liberal '60s professors retire, the New York Times reports. The process is expected to accelerate over the next decade as Baby Boomers hired in the great '70s expansion of higher education move on, to be replaced by a generation for whom '60s-style radicalism is ancient history. More»

Top US schools opening full-degree programs across globe

(NEWSER) - With overseas demand for an American education skyrocketing, US universities are racing to go global, reports the New York Times. Many schools are building foreign branch campuses, where students, especially in the Middle East, can skip over to Abu Dhabi and return home with an NYU degree—without mastering culture shock. Universities use the added presence to build international prestige and draw star professors. More»

Dodgy account used to defraud IRS, renovate ex-president's home

(NEWSER) - Oral Roberts University leaders funneled $1 billion a year from the books for their personal use, a former accountant alleges in a lawsuit. The charges are the latest accusations of financial misdeeds to hit the college, the AP reports. The suit names former president Richard Roberts and his wife as among the defendants. Board members also participated, says the suit, so "the foxes were watching the hen house." More»