Guardian (UK) 1 hour, 40 minutes ago
(Newser)
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Taking a stand against Britain's anti-astronaut policy, the University of Leicester is starting a course to teach students how to survive in space, the Guardian reports. The school has hired NASA shuttle veteran Jeff Hoffman to explain the physical and psychological demands of space travel. The UK government, meanwhile, is reviewing its policy against manned space flight.
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President warns of budgetary reshuffling
Harvard Crimson Nov 11, 08 11:50 CST
(Newser)
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Even its $36.9 billion endowment (as of June, that is) won't protect Harvard, the nation's richest university, from feeling the effects of the financial crisis, its president said yesterday. Drew Faust said cost savings would be in order, though specific plans aren’t settled, the Harvard Crimson reports. One thing that won’t be affected, she said, is the university’s financial aid policy, which includes a commitment to eliminate tuition for families who earn less than $60,000.
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Time Nov 7, 08 8:12 PM CST
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Sweet sixteen is the right time to leave high school and leap into higher education, New Hampshire education officials say. Following advice from a blue-ribbon panel that warned of America's educational decline 2 years ago, the state plans to test 10th graders with tough new exams. Those who pass can attend community or tech colleges instead of high school, Time reports.
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CNN Oct 27, 08 5:57 CDT
(Newser)
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Two students were killed and one wounded in gunfire outside a dorm at the University of Central Arkansas last night, CNN reports. One person has been detained in the shooting, but no arrests have been made. “At this time we do have some pretty good leads,” police said. One student died outside the dorm; another, an 18-year-old male, died in the hospital.
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Prof explores 'wider issues behind the Star Wars universe;' light saber not included
Daily Telegraph (UK) Sep 11, 08 7:57 PM CDT
(Newser)
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The force will now be with university students: Queen’s University in Belfast is offering a new course on Jedi knights that it hopes will impart universal lessons to students, be they fans of Star Wars or not, the Telegraph reports. The one-day class, entitled “Feel the Force: How to Train in the Jedi Way,” promises to teach “real-life psychological techniques behind Jedi mind tricks.”
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VP hopeful zig-zagged from Idaho to Hawaii to Alaska over 6 years
Associated Press Sep 5, 08 12:30 PM CDT
(AP)
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Republican vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin seems to have switched colleges at least six times in 6 years, including two stints at the University of Idaho before she graduated from there in 1987. Palin and three friends went to the University of Hawaii at Hilo after graduation from high school in 1982, but left after a few weeks. She then enrolled at Hawaii Pacific University in Honolulu, but attended only as a freshman during fall 1982.
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16% jump in requests for tuition help as economy slumps
San Francisco Chronicle Aug 11, 08 12:10 PM CDT
(Newser)
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A soaring number of students are requesting financial aid as a result of the country’s economic downturn, the San Francisco Chronicle reports. Some 8.9 million students filed for federal aid in the first half of this year—up 16.3% from last year. Many public universities are struggling to keep up with the increase, in turn forcing more students to look to loans.
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Northwestern to join ranks of universities offering 2-year law degree program
Time Jul 24, 08 8:02 PM CDT
(Newser)
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Northwestern University’s law school will offer its JD program, normally a 3-year commitment, in 2 years, a move designed to increase the school's competitive edge and respond to critics who say students with jobs lined up coast through their final year. Northwestern isn't pioneering the approach, but as the first top-tier school to offer a shortened program, other elite universities may follow, Time reports.
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Schools shut down tradition as online networks take over
Economist Jul 5, 08 5:59 CDT
(Newser)
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The next generation of college graduates will have to rely on MySpace and Facebook to recall the good times and look up old friends, for the era of the yearbook is drawing to a close. With hardbound copies costing up to $75, the Economist cites Purdue University and nearby DePauw as two colleges that have canned the tradition; others have cut print runs dramatically.
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OPINION
It's too easy for drug companies to skirt lax academic regulations
Chronicle of Higher Education Jun 22, 08 6:07 PM CDT
(Newser)
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Weak legislation allows professors to collect huge under-the-table payments from Big Pharma, and it’s time to fight back, Dan Greenberg writes in the Chronicle of Higher Education . Pharmaceutical companies pay professors to shill drugs and lend their names to industry research, and the only oversight is an honor-system mechanism requiring profs to report outside income to the university—not to a federal agency.
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Dreaded university entrance exam covers 12 years of study
Slate Jun 8, 08 7:06 CDT
(Newser)
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At least 10 million high school students in China are taking the grueling gaokao , or "high test," to win a coveted spot at college. It’s a two-day ordeal that covers everything students have learned for a dozen years. It also shuts down neighborhoods, redirects traffic, and determines which kids grab the 5.7 million university openings available in 2009.
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New generations of grads find keeping in touch easier over web
New York Times Jun 2, 08 2:05 PM CDT
(Newser)
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Once upon a time, the college alumni magazine was an invaluable resource. Keeping up on old friends and enemies was as easy as flipping to the “class notes” section. But that once-mighty column now looks antiquated next to the constant updates offered on Facebook or MySpace, and it’s forcing colleges to rethink their business model, the New York Times reports.
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Israel won't let the students leave Gaza
to study abroad
New York Times May 30, 08 6:17 CDT
(Newser)
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Eight Palestinians have had their Fulbright scholarships taken away because Israel won't grant them visas to leave the Gaza Strip, reports the New York Times. Israel has isolated Gaza since Hamas took control of the territory last year. The State Department has allocated the prestigious scholarships to students the West Bank instead, to avoid losing them, the AP reports, and the Gaza students have been advised to apply again next year.
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Sexes sharing a room no biggie, students say
Associated Press May 3, 08 2:45 PM CDT
(Newser)
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Parents who schooled in same-sex dorms are surprised to hear that their kids are sharing coed college rooms, the AP reports. About two dozen schools—including Brown, Penn, and Oberlin—allow the practice, and more are following suit this year, including Stanford. Schools say coed dorm users are usually heterosexual and happen to like living with a friend of the opposite sex.
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