Post-Secondary News Digest for January 25, 2010

Canada

Minister calls for emergency meeting on First Nations University:
(CBC News) Saskatchewan’s education minister called an emergency meeting with the University of Regina Friday, after he expressed concern about the finances of the First Nations University of Canada. The University of Regina issues degrees on behalf of First Nations, which has been in financial trouble since 2005. The latest allegations of misspending come just a year after Murray Westerlund, the school’s senior financial officer, was let go. Westerlund discovered poor spending habits of school officials. The minister, Rob Norris, has requested an audit of the school’s finances.

Women’s studies becomes “gender studies” at some universities:
(National Post) Queen’s University is the latest school in Canada to change the name of its women’s studies program to “gender studies.” The name change comes after the university launched a graduate program in gender studies and then voted to rename its undergraduate program as well. While most people support the new name, others argue it is simply a strategic attempt to appeal to more people – particularly men.

N.S. Agricultural College gets $7M for innovation centre:
(Chronicle Herald) A new research and business promotion facility will be built at the Nova Scotia Agricultural College in Bible Hill, N.S., after the school received a $7-million donation Sunday. The Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency donated $2 million. The province invested the remainder of the money. The new facility will allow researchers and innovators to meet with entrepreneurs and developers to create business opportunities in the agriculture sector.

U of Winnipeg gets $4M donation:
(Yahoo! News) The University of Winnipeg received the largest private donation in its history last Friday. John and Bonnie Buhler, a local philanthropic couple, made the $4-million donation. The university will put $3 million toward a new 4,645 sq. m centre with state-of-the art classrooms, computer labs and meeting spaces. The centre will be named after the couple. The other $1 million will provide scholarships to students in the faculty of business and economics.

Queen’s U staff member leaving for Haiti relief efforts:
(Queen's Journal) A security supervisor at Queen’s University will leave for earthquake-ravaged Haiti tomorrow to help with relief efforts. Tammy Babcock will focus on helping with basic medicine and first aid so doctors can be free to work on more serious cases. Babcock has been to the country once every two months since 2007 to do humanitarian work. She founded Help Tammy Help Haiti in 2008. The charity worksto help improve the living conditions of people in Cité Soleil, a five-square km slum in Port-au-Prince.

U.S.

Obama to give students a break:
(New York Times) U.S. President Barack Obama’s State of the Union address on Wednesday will propose capping student loan payments according to graduates incomes. The cap would be 10 per cent of a student’s income above a basic living allowance and would cost roughly US$1 billion in taxpayers’ money. Other issues being addressed include tax credits for child care and a requirement that companies allow workers to save automatically for retirement.

U.S. universities mobilize disaster relief for Haiti:
(University World News) Universities and colleges across the United States continue to offer support to Haiti after an earthquake earlier this month. A South Dakota State University basketball coach wants to raise US$30,000 and collect 2,000 pairs of shoes for Haitians. He coached a game barefoot on Saturday. Dartmouth College in Hanover, N.H., has pledged US$100,000 and has already raised US$59,000. The Tallahassee Community College in Florida will fully cover tuition costs for its 35 Haitian students.

U.S. students consider financial stability ‘very important’:
(USA Today) A recent survey from UCLA suggests that college students in the United States are increasingly concerned with money – an issue that affected enrolment in schools across the U.S. last year. Students were more likely to take out loans, have an unemployed parent and say financial aid was “very important” in choosing a college. Also, a record 78.1 per cent identified being “well-off financially” as a very important objective. The survey was based on data from nearly 220,000 students at 197 four-year institutions.

U.S. Congress invests in technological education:
(The New York Times) The U.S. Education Department will soon start handing out grants to help non-profits, such as schools, adopt emerging digital technologies. The idea of a multi-billion dollar trust was first proposed a decade ago by Lawrence K. Grossman, former president of both NBC News and PBS, and Newton N. Minow, the former chairman of the Federal Communications Commission. Their organization has finally received Congressional approval through the Education Department and will be introduced Monday, with the possibility of technological grants being handed out as early as this fall.

Teaching computer games to combat the digital divide:
(Science Daily) Computer scientists in the U.S. think that the process of creating computer games, as opposed to just playing them, could increase the critical and creative thinking skills of students, as well as fight the international digital divide. They have outlined a case for using rapid computer game creation as a new teaching method that could connect people lacking computer skills with those that have them. Applying these methods in an entertaining and productive way may prove to be more successful than other strategies, according to research team.

Strange degrees across the U.S.:
(CNN) Some of the weirdest degrees available at U.S. colleges include a master’s degree in puppetry offered by the University of Connecticut. Maryland’s Hood College offers a Master of Arts in Thantology, which is the academic study of death, in an attempt to prepare students for work with the terminally ill and bereaved. And New Jersey’s Fairleigh Dickinson University offers a Master of Science in Homeland Security, which requires courses such as “Weapons of Mass Destruction/Terrorism Awareness.”

World

Fee protests land 26 students in court:
(University World News) Twenty-six students in Zimbabwe were in court in early January because of a tuition-fee protest. Bindura University’s tuition costs between $485 and $635 per semester. Many students cannot afford the fees. Bindura University of Science Education was going to ban almost half of its students from writing exams in mid-January because the students failed to pay tuition fees. The university has since overturned the decision. Students from the Zimbabwe National Students’ Union were arrested and one student was hospitalized.

Minister: British universities should expect reduced funding:
(BBC News) Britain’s higher education minister David Lammy says universities should start to look for new sources of income. In December, the British government announced it would cut funds to universities by about $231 million. Lammy says universities should expect decreased funding to last “a good few years.” This could affect the variety of courses offered as well as universities’ research methods. He also added that online courses could also become more common.

India’s richest man unveils university project:
(The Australian) Mukesh Ambani, the richest man in India, will commit $253 million to build a university in either Mumbai or Delhi. Ambani wants to model the school after top universities in the United States. Ambani believes the “patchy education system” in India is an obstacle to the country’s economic growth. He wants to establish a university that promotes both scientific disciplines and the arts. The project will be run through his Reliance Foundation.

European universities promote standardization, collaboration:
(University World News) European universities are trying to become more technologically competitive. The European University Association, which represents higher education institutions in 46 countries, is planning projects to better manage universities’ funding by determining costs and promoting collaborative research between universities. The association will hold workshops around Europe and invite government agencies, businesses and outside research organizations.

Oxford prof applies his theory to Facebook:
(Top News) Oxford University Professor Robin Dunbar says humans can only remember up to 150 “important” relationships – despite the high number of Facebook friends some of us have. Dunbar created this theory, called Dunbar’s number, in the 1990s and is now studying social networking websites to determine whether they cause that capacity to expand. Cameron Marlow, a research scientist for Facebook, agrees with Dunbar’s theory. He says most people who use social networking websites “restrict to only genuine relationships.”

Reading University gets $1.7M to study heart disease:
(BBC News) The British Heart Foundation has given Reading University $1.7 million to research the prevention of strokes and heart attacks. Professor Jon Gibbins will lead 12 researchers in examining how blood cells form clots and thrombosis. Every year, nearly 190,000 people in the United Kingdom die from cardiovascular diseases. Gibbins says the donation “illustrates the vital research” at the university. He hopes it will result in new treatments for heart disease.

Putin orders free education for Haitians in Russia:
(RIA Novosti) Russian Premier Vladimir Putin announced today the country will fund tuition for all Haitian students enrolled in Russian universities. Putin addressed students at the state university in Russia’s central republic, Chuvashia. There are 75 Haitian students currently attending universities in Russia. “We have decided that all those who are studying on a paid basis will study at the expense of the Russian federal budget,” he said.