University fundraising falls 12 percent in 2009
Charitable contributions to colleges and universities plummeted an average 11.9 percent nationwide in 2009, the steepest drop in at least three decades, reports the Associated Press.
Spike in online enrollment not surprising to many
The 2009 Sloan-C report on online education confirmed what campus officials have seen during the country’s economic downturn: Americans are flocking to web-based classes.
Wrongful ISP piracy suspension raises questions
If internet service providers are going to become copyright police, then a recent case involving a Colorado woman suggests there’s a need for better safeguards to prevent people from being wrongly accused and cut off from the web, CNET reports.
Blind law student wins computer aid for bar exam
A blind law student can use computer-assisted reading devices in next month’s bar exam, a federal judge has ruled, rejecting the examiners’ arguments that the assistance was too generous and might let someone steal the test questions, reports the San Francisco Chronicle.
FY11 budget would boost research funding, student aid
Research university officials praised President Obama’s fiscal 2011 budget, which includes more funding for the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Pell Grant program used by nearly 9 million college students this year.
Supercomputer breakthrough allows astronomers to share universe simulations
Supercomputing has helped astrophysicists create massive models of the universe, but such simulations have remained out of reach for many researchers. That could change, however, after a successful test allowed scientists in Portland, Ore., to watch a Chicago-based simulation of how ordinary matter and mysterious dark matter evolved in the early universe, Space.com reports.
Wireless mic frequency change could affect colleges
Colleges and universities that use wireless microphones operating on the 700 megahertz (MHz) frequency band have until June 12 to change the radio frequency or buy new equipment, according to a Jan. 15 ruling by the Federal Communications Commission.
Online language-learning programs thriving
With the growth of broadband connectivity and social networks, companies have introduced a wide range of internet-based language learning products, both free and fee-based, that allow students to interact in real time with instructors in other countries, gain access to their lesson plans wherever they are in the world, and communicate with like-minded virtual pen pals who are also trying to learn the same language, reports the New York Times.
Nova Southeastern dean making IT grads more marketable
Leo Irakliotis doesn’t just want to develop academics and researchers. The newly appointed dean of Nova Southeastern University’s Graduate School of Computer and Information Sciences also wants tech-savvy business people who can talk the talk of the corporate world.
Professors file petition against Google Books settlement
From UC Berkeley to Cornell, more than 80 professors have signed a petition against a pending settlement agreement between Google Inc. and authors and publishers, reports the Daily Californian.