Universities around the world have failed to do enough to confront Islamism on campus when they are one of the prime targets for recruitment. GEORGE READINGS argues that universities need to ensure they treat Islamist intimidation of students as similar to racism or other forms of abuse.
When Umar Farouq Abdulmutallab attempted to detonate a bomb on board a flight to Detroit on Christmas Day 2009, attention was immediately focused on his time as a student in London. In particular, during his studies at University College London, he had posted fantasies about engaging in violent jihad to online discussion forums and, as president of the college's Islamic Society, invited a variety of radical speakers to take part in a 'War on Terror' week on campus.
Abdulmutallab's case is not exceptional. No fewer than 15 individuals implicated in terrorist plots and attacks have had some link to British universities.
Despite the increased awareness of the dangers of extremist activity on campuses in the months following Abdulmutallab's attempted attack, extraordinary events were taking place on another campus just across London, at City University.
Although no violence resulted, a handful of extremists were able to take control of the student Islamic Society and use it as a platform to spread violently intolerant views. They also intimidated gay, Jewish and Muslim students who disagreed with their views, undermining their basic rights and liberties. Members of the society even used its website to post messages supportive of the al-Qaeda linked preacher Anwar al-Awlaki.
More on the University World News site
Source: University World News, Issue No: 0160, 27 February 2011
02 Maret 2011
22 Februari 2011
Higher Education Becomes More Costly
Geoff Maslen
University students are having to meet more of the cost of their higher education in countries with existing mass higher education systems and "ageing demographics" - and the trend towards reduced public spending on universities looks set to continue. A new report, released last week, says governments facing budget-balancing exercises, such as Britain and some US states including California, are already imposing cuts.
Meanwhile, in emerging countries with burgeoning higher education systems, such as China, India and Brazil, the report says efforts are being made to expand access quickly to new student populations.
Tuition Fees and Student Financial Assistance: 2010 Global Year in Review was prepared by Higher Education Strategy Associates, a Toronto-based company set up last year as an extension of the Canadian Education Project.
The 60-page report reviews the situation facing higher education institutions in 39 countries, including a dozen in Europe and 13 in Asia. It says that although the global situation for tuition and student financial aid policies did not change drastically last year, "major changes to the affordability and accessibility of higher education around the world are on their way".
More on the University World News site
Source: University World News, Issue No: 0159, 20 February 2011
University students are having to meet more of the cost of their higher education in countries with existing mass higher education systems and "ageing demographics" - and the trend towards reduced public spending on universities looks set to continue. A new report, released last week, says governments facing budget-balancing exercises, such as Britain and some US states including California, are already imposing cuts.
Meanwhile, in emerging countries with burgeoning higher education systems, such as China, India and Brazil, the report says efforts are being made to expand access quickly to new student populations.
Tuition Fees and Student Financial Assistance: 2010 Global Year in Review was prepared by Higher Education Strategy Associates, a Toronto-based company set up last year as an extension of the Canadian Education Project.
The 60-page report reviews the situation facing higher education institutions in 39 countries, including a dozen in Europe and 13 in Asia. It says that although the global situation for tuition and student financial aid policies did not change drastically last year, "major changes to the affordability and accessibility of higher education around the world are on their way".
More on the University World News site
Source: University World News, Issue No: 0159, 20 February 2011
New Director for Developing World Academy
Munyaradzi Makoni
TWAS, the academy of sciences for the developing world, has a new executive director. Physicist Romain Murenzi is credited with spearheading science-based programmes and development in Rwanda after years of civil war and genocide in the 1990s.
Murenzi replaces Mohamed HA Hassan, who is retiring after almost 30 years of service. He will be based at the academy's secretariat in Trieste, Italy, on the campus of the Abdus Salam International Centre for Theoretical Physics, and will take up the post in the next few months.
TWAS, which promotes scientific excellence for sustainable development, has close to 1,000 scientist members from 90 developing countries. It runs capacity building programmes in the developing world, operating under the administrative umbrella of Unesco and receiving core funding from the Italian government.
More on the University World News site
Source: University World News, Issue No: 0158, 13 February 2011
TWAS, the academy of sciences for the developing world, has a new executive director. Physicist Romain Murenzi is credited with spearheading science-based programmes and development in Rwanda after years of civil war and genocide in the 1990s.
Murenzi replaces Mohamed HA Hassan, who is retiring after almost 30 years of service. He will be based at the academy's secretariat in Trieste, Italy, on the campus of the Abdus Salam International Centre for Theoretical Physics, and will take up the post in the next few months.
TWAS, which promotes scientific excellence for sustainable development, has close to 1,000 scientist members from 90 developing countries. It runs capacity building programmes in the developing world, operating under the administrative umbrella of Unesco and receiving core funding from the Italian government.
More on the University World News site
Source: University World News, Issue No: 0158, 13 February 2011
The Corruption of Ethics in Higher Education
Corruption in higher education is as endemic as in other institutions. One way to cut down on it, argues STEPHEN P HEYNEMAN in the latest edition of International Higher Education, is to survey students and faculty regularly.
Once the dean called me about a grade for the daughter of the rector. The rector was in the hospital. The dean said that he has suffered enough already and that I should not make him suffer any more, so I should give his daughter a good grade. - Assistant professor in Kazakhstan. Admissions were a way to make money. Big money. - Administrator in Georgia.
Universities are commonly thought to be a haven for young adults. No matter how unstable the polity or how dismal the prospects for the economy, education investments are treated as sacrosanct.
Recently, however, it has been discovered that education systems can be as corrupt as other parts of government and the economy; and that values of fairness and impartiality, once thought to be universal characteristics of university systems, can be supplanted by the interests of specific individuals, families, ethnic groups and institutions.
Such misconduct includes the abuse of authority for both personal and material gain. Higher education can be corrupt through: the illegal procurement of goods and services; cheating in the provision of its normal functions (admissions, grading, graduation, housing and academic products); professional misconduct (favouring of family members, sexual exploitation, bias in grading, research plagiarism etc); and cheating in the paying of taxes and the use of university property.
More on the University World News site
Source: University World News, Issue No: 0157, 06 February 2011
Once the dean called me about a grade for the daughter of the rector. The rector was in the hospital. The dean said that he has suffered enough already and that I should not make him suffer any more, so I should give his daughter a good grade. - Assistant professor in Kazakhstan. Admissions were a way to make money. Big money. - Administrator in Georgia.
Universities are commonly thought to be a haven for young adults. No matter how unstable the polity or how dismal the prospects for the economy, education investments are treated as sacrosanct.
Recently, however, it has been discovered that education systems can be as corrupt as other parts of government and the economy; and that values of fairness and impartiality, once thought to be universal characteristics of university systems, can be supplanted by the interests of specific individuals, families, ethnic groups and institutions.
Such misconduct includes the abuse of authority for both personal and material gain. Higher education can be corrupt through: the illegal procurement of goods and services; cheating in the provision of its normal functions (admissions, grading, graduation, housing and academic products); professional misconduct (favouring of family members, sexual exploitation, bias in grading, research plagiarism etc); and cheating in the paying of taxes and the use of university property.
More on the University World News site
Source: University World News, Issue No: 0157, 06 February 2011
31 Januari 2011
SNMPTN 2011: Jalur Undangan dan Ujian Tertulis
Berdasarkan pada Peraturan Pemerintah Republik Indonesia Nomor 66 Tahun 2010 tentang Perubahan Atas Peraturan Pemerintah Nomor 17 Tahun 2010 tentang Pengelolaan dan Penyelenggaraan Pendidikan dan Peraturan Menteri Pendidikan Nasional Nomor 34 Tahun 2010 tentang Pola Penerimaan Mahasiswa Baru Program Sarjana pada Perguruan Tinggi yang diselenggarakan oleh Pemerintah, pola penerimaan mahasiswa baru program sarjana pada perguruan tinggi melalui pola seleksi secara nasional dilakukan oleh seluruh perguruan tinggi secara bersama untuk diikuti oleh calon mahasiswa dari seluruh Indonesia.
Berdasarkan hasil rapat Majelis Rektor Perguruan Tinggi Negeri Indonesia di Jakarta pada tanggal 4 November 2010, para Rektor Perguruan Tinggi Negeri di bawah koordinasi Direktur Jenderal Pendidikan Tinggi Kementerian Pendidikan Nasional menyelenggarakan seleksi calon mahasiswa baru secara nasional dalam bentuk Seleksi Nasional Masuk Perguruan Tinggi Negeri (SNMPTN). SNMPTN 2011 merupakan satu-satunya pola seleksi yang dilaksanakan secara bersama oleh seluruh Perguruan Tinggi Negeri dalam satu sistem yang terpadu dan diselenggarakan secara serentak. SNMPTN 2011 akan dilaksanakan melalui (1) jalur undangan berdasarkan penjaringan prestasi akademik, dan (2) jalur ujian tertulis dan/atau keterampilan.
klik di sini untuk informasi lengkap mengenai penyelenggaraan SNMPTN 2011
Berdasarkan hasil rapat Majelis Rektor Perguruan Tinggi Negeri Indonesia di Jakarta pada tanggal 4 November 2010, para Rektor Perguruan Tinggi Negeri di bawah koordinasi Direktur Jenderal Pendidikan Tinggi Kementerian Pendidikan Nasional menyelenggarakan seleksi calon mahasiswa baru secara nasional dalam bentuk Seleksi Nasional Masuk Perguruan Tinggi Negeri (SNMPTN). SNMPTN 2011 merupakan satu-satunya pola seleksi yang dilaksanakan secara bersama oleh seluruh Perguruan Tinggi Negeri dalam satu sistem yang terpadu dan diselenggarakan secara serentak. SNMPTN 2011 akan dilaksanakan melalui (1) jalur undangan berdasarkan penjaringan prestasi akademik, dan (2) jalur ujian tertulis dan/atau keterampilan.
klik di sini untuk informasi lengkap mengenai penyelenggaraan SNMPTN 2011
Building a New World-class University
Jamil Salmi
In the past decade, the term 'world-class university' has become a catchphrase to describe research universities at the pinnacle of the tertiary education hierarchy, as measured by the various international rankings. Around the world, governments have responded to this global reputational competition with additional funding to promote their national elite universities, as illustrated by the various 'excellence initiatives' in countries as varied as China, Denmark, Germany, Nigeria, Russia, South Korea, Spain or Taiwan.
In some cases, the government has also encouraged its top universities to merge so as to achieve economies of scale and reach a better position to compete globally. A few countries have even decided to establish new universities from scratch, with the explicit purpose of creating world-class institutions.
Achieving the ambitious result of launching a high quality, new university is easier said than done, however, as building a world-class institution requires more than knee-jerk reactions to the rankings or a massive infusion of government money. This engagement is a complex and lengthy process that only recently has begun to receive careful attention. The following paragraphs outline the most common pitfalls encountered in some of the current projects that aim at establishing a new flagship institution.
More on the University World News site
Source: University World News, Issue No: 0156, 30 January 2011
In the past decade, the term 'world-class university' has become a catchphrase to describe research universities at the pinnacle of the tertiary education hierarchy, as measured by the various international rankings. Around the world, governments have responded to this global reputational competition with additional funding to promote their national elite universities, as illustrated by the various 'excellence initiatives' in countries as varied as China, Denmark, Germany, Nigeria, Russia, South Korea, Spain or Taiwan.
In some cases, the government has also encouraged its top universities to merge so as to achieve economies of scale and reach a better position to compete globally. A few countries have even decided to establish new universities from scratch, with the explicit purpose of creating world-class institutions.
Achieving the ambitious result of launching a high quality, new university is easier said than done, however, as building a world-class institution requires more than knee-jerk reactions to the rankings or a massive infusion of government money. This engagement is a complex and lengthy process that only recently has begun to receive careful attention. The following paragraphs outline the most common pitfalls encountered in some of the current projects that aim at establishing a new flagship institution.
More on the University World News site
Source: University World News, Issue No: 0156, 30 January 2011
Professional vs Ethical in Student Recruitment
Matthew Ulmer (Manager of Communications for IDP Education)
A goal of the National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC) in the US is to ensure principled conduct among professionals in the recruitment of students. In support of this, and as more of their members enlist the services of international student recruiters, the association is currently considering revising and updating its Statement of Principles of Good Practice, or SPGP, in regard to agent use.
IDP Education supports such a revision. Specifically, we call for the association to acknowledge the role of officially recognised and contracted agencies, to affirm that their form of compensation is legal, and to provide colleges and universities the opportunity to define the practice as 'professional' versus 'ethical'.
For prospective students, the primary function of an agent is to serve as a guidance counsellor. Agents are typically university graduates who have built their reputations in the local markets by delivering good service.
They are counsellors in every sense and fill a market niche, as the admissions process overseas is often vastly different from the US model, and public high schools overseas provide little or no college counselling. These types of agents should therefore be viewed like independent counsellors and fall under NACAC's SPGP.
More on the University World News site
Source: University World News, Issue No: 0155, 23 January 2011
A goal of the National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC) in the US is to ensure principled conduct among professionals in the recruitment of students. In support of this, and as more of their members enlist the services of international student recruiters, the association is currently considering revising and updating its Statement of Principles of Good Practice, or SPGP, in regard to agent use.
IDP Education supports such a revision. Specifically, we call for the association to acknowledge the role of officially recognised and contracted agencies, to affirm that their form of compensation is legal, and to provide colleges and universities the opportunity to define the practice as 'professional' versus 'ethical'.
For prospective students, the primary function of an agent is to serve as a guidance counsellor. Agents are typically university graduates who have built their reputations in the local markets by delivering good service.
They are counsellors in every sense and fill a market niche, as the admissions process overseas is often vastly different from the US model, and public high schools overseas provide little or no college counselling. These types of agents should therefore be viewed like independent counsellors and fall under NACAC's SPGP.
More on the University World News site
Source: University World News, Issue No: 0155, 23 January 2011
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