William C Andress
In 2000 a report came out of the University of California, Los Angeles, indicating that students feel more overwhelmed and stressed than just 15 years ago. The following year an American College Health Association survey suggested that 33% of students felt hopeless, with 22% suffering severe depression at least three times within the previous year.
Nor does the situation seem to be improving. Just last year, the director of campus student health services at Washington University in St Louis stated that "depression and suicide are the largest health issues facing students at this time".
In response to such dire findings, while an assistant professor at Oakland University, 64 kilometres north of Detroit, I submitted a proposal for a course in 'therapeutic laughter'. Its purpose was to use a novel approach to teach students lifelong stress management skills. Support for such a course was strengthened by the increased attention researchers were giving to the subject at such diverse universities as Indiana State, Raleigh Dickinson and Loma Linda.
Interest in laughter's therapeutic value stems from 1979 when Norman Cousins published a personal testimony, An Anatomy of an Illness as Perceived by the Patient. While editor-in-chief of the Saturday Review, Cousins contracted ankylosing spondylitis, a crippling inflammation of the vertebral column. This left him virtually immobile and in extreme pain with a one in 500 chance of recovery.
More on the University World News site
Source: University World News, Issue No: 0161, 6 March 2011
09 Maret 2011
Building Capacity for Higher Education Growth
The growth of higher education is increasingly impacting on the organisational structures and strategic direction of universities in the developed and developing world alike. The 50% increase in student enrolments across the world over the last decade has changed the face of the university sector, with increased institutional diversity, new forms of private higher education and so on.
The literature on higher education clearly demonstrates that middle managers, often drawn from the academic community, are crucial to the processes of development and change. As Professor Ron Barnett of the Institute of Education in London puts it: "Much more than capable management, across the world universities need creative, visionary and effective leadership with a global perspective that understands the capacities of universities in promoting the public good."
Higher education is seen as the key to increasing economic competitiveness with a wide range of strategies adopted by universities to achieve expansion with internationalisation. These include leading universities establishing overseas campuses, and a slew of collaborative ventures between universities within and across countries. Yet, for any country, particularly those gaining in presence on the world stage, the focus is more towards seeking to build world-class universities.
More on the University World News site
Source: University World News, Issue No: 0161, 6 March 2011
The literature on higher education clearly demonstrates that middle managers, often drawn from the academic community, are crucial to the processes of development and change. As Professor Ron Barnett of the Institute of Education in London puts it: "Much more than capable management, across the world universities need creative, visionary and effective leadership with a global perspective that understands the capacities of universities in promoting the public good."
Higher education is seen as the key to increasing economic competitiveness with a wide range of strategies adopted by universities to achieve expansion with internationalisation. These include leading universities establishing overseas campuses, and a slew of collaborative ventures between universities within and across countries. Yet, for any country, particularly those gaining in presence on the world stage, the focus is more towards seeking to build world-class universities.
More on the University World News site
Source: University World News, Issue No: 0161, 6 March 2011
Universities Respond to Social Media
Facebook has 500 million users and counting, Twitter generates 65 million tweets a day and the latest version of the free blog publishing platform Wordpress has been downloaded more than 32.5 million times. Students are more than ready for social media, said Rahul Choudaha, an international education specialist at World Education Services. "If we're doubting it, then it will be a mistake."
Social media has experienced rapid growth in a very short time. Tweets, blogs, status updates, IM and newsfeeds are just some of the terms that have entrenched themselves in everyday speech. Higher education institutions worldwide have been responding by creating Facebook pages, blogs, interactive web platforms and Twitter accounts.
Choudaha was speaking at the annual Association of International Education Administrators conference held in San Francisco late last month. Along with other digital media experts, he examined strategies to successfully implement web-based and social media initiatives in international higher education.
Social media is perhaps most critical in international education, and can be used to attract prospective students, manage students studying abroad and keep alumni connected after graduation.
More on the University World News site
Source: University World News, Issue No: 0161, 6 March 2011
Social media has experienced rapid growth in a very short time. Tweets, blogs, status updates, IM and newsfeeds are just some of the terms that have entrenched themselves in everyday speech. Higher education institutions worldwide have been responding by creating Facebook pages, blogs, interactive web platforms and Twitter accounts.
Choudaha was speaking at the annual Association of International Education Administrators conference held in San Francisco late last month. Along with other digital media experts, he examined strategies to successfully implement web-based and social media initiatives in international higher education.
Social media is perhaps most critical in international education, and can be used to attract prospective students, manage students studying abroad and keep alumni connected after graduation.
More on the University World News site
Source: University World News, Issue No: 0161, 6 March 2011
02 Maret 2011
Universities Need to Challenge Islamism
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
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
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
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