Representative’s Renderings by Lily Berrios
Hello there, SCUP Southern region members and guests! Welcome to the December newsletter. As usual, it is my pleasure to greet you and give you an overview of activities and initiatives in our region and at a national level. October was a busy month for the Southern Region. From October 17–19 about 200 of us attended our 2010 Southern Regional Conference, “Success in the New Reality,” in Charleston, SC. The program included tours of three institutions, 21 concurrent sessions, four plenary sessions, receptions, SHAG lessons, and Dine-Arounds. Many of you made this a success by attending, presenting, reviewing proposals, and/or helping with logistics. I want to thank all of you including the Southern Regional Conference Committee leaders: Todd Dolson, conference chair; Michael Watson, conference vice chair; Jennifer Pearce, local host; and Elsa Pena, program chair. Way to go! October was the beginning of SCUP’s “business” year and provides an opportunity for all of us to reflect on the highlights of 2009−2010 and outline our plans for 2010−2011. We need to celebrate the number of Metro Mini's (One Day Events) held in the last 12 months. Total participation on all three was over 220. When added to the 140 attendees at the 2009 Southern Regional Conference (Memphis) our total regional event participation has been more than 350; and, our membership has remained steady. All of this in the midst of budget cuts. Thanks again for your continued support. In response, we intend to continue our increased focus on the Metro Mini's as a way to reach out to more of you. Look at the note by Bob Gunn to find out about potential locations. Meanwhile, planning for the 2011 Southern Regional Conference has already begun, in San Antonio, TX. Michael Watson, 2011 conference chair, has more information about it in this newsletter. At a national level, the SCUP Board held their quarterly meeting in October. Under the leadership of President Racki, our overarching theme is “focused implementation” which supports SCUP’s key goals:
Develop a sustainable organization that is flexible, responsive, and supports innovation to achieve the mission and goals of the society. To support these three new initiatives we are working on the following projects: the cybrary, an integrated planning advocacy campaign, and development of a volunteer management program. There is much more to share so please read on. Enjoy the reading and warmest regards to y’all! Lily Berrios REGIONAL SPONSORSSCUP's Southern Region is proud to present our sponsors. Thank you sponsors, for your continuing support and participation: Partner Hendessi & Associates, www.hendessiassociates.com Gold Kirksey Architecture, www.kirksey.com Silver AECOM, www.aecom.com Bronze Energy Ace, Inc., www.energyace.com Sponsors as of November 15, 2010 SCUPers, please contact our generous sponsors for information about their services and products and let them know how much we appreciate them. Note to potential sponsors: 2011 METRO MINI CONFERENCESThe Southern Regional Council has begun plans for the next Metro Mini events to be held in various areas of the region. Professional Development Assistance Grants are available to help with registration fees and travel costs. Contact Lily Berrios, lilyb@sizemoregroup.com for more information. Suggestions for these one-day events should be sent to Bob Gunn, special events chair, bgunn@clarknexsen.com. COMMUNICATIONS REPORTJohn Russell, communication chair, john.russell@angelo.edu Greetings and we hope all of you are having a great winter. We have completed the SCUP 2010 Southern Regional Conference in Charleston, SC, and had a great turnout. Please see the photos below of the conference and some of the great times we had.
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| Jackie Deluna | Education Strategic Marketing | AMX | TX |
| William H. Gash | Provost and Vice Chancellor, Academic Affairs | University of North Carolina at Penbroke | NC |
| Nicole Gilinsky | Asst. Managing Director, Institutional Planning and Assessment | Texas Tech Health Sciences Center | TX |
| James Graf | Architect | Van H. Gilbert Architects PC | NM |
| Michael E. Hill | Architect | Van H. Gilbert Architects PC | NM |
| Raimund McClain | Architect | Van H. Gilbert Architects PC | NM |
| Kate E. Obenour | Interior Designer Inc. | ID & A Inc. | KY |
| Clark Rachesky | Director of Education | The Spencer Co. | TX |
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT REPORT
Watson Harris, regional professional development chair, wharris@mtsu.edu
On-Campus Workshop News
The on-campus version of the SCUP Planning Institute (OCPI) is slowly growing! Workshops have been given in Wisconsin, New York, Texas, Oklahoma, and Virginia. Two institutions in the southern region Texas A&M University at Kingsville and Northeastern State University in Oklahoma hosted the planning institute. The OCPI is a way of getting teams at an institution through any planning institute step for less than it would cost to send three people to Step II. If you are interested in learning more about the OCPI, go to www.scup.org/page/profdev/pi/oncampus. If you have questions, email Phyllis Grummon at phyllis.grummon@scup.org.
VOLUNTEER REPORT
Cindy Holt, regional volunteer chair, holt_mkt@bellsouth.net
WE NEED YOU!!!! SCUP has a variety of volunteer opportunities for members. We need program reviewers, conveners, committee members, etc. at both the southern regional and the international levels. Volunteering is a great way to network and to learn more about what others are doing in higher education. Get involved!!! Send me an email today at holt_mkt@bellsouth.net and become a volunteer for SCUP!!!
AWARDS REPORT
Tim Fish, awards chair, timfish@coopercarry.com
SCUP offers an awards program that recognizes excellence in planning, design, and implementation efforts of firms and institutions, as well as the achievements of individuals whose lives and passions involve higher education. It is that time of year again when nominations and entries are due for the SCUP awards and recognition program. Let’s ensure a strong southern region participation by getting your entries in early 2011.
- January 21, 2011 - SCUP Founders’ (Casey) Award nominations due
- January 21, 2011 - SCUP Award for Institutional Innovation and Integration nominations due
- February 25, 2011 - SCUP Excellence Awards Program, categories are planning, landscape architecture, and architecture
For more information go to: www.scup.org/page/awards2
NEWS FROM STATE AND AREA COMMUNICATION COORDINATORS
ARKANSAS
John Russell, john.russell@angelo.edu
A look back at 2009: Largest-Ever Research Grant and More
The largest-ever research grant received by the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences highlighted 2009, a year that also brought UAMS a new chancellor, a new hospital and growth through new programs. A $19.9 million Clinical and Translational Science Award announced in July will boost a new center focused on translating basic science discoveries into speedier treatments and cures for patients. The grant, hailed as among the most significant ever received by UAMS, solidified the standing of UAMS among the country’s elite academic health centers and ensured that work being done here quickly moves to the bedside to have a tangible impact on Arkansas patients.
Speaking of Green: New Grants Spur Curriculum, Research University of Arkansas Little Rock’s (UALR)
Sustainability Committee recently announced a new small grants competition that will fund projects that enhance sustainability-related curriculum and research at the university. Projects may involve the development of new sustainability-related courses, substantially enrich existing courses with sustainability topics, or incorporate sustainability into research activities at UALR.
FLORIDA
Marilyn Etheridge, metheridge@juneaucc.com
University of Florida, Gainesville
The University of Florida is the newest member of a nationwide coalition of public research universities working to increase the number and diversity of high-quality middle and high school science and mathematics teachers in the U.S. UF is one of 125 institutions and 12 university systems to join the Science and Mathematics Teacher Imperative, known as SMTI, launched in late 2008 by the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities, the nation’s oldest higher education association. The initiative is funded in part by a $1.5 million grant from the National Science Foundation. The Science and Mathematics Teacher Imperative is the largest new-teacher initiative in the country for strengthening science and math teaching, bringing together the nation’s most successful programs in this field to share institutional plans and collaborate effectively on state and national efforts to advance math and science education. SMTI is developing a set of online tools to help individual states precisely analyze the supply and demand of science and math. University of South Florida, Florida State and Florida International University are the other Florida universities involved in the SMTI initiative.
The Florida University System
Florida university system leaders put a system in place that would allow universities to offer a flat tuition rate and pile additional fees onto a student's semester bill. The Florida Board of Governors approved the framework for universities to offer block tuition, meaning that universities could offer a flat tuition rate for a certain range of credits, rather than the current system that charges students on a per credit basis.
Individual universities still need to apply to the board for approval to charge tuition in that fashion. The idea behind the change is that students could pay to be a full-time student, which is typically about 15 credits. However, students could opt to take more credits under that flat rate. It could potentially move more students through their college education in less time.
Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton
Florida Atlantic University’s College of Business has been named to The Princeton Review’s list of “Best Business Schools” for 2011. Known for its college rankings based on how students rate their schools, The Princeton Review compiled the data based on its survey of more than 19,000 students at the best Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB)-accredited MBA programs in the world. FAU was not only honored for having professors that are recognized leaders in the business industry who offer classes that are challenging and involved with cases from real-world scenarios, but also for its fully-operational trading room, state-of-the-art technology, solid faculty teamwork, supportive environment and strong interpersonal skills.
University of Central Florida, Orlando
The University of Central Florida has become the second-largest university in the nation in student enrollment, surpassing Ohio State. The ranking is based on preliminary enrollment data reported from the nation's largest universities. Arizona State continues to be the nation's largest with more than 70,400 students. UCF is home to 56,235 students, the most in the university's history. The university's growth is fueled by the longstanding commitment to providing high-quality students access to higher education. This fall's freshman class boasted an average high school GPA of 3.8 and an average SAT score of 1237, both of which are UCF records. The class also includes 45 National Merit Scholars, which ranks UCF among the top 50 in the nation. Earlier this semester, U.S. News & World Report’s "America's Best Colleges" guide named UCF as a top 10 national university to watch. The magazine's "Best Graduate Schools" guide also ranked five UCF programs among the nation's best in their fields.
LOUISIANA
John Russell, john.russell@angelo.edu
Hiring Decisions in Higher Education Come Under Fire in 3 States days after Louisiana's legislature took the unusual step of rejecting a pay package the state's higher-education coordinating board had set for a temporary leader, the board decided to simply forgo the hiring of an interim higher-education commissioner. The Louisiana Board of Regents met Tuesday to decide how to move forward without an interim commissioner and appointed four board members to work with senior staff members to handle the commissioner's duties. Tom Layzell, who has led higher-education systems in three other states, most recently in Kentucky, started the interim job in Louisiana on August 2. But he must leave the position because the compensation in his contract with the board—which could have totaled $162,600 over six months—was rejected by the state's Joint Legislative Committee on the Budget. A new law gives the committee the authority to approve or reject commissioners' salaries.
University of Louisiana Board Postpones Vote on Tenure
The University of Louisiana System’s Board of Supervisors decided unanimously to postpone voting on changes in its tenure policy. A vote on the proposed changes, which would make it easier to dismiss tenured professors and which have drawn sharp criticism from faculty members on the system’s eight campuses, was postponed to an unspecified future meeting. The board agreed to the postponement so the UL system staff can consult with legal counsel and consider feedback of faculty to further refine this policy and board rule changes.
NORTH CAROLINA
Bethany Early, bearly@emht.com
UNCG Establishing Task Force to Focus on Aiding Military Veterans
www.uncg.edu/ure/news/stories/2010/nov/veterans111110.htm
The University of North Carolina Greensboro is establishing a Military, Veterans and Families Task Force. The Task Force will make recommendations to facilitate enrollment and success of UNCG students who are active duty members of the military, military veterans, and military dependents. UNCG Chancellor Linda P. Brady, a former civilian analyst at the US Department of Defense and the U.S. Department of State, announced the initiative in mid-November. The task force will include UNCG students, faculty, staff and members of the local community.
“The establishment of a military, veterans and families advisory task force is consistent with the university’s mission to be a learner-centered, accessible and inclusive community,” Brady said. “As the voice for the hundreds of veterans, members of the military and their families who are members of the UNCG community, the task force will help ensure UNCG is a place that those who have served their country and those currently serving are proud to call home.”
In addition to research and making recommendations for improving the academic and support services UNCG currently has in place for veterans and military personnel, the task force will work to reduce barriers within the University to provide a more military-friendly environment. They will also be responsible for recommending whether or not a permanent Military, Veterans and Families Advisory Committee should be established at UNCG, according to Brady.
UNCG reported 384 students from the Fall 2010 semester who used veteran benefits, making the school fourth in benefits usage in the UNC System.
“At UNCG we have a long history of supporting our veterans, members of the military, and their families,” Brady said. “In 1945, faculty at UNCG, then known as ‘Woman’s College,’ established a veterans education committee to meet the needs of women war veterans returning from service. Today, our commitment to supporting veterans, service members, and their families is as strong as ever before. We are currently working with faculty, staff, and students, including those who are in the military or are veterans, to examine issues that affect veterans and other military personnel as students or employees of our University. We aim to ensure UNCG is a place where veterans, members of the military, and their families feel welcomed and have the opportunity to thrive.”
Two North Carolina Universities In The Wall Street Journal’s Top 25
www.witn.com/news/headlines
Two universities in North Carolina, North Carolina State and The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, are among The Wall Street Journal's Top 25 list of best colleges and universities, as ranked by job recruiters.
North Carolina State in Raleigh is tied for 19th place with the University of Virginia. According to the WSJ, NC State has 10 undergraduate colleges, and more than 90% of students come from North Carolina. It's a good value. The in-state tuition for 2010-2011 was just under $6,000.
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is tied for 25th place with Washington State University. UNC Chapel Hill offers 77 majors. According to the WSJ, nearly 80% of freshmen were in the top 10% of their class in high school.
North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University did not make the Top 25 or Top 100 lists, but NC A&T was one of the 31 schools that at least five recruiters marked down.
Gates Foundation Awards Grant to MDC
www.dailytarheel.com/index.php/article/2010/11/gates_
foundation_awards_grant_to_mdc
NC State University, along with six other higher education institutions in Raleigh, will work with nonprofit MDC to develop a Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation-supported program that will support low-income youth from college to their first job.
The Gates Foundation awarded planning grants totaling $1.8 million to MDC in order to develop the plan for post-secondary success. Raleigh, Charlotte and two Texas cities will also collaborate with MDC in addition to the 7 institutions. After a 1-year planning period, which will include research and data compilation, each city will be eligible for an additional $1.5 million grant through a period of 21 months.
“A high school credential is no longer efficient to get living wage jobs,” said Bonnie Gordon, senior program director and manager for Partners for Post Secondary Success Initiative at MDC. “The Gates Foundation asked MDC to think about what it takes for a whole community to accomplish the goals to make progress to a larger goal,” she said.
The importance of obtaining that second degree is the driving force behind the program.
“We want to see double the numbers of low income adults making living wages,” Gordon said. “The first set of funds from the grant is to support efforts to develop strategies that are the best bets for laying groundwork.”
NC State police honor lifesaving CPR students
www.thesunnews.com/2010/11/12/1809072/nc-state-police-honor-lifesaving.html
Three North Carolina State University students who used CPR to save a fellow student's life are being honored.
Robert Olson, Matthew Cross and Jonathan Smetana will be recognized by the NC State Police Department in a ceremony at the Talley Student Center for their quick thinking on Sept. 2 when they saw a jogger collapse on campus. They noticed the jogger wasn't breathing and administered CPR until emergency medical workers arrived. The jogger, also an NC State student, survived.
Five other students will also be recognized at the ceremony for pitching in at the scene of the jogger's collapse.
OKLAHOMA
John Russell, john.russell@angelo.edu
Community Development
The primary focus of CBED is to stimulate and promote economic development initiatives which create meaningful employment and improve the quality of life in Oklahoma and across the nation. Programs specifically designed to meet the demands of today’s ever changing and competitive marketplace include: OU/EDI Economic Development Institute, Continuing Engineering & Geosciences Programs, and Center for Chamber of Commerce Excellence. The University of Oklahoma works closely with industry experts, professional engineering groups, and governmental agencies to extend the University’s expertise to a wide range of domestic and international clients. The International School for Hydrocarbon Measurement delivers the latest technology and instruction for gas measurement and control to participants from over 30 participating countries.
OSU Spears School of Business launches institute for sports and entrepreneurship management.
The Spears School of Business at Oklahoma State University has launched the Sports and Entrepreneurship Management Institute, a research and development unit designed to support students, research, internships, guest speakers and the sports management program. “SEMI will strive to reach its objectives through four primary areas: research, conferences and symposiums, education, and visibility initiatives,” said the director of the SEMI and a visiting professor of management.
Oklahoma State University’s School of Hotel and Restaurant Administration researchers earn global ranking.
The School of Hotel and Restaurant Administration at Oklahoma State University was ranked eighth among the top 100 hospitality and tourism programs in the world by the Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Research. The ranking is based on total research output in 11 leading journals for hospitality and tourism from 2002-2006.
SOUTH CAROLINA
Jennifer Pearce, pearcej@musc.edu
Another Tech Innovation Center Opens in the State
In August, the University of South Carolina (USC) and the SC Research Authority opened their $6.6 million high-tech business incubator in former warehouse space in downtown Columbia. Fully funded by the agency and partnered with the city of Columbia and USC, this is the second of three that the authority will build in South Carolina. The first opened in December 2009 in Charleston through collaborations with the Medical University of SC, the City of Charleston and the authority. The third facility is scheduled to open next March in Anderson, next to Clemson University’s Advanced Materials Center.
Large Donation Received for Pharmacy Innovation Center
The University of South Carolina recently announced a $30 million gift from two alumni, to the South Carolina College of Pharmacy (SCCP), the largest gift ever to the SCCP and the second largest to a pharmacy school in the country. This new center will serve as a home for collaborative education and research that will bring together some of the nation’s top experts in entrepreneurship, health sciences, communications and other disciplines with leading pharmacy practice faculty. The center’s programs will be open to all SCCP students, including those at the Medical University in Charleston, as well as at Greenville Hospital System’s University Medical Center via the college’s distance education program.
Clemson Turbine Test Facility Groundbreaking
Elected officials, wind-energy experts and academia attended the groundbreaking of the Clemson University’s Restoration Institute’s wind turbine test facility in October at the sight of the former navy base in North Charleston. The facility is a $98 million project expected to be completed in the spring of 2012. US Senator Lindsey Graham and other local leaders noted that they are confident that South Carolina can attract thousands of manufacturing and engineering jobs expected to go along with the wind turbine facility. The Department of Energy’s grant application called for a research university to find adequate public and private money to match the award’s $45 million value. Clemson competed with universities in Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Michigan and Ohio.
State’s Budget & Control Board Puts College Building Plans on Hold for Some Institutions
The Budget & Control Board, comprised of the governor, legislators and state financial officers unanimously approved a moratorium the end of September that would stop construction projects at colleges and universities until those with the largest tuition increases cut their rates. This was amid concerns that the institutions are gouging students and their families. The colleges and universities however say that the endless amount of budget cuts have forced them to raise their tuitions to keep their schools open and competitive during the nation’s worst economic financial crisis since the Great Depression. The board imposed the ban on all public four-year institutions that raised tuition by more than 7% and all public two-year schools with increases higher than 6.3%. Projects pertaining to maintenance, health and safety of students, buildings already underway or where construction is funded by private dollars are excluded. Schools will be lifted from this ban, once a letter is sent from them to the board certifying that their tuition will be lowered to the acceptable level.
TENNESSEE
Teresa Hartnett, thartntt@memphis.edu
Educators Grapple With Graduation Rates
Struggle to retain students plagues higher education. The Tennessee Completion of College Act, which was passed by the General Assembly in January, funds higher education based in part on success and outcomes, including higher rates of degree completion. Higher education is no longer going to be funded based on enrollment rates. Instead, schools will receive funding based on graduation rates. The legislation also includes provisions that create statewide transfer policies, and it requires TBR and UT to establish dual admissions and enrollment policies. www.mtsusidelines.com/news/educators-grapple-with-graduation-rates-1.1750405
Loan Debt Grows for TN Students
Rising College Costs, Economy, Strain Families. The Project on Student Debt ranks Tennessee 32nd-lowest in the nation in student loan debt among 2009 graduates. Nationwide, the debt burden ranged from a low of $13,000 for students in Utah to $30,000 for students who went to school in Washington,DC.
www.tennessean.com/article/20101030/NEWS04/10300334/2066/NEWS03
University of Tennessee Students Build a Zero Energy House
Students and faculty at the University of Tennessee Knoxville have created a zero energy house that not only teaches the students around campus about sustainable design, but also reaches a wider audience in the surrounding community. The site really comes alive on college game days, when the campus is not just populated with UT’s 20,000 student population but also by 100,000-plus residents from the state of Tennessee and surrounding areas. This is a great chance for both communities to experience the green design concept firsthand. Read more: University of Tennessee Students Build a Zero Energy House | Inhabitat - Green Design Will Save the World
NOAA National Weather Service Recognizes University of Memphis, Tennessee as StormReady® NOAA National Weather Service officials have recognized the University of Memphis as a StormReady® university. The nationwide community preparedness program uses a grassroots approach to help communities develop plans to handle local severe weather and flooding threats. The program is voluntary and provides communities with clear-cut advice from the local National Weather Service forecast office and state and local emergency managers.
TEXAS
John Russell, john.russell@angelo.edu
UH-Victoria Names Don Noel Smith as Interim President
Don Noel Smith will replace Tim Hudson as interim president of the University of Houston-Victoria just before the school opens for fall classes.
Hudson has moved to a new position in the UH System as special assistant to the chancellor for international programs and initiatives.
Smith formerly served as provost and chief academic officer at UH-Victoria, where he has served three previous tenures as interim president.
UTHSC-Houston, UT-Austin Partner on Dual-Degree Programs
The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth) and The Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs at The University of Texas at Austin have announced two dual-degree programs.
The creation of the Master of Public Affairs/Master of Public Health degree and Master of Global Policy Studies/Master of Public Health degree will afford students "excellent opportunities ... in health affairs and global policies that affect the health and well-being of all populations," said Cheryl Perry, professor and regional dean at the UT School of Public Health Austin Regional Campus, part of UTHealth.
The degrees, Perry said, will "provide students with the skills to be public health practitioners while gaining experience and knowledge about public policy."
Texas Representative Breaks Rules in Awarding Scholarships to Relatives
A longtime Democratic US congresswoman, Eddie Bernice Johnson, has admitted violating rules in awarding thousands of dollars in college scholarships to four relatives and two children of a top aide since 2005, The Dallas Morning News reports. The scholarship money is provided by the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation, which gives each member $10,000 a year to divvy up as he or she likes. However, scholarship rules disqualify relatives or people who don’t live or study in the member's district. The scholarships Ms. Johnson awarded violated both of those eligibility rules, according to Amy Goldson, the foundation’s general counsel. Ms. Johnson said that the violations were inadvertent and that she would take steps to "rectify the financial situation."
Recruiting Practices Imperil Westwood Campuses in Texas and Denver
By Kelly Field
Westwood College's flagship campus has been placed on probation and its three Texas campuses face losing their state licenses following a federal investigation that uncovered recruiting abuses at Westwood and several other for-profit colleges.
The Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges, a national accreditation group, put the flagship campus—Westwood College-Denver North—on probation last Thursday, citing the institution's recruiting practices as well as its failure to meet the commission's benchmarks for graduation and job placement.
In a separate action, the Texas Workforce Commission, a state oversight body, notified Westwood's Dallas, Fort Worth, and Houston South campuses that it will revoke their licenses to operate in the state. The campuses have until mid-September to appeal the decision. Roughly 1,500 of Westwood's 17,000 students attend its three Texas campuses, and 800 attend the Denver-North campus, a college spokesman said.
UT, Collaborators to Open Commercial Laboratory Facility
The University of Texas at Austin will work with the city of Austin and the Austin Technology Incubator (ATI) to open a campus laboratory where entrepreneurs not affiliated with the university can "rent" space for bioscience testing and product development.
The College of Pharmacy lab, dubbed the UTech Dorm Room, will give start-up companies a place to develop products and, if successful, will create jobs and wealth in Central Texas.
"People all over the city have ideas for novel products," said Janet Walkow, director of the UT research center that will oversee the lab. "Many of these great ideas are never fully developed due to a lack of lab space facilities, where new ideas can be tested."
Midwestern State Radiology Program Draws Accolades
Midwestern State University in Wichita Falls recently earned acclaim for its innovative radiology program, which was named one of the 25 most important events in radiology this year.
The Master of Science Radiologic Science degree, the first of its kind in the nation, includes three majors: radiologic administration, radiologic education and radiologist assistant.
The popular program, which gives working technologists a chance to advance in their field, has become competitive, as space is limited.
University of Houston Receives Alternative Energy Grant
The University of Houston recently captured a $1.2 million federal grant to fund new alternative energy technology.
The university research team, led by physics professor Seamus "Shay" Curran will work on increasing the solar energy storage capacity of thin-film solar cells, making them more competitive with silicon cells.
U. of Texas to End 20-Year Partnership With a Junior College
By Katherine Mangan
The University of Texas Board of Regents voted unanimously on Wednesday to sever a partnership between a junior college and an upper-level university that has provided a seamless education for South Texas residents for nearly 20 years.
The board reiterated its commitment to support the University of Texas at Brownsville, but said it could no longer wait for the campus's junior-college partner, Texas Southmost College, to cooperate in efforts to update an agreement that has been in place since 1991. Instead, it said, the partnership agreement will be phased out over the next four years.
INTERNATIONAL NEWS BRIEFS
Bethany Early, bearly@emnht.com
Strathclyde Uni Opens India Branch
http://news.scotsman.com/news/Strathclyde-Uni-opens-India-branch.6604128.jp
Strathclyde University, a Scotland university founded in 1796, plans to open its first overseas campus after forging a major international deal in India. The campus, near Delhi, will deliver degrees and masters courses in business and has been a year in planning. It is projected to open in September and will have the capacity for 1,200 students.
Many universities have been expanding overseas student places and opening campuses in India and the Middle East.
"Higher education is a truly global market and Scotland's universities have always had a strong international focus,” said Alastair Sim, director of Universities Scotland. According to Sim, a degree from one of Scotland's universities is internationally renowned and highly sought even in India, China and the Middle East, countries that are currently investing heavily in their own higher education.
Pakistan: Funding for Students Abroad Suspended
www.universityworldnews.com/article.php?story=20101015203000261
The Pakistani government ordered the Higher Education Commission to stop scholarship payments to 400 Pakistani students who were admitted to foreign universities with the assurance that their schooling would be financed. The cut is part of an ongoing controversy over higher education funding in the wake of major floods and a redirection of funding priorities.
"We have been asked to tell the selected students and universities that the government does not have enough money for their education abroad," Higher Education Commission (HEC) sources told University World News.
The HEC selected 328 students for PhDs and 72 scholars for post-doctoral research in pure science and social science disciplines at universities in the UK, US, Germany, Canada, Malaysia and China. The program was approved by Pakistan's planning commission and a budget was approved by parliament, but a letter from the finance ministry brought things to a halt for at least the 2010-2011 financial year, the HEC source said.
Of the 4,200 students from Pakistan currently at overseas universities, 2,800 were sent directly by the HEC and 1,400 were sent by universities under faculty development programs.
"The decision by the government to stop these scholarship programs for the future and even to prevent 400 selected scholars from going abroad is disastrous for our universities. The suspension of this program has also badly affected the progress and development of universities in Pakistan. I hope that the funding for these scholars can be restored," said Atta-ur-Rahman, Pakistan's former science minister and HEC head. “This will be a huge loss to our country and the remarkable progress made by Pakistan in the higher education sector during 2002-2008 will receive a major setback," he said.
Ahsan Iqbal, chief spokesman for the main opposition party Muslim League and former federal education minister, has criticized the government decision to freeze the foreign scholarship program.
Cuban Universities Adjusted to Meet Needs of New Economic Model
www.cubanews.ain.cu/2010/1102cuban-universities-adjusted-meet-needs-new-economic-model.htm
Cuban Minister of Higher Education Miguel Diaz-Canel Bermudez said Cuban universities will undergo changes so that they can meet the demands of the country’s new economic model. Bermudez told press that for higher education to be efficient, it must be closely connected with the political, social, economic, professional and cultural life of the country.
According to Bermudez, universities should be more involved in solving local, regional and national problems, although more than 20 higher education institutions across the country are already participating in such projects, reported Juventud Rebelde. He reaffirmed that the quality in the recruiting process will continue to be a priority and that efficiency in the teaching process must be enhanced in order to turn out more professionally competent graduates.
Bermudez also noted that the number of students entering universities was reduced this year because the number of places offered for each course was adjusted to the economic needs of the country, not because of financial problems. “I wish we were training more professionals on technical, agricultural and pedagogical sciences,” he said, as those are the fields with the highest job demands.
The official said the existing programs were not full because students failed to pass the texts required for each course. He indicated that measures to improve the quality of the teaching-learning process have already been taken.
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