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11 avril 2013

Should we care that US universities are 'too liberal'?

By Heather Long. America's top universities seem to offer everything except conservative views. That's not healthy for political debate.By and large, you can tell a person's political persuasion in America just by knowing their preferred news sources. Are they a Fox News or Wall Street Journal kind of person? Or a New York Times and MSNBC type? The same distinction is increasingly occurring at US universities. There are "conservative schools", often with religious affiliations or in parts of the country that are solidly right of center, and then there are "liberal ones", often in the northeast, California and major metropolitan areas and often dubbed "elite" schools. Universities don't like to classify themselves politically. Many of the nation's top colleges promote their openness to intellectual debate and varied viewpoints. It's the right ideal, but in practice, it doesn't always play out. Take Princeton University, one of the Ivy League schools. According to an analysis by the university's newspaper, only one faculty member and a janitor donated to Mitt Romney's 2012 campaign. The other $169,000 in faculty donations went to President Obama. Read more...

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11 avril 2013

New 'metropolitan university to rival any in the UK' launches today

By Gareth Evans. The University of South Wales becomes the sixth largest higher education institution in the UK as it launches today. A new “metropolitan” university that it is claimed will rival any in the UK will be launched today following the biggest merger ever seen in Welsh higher education.
The University of South Wales (USW) brings together Glamorgan and Newport universities and is the result of a long-running drive to increase collaboration between institutions. Spanning five campuses and more than 33,000 students, USW will rise above Cardiff University and become the sixth largest higher education institution in the UK.
Professor Julie Lydon, USW’s vice-chancellor, said the university would “arrive with a bang, rather than a whimper” and was the result of a steely determination from all parties to strengthen provision.
With students from 122 different countries, she said the university had the potential to be a leading player on the world stage but that its biggest rivals were outside Wales. Read more...

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11 avril 2013

Why don't UK students make friends with those from overseas?

By Victoria Ngow. Most students mix only with people from similar backgrounds. Should universities do more to encourage integration?
Have you ever lived with a "Chinese phantom" in student halls? According to urbandictionary.com, these phantoms are usually (but not necessarily) Asian and they "don't socialise apart from at phantom gatherings."
While many universities pride themselves on their international reach, students' friendship groups are often defined by nationality. And it's not just Chinese students who don't mix, Brits also tend to stick together. The reasons behind this social trend are complex. Fadi Dakkak, International Student Officer of the University of Sheffield's Student Union puts it down to "cultural differences". Read more...

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11 avril 2013

Middle-class students 'feeling out of place at former polys'

By Graeme Paton. Middle-class students attending former polytechnics are seeking to preserve their status by captaining sports clubs, running social events and securing internships, according to research. Undergraduates from affluent backgrounds are more likely to throw themselves into extra-curricular activities to get ahead and “maintain their middle-class position”, it was claimed.
Academics said that these students were likely to feel “out of place” at modern universities after missing out on elite institutions.
The study found that many students sought to “overcompensate” – captaining hockey and rugby teams or running student union events – to make sure they maximised their time at university.
They were also more likely than students from working-class families to burnish their CVs with internships to boost their chances of securing a good job after graduation, according to Times Higher Education magazine. Read more...

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11 avril 2013

KFC serves up degree course

By Rebecca Smithers. Twenty-three employees begin BA in business management, first honours degree course in UK funded by a restaurant chain. KFC is subjecting its zingers, popcorn chicken and BBQ rancher burgers to some academic rigour after launching a BA in business management. The first employees with places on the course – the UK's first honours degree funded by a restaurant chain – have begun their studies in conjunction with De Montfort University in Leicester. The firm has invested £600,000 to fund half of a three-year BA in business management for 60 restaurant managers over the next five years, with the first intake of 23 – who enrolled in January – starting work at the university on Thursday. The first intake of 23 employees will combine residential sessions at the college with full-time work. Read more...

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11 avril 2013

Record philanthropic fund-raising for UK universities

By Angela Harrison. Universities in the UK were given a record amount in philanthropic donations last year, research suggests.
UK institutions were given £774m in 2011-12, up 14% on the year before, according to a survey.
The "funds" raised include donations, pledges, legacies and "gifts in kind".
The study, by the National Centre for Social Research, shows a varied picture, with Oxford and Cambridge accounting for half the new funds.
Six institutions secured more than £20m in new funds, while 29 received less than £100,000.
Some universities saw their donations fall and the average level of donations received by individual universities fell, suggesting that while some universities did very well, others did not. Read more...

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11 avril 2013

Donations to universities hit record high

By Richard Garner. Charitable gifts soar to £774m as universities adopt US-style approach to fund-raising. Philanthropists provided record levels of funding to British universities last year, as institutions increasingly tap wealthy alumni and corporate sponsors for donations.
A study of charitable giving to universities reveals they have received £774m in donations in the past year – a rise of 14.4 per cent on the previous year's figure, itself a record, and 33 per cent up on two years ago.
Researchers say universities are adopting a US-style approach to fund-raising. In the States, Ivy League universities such as Harvard rely heavily on donations from former alumni and sponsors.
The lion's share of this year's increased funding – 45 per cent – is going to Oxford and Cambridge universities, both of whom have reached £1bn targets for fund-raising in the past two years. Read more...

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11 avril 2013

Income gulf widens as philanthropy decline affects fundraising revenue

By David Matthews. Demise of matched funding leaves majority of institutions worse off. Inequality among universities in terms of their fundraising incomes has grown hugely after the end of a matched funding scheme to boost philanthropy across the sector, a new report shows. Even though more than two-thirds of 132 institutions saw their philanthropic income shrink during 2011-12, 10 Russell Group universities raised more than half a billion pounds between them, meaning the sector’s total haul went up. Read more...

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11 avril 2013

Universities gifted £40m

By Andrew Denholm. SCOTTISH universities received more than £40 million of philanthropic donations last year, new figures show. Almost 20,000 people gave to a Scottish institution in the last financial year, including a total of 14,328 alumni, according to The International Council for Advancement and Support of Education (Case).
Its research shows the average university north of the Border had 1591 donors during the course of the year, donating a total of almost £2.3m. However, the numbers are small in comparison with the total income Scots universities receive – which topped £2.8 billion in 2011/12. Universities have worked hard to develop a culture of philanthropy among graduates. Read more...

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11 avril 2013

Asia University Rankings 2013 - Japan takes Asian crown

By Elizabeth Gibney. Former president says online courses could drive down costs. The way higher education is delivered in the US needs to undergo a “dramatic change”, which could be driven by the accreditation of massive open online courses, according to the nation’s former president Bill Clinton.
At public colleges and universities, the cost of tuition has been rising above the rate of inflation for more than a decade, and although the federal government has increased its funding for students in a bid to reduce levels of student debt, this has been negated by a drop in average family incomes.
“A lot of people will have student debt that goes beyond the federal student loan programme. I think the only sustainable answer is to find a less expensive delivery system,” Mr Clinton told Times Higher Education. Read more...

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