The End of the University as We Know It - Nathan Harden - The American Interest Magazine
"The figures are alarming, the anecdotes downright depressing.
But the real story of the American higher-education bubble has little to do with individual students and their debts or employment problems.
The most important part of the college bubble story—the one we will soon be hearing much more about—concerns the impending financial collapse of numerous private colleges and universities and the likely shrinkage of many public ones.
And when that bubble bursts, it will end a system of higher education that, for all of its history, has been steeped in a culture of exclusivity.
Then we’ll see the birth of something entirely new as we accept one central and unavoidable fact: The college classroom is about to go virtual."
Sunday, January 20, 2013
Muskegon Community College will return to voters this year with bond proposal
Muskegon Community College will return to voters this year with bond proposal | MLive.com
In the next six weeks, the college will convene focus groups of college faculty, staff and students, as well as the community at large, who will be asked what went wrong in November and for ideas on how the proposal can be restructured.
As it did before the last proposal, the college will conduct a phone survey of several hundred to 1,000 voters.
The board of trustees is planning a retreat in late February to consider the feedback and develop a tentative proposal.
That proposal will be presented to tens of thousands of voters in a survey mailed to homes – a survey similar to one sent to 47,000 homes last year.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
In the next six weeks, the college will convene focus groups of college faculty, staff and students, as well as the community at large, who will be asked what went wrong in November and for ideas on how the proposal can be restructured.
As it did before the last proposal, the college will conduct a phone survey of several hundred to 1,000 voters.
The board of trustees is planning a retreat in late February to consider the feedback and develop a tentative proposal.
That proposal will be presented to tens of thousands of voters in a survey mailed to homes – a survey similar to one sent to 47,000 homes last year.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
As Harden puts it:
(T)hose middle-tier universities that have spent the past few decades spending tens or even hundreds of millions to offer students the Disneyland for Geeks experience are going to find themselves in real trouble. Along with luxury dorms and dining halls, vast athletic facilities, state of the art game rooms, theaters and student centers have come layers of staff and non-teaching administrators, all of which drives up the cost of the college degree without enhancing student learning. The biggest mistake a non-ultra-elite university could make today is to spend lavishly to expand its physical space. Buying large swaths of land and erecting vast new buildings is an investment in the past, not the future.(Emphasis added)
http://the-american-interest.com/article.cfm?piece=1352
Michigan Supreme Court justice Diane Hathaway charged with fraud
Michigan Supreme Court justice Diane Hathaway charged with fraud | MLive.com
Federal prosecutors have filed a fraud charge against Michigan Supreme Court Justice Diane Hathaway, just a few days before she leaves the state's highest court in a scandal involving the sale of a Detroit-area home and suspicious steps taken to conceal property in Florida.
The charge was filed Friday as a criminal "information," which means it was negotiated and that a guilty plea is expected in federal court.
Federal prosecutors have filed a fraud charge against Michigan Supreme Court Justice Diane Hathaway, just a few days before she leaves the state's highest court in a scandal involving the sale of a Detroit-area home and suspicious steps taken to conceal property in Florida.
The charge was filed Friday as a criminal "information," which means it was negotiated and that a guilty plea is expected in federal court.
Putting college in reach for Michigan foster children
Putting college in reach for Michigan foster children | Bridge Michigan
But she’s succeeding at Western, thanks to perhaps the most comprehensive program to support foster children in college in the nation.
She expects to earn a bachelor’s degree in social work and ultimately get a PhD.
The Seita program has helped Jenks adjust to college, and after a slow start, shift her focus from social to academic and boost her grades and develop relationships with her professors.
“My campus coach is super supportive and helpful,” Jenks said during her winter break.
“I can’t even imagine going to college without her or somebody to talk to.”
Jenks is one of Western’s Seita Scholars, students removed from their family homes because of abuse or neglect and now getting financial, academic and social support to give them the opportunity to succeed in college and launch successful careers.
In five years, the program grew the germ of an idea during a ride home from a conference to one of Western’s crown jewels, a signature program serving 160 students from 35 counties across the state.
But she’s succeeding at Western, thanks to perhaps the most comprehensive program to support foster children in college in the nation.
She expects to earn a bachelor’s degree in social work and ultimately get a PhD.
The Seita program has helped Jenks adjust to college, and after a slow start, shift her focus from social to academic and boost her grades and develop relationships with her professors.
“My campus coach is super supportive and helpful,” Jenks said during her winter break.
“I can’t even imagine going to college without her or somebody to talk to.”
Jenks is one of Western’s Seita Scholars, students removed from their family homes because of abuse or neglect and now getting financial, academic and social support to give them the opportunity to succeed in college and launch successful careers.
In five years, the program grew the germ of an idea during a ride home from a conference to one of Western’s crown jewels, a signature program serving 160 students from 35 counties across the state.
Holton school contract aims to end months-long sick leaves
Holton school contract aims to end months-long sick leaves | MLive.com
“(A) maximum cap limitation of 120 sick leave days has been added to prevent the over accumulation of sick days so that employees are not able to take multiple months of work in a row off beyond the 120 days,” he wrote.
The contract removed a “floating holiday” – essentially an extra day off that employees could choose when to take.
It also changed evaluations so they can be provided employees in a “meaningful way with delineated performance goals,” Kennedy said.
Employee co-pays for family health insurance coverage through Priority Health increased from $83 per month to $204.
“(A) maximum cap limitation of 120 sick leave days has been added to prevent the over accumulation of sick days so that employees are not able to take multiple months of work in a row off beyond the 120 days,” he wrote.
The contract removed a “floating holiday” – essentially an extra day off that employees could choose when to take.
It also changed evaluations so they can be provided employees in a “meaningful way with delineated performance goals,” Kennedy said.
Employee co-pays for family health insurance coverage through Priority Health increased from $83 per month to $204.
Saturday, January 19, 2013
Great moments in failed predictions of resource depletion
Great moments in failed predictions of resource depletion | AEIdeas
"1. In 1885, the US Geological Survey announced that there was “little or no chance” of oil being discovered in California. In 1891, it said the same thing about Kansas and Texas.
2. In 1939 the US Department of the Interior said that American oil supplies would last only another 13 years.
3. 1944 federal government review predicted that by now the US would have exhausted its reserves of 21 of 41 commodities it examined. Among them were tin, nickel, zinc, lead and manganese.
4. In 1949 the Secretary of the Interior announced that the end of US oil was in sight.
5. In 1974, the US Geological Survey announced “at 1974 technology and 1974 price” the US had only a 10-year supply of natural gas.
For the full list of failed predictions, go here.
HT: Joe Lais"
"1. In 1885, the US Geological Survey announced that there was “little or no chance” of oil being discovered in California. In 1891, it said the same thing about Kansas and Texas.
2. In 1939 the US Department of the Interior said that American oil supplies would last only another 13 years.
3. 1944 federal government review predicted that by now the US would have exhausted its reserves of 21 of 41 commodities it examined. Among them were tin, nickel, zinc, lead and manganese.
4. In 1949 the Secretary of the Interior announced that the end of US oil was in sight.
5. In 1974, the US Geological Survey announced “at 1974 technology and 1974 price” the US had only a 10-year supply of natural gas.
For the full list of failed predictions, go here.
HT: Joe Lais"
IT LOOKS DELICIOUS: McDonald’s Offers France a High-Calorie McBaguette. “Sorry, Gallic purists, bu…
Instapundit » Blog Archive » IT LOOKS DELICIOUS
McDonald’s Offers France a High-Calorie McBaguette.
“Sorry, Gallic purists, but after sampling it, I can tell you that the McDonald’s (MCD) bread is pretty good.
OK, not as good as the premium-priced ‘traditional’ baguettes sold in bakeries and served in upscale restaurants, but certainly no worse than the standard loaves consumed daily by millions of French.”
McDonald’s Offers France a High-Calorie McBaguette.
“Sorry, Gallic purists, but after sampling it, I can tell you that the McDonald’s (MCD) bread is pretty good.
OK, not as good as the premium-priced ‘traditional’ baguettes sold in bakeries and served in upscale restaurants, but certainly no worse than the standard loaves consumed daily by millions of French.”
A Drying Lake
Daily Kos: A Drying Lake
"Jon McEwen makes an interesting point: as the water levels decline, the amount of weight on the terrain around and under the lakes is significantly lower and the land will rise, or re-emerge.
We're entering unknown territory with record low Lake Michigan levels.
What type of real world effects will the rise of bottom lands and surrounding lake lands lead to?
We don't know.
We've never seen this before."
"Jon McEwen makes an interesting point: as the water levels decline, the amount of weight on the terrain around and under the lakes is significantly lower and the land will rise, or re-emerge.
We're entering unknown territory with record low Lake Michigan levels.
What type of real world effects will the rise of bottom lands and surrounding lake lands lead to?
We don't know.
We've never seen this before."
WHY AL FRANKEN IS LOOKING IFFY ON GUN CONTROL
Instapundit » Blog Archive »
"WHY AL FRANKEN IS LOOKING IFFY ON GUN CONTROL: Minnesotans Buying Guns In Record Numbers.
“Across the country, firearms industry analysts point to soaring numbers — including first-time gun buyers now making up a quarter of all sales and nearly 75 percent of gun retailers reporting sales boosts over last year. Minnesotans are riding that same wave, prompting more than 25,000 law enforcement queries tied to permit applications since Dec. 18.
That’s more than double the 10,681 checks run for permits during the same period a year ago. . . . Those burgeoning numbers worry gun control advocates, who are puzzled that the reaction to the Newtown tragedy has been this massive firearms buildup.”
They don’t understand things very well, do they?
But then, the gun-control movement is a bunch of old, out-of-touch white people, clinging to the politics of the last century."
"WHY AL FRANKEN IS LOOKING IFFY ON GUN CONTROL: Minnesotans Buying Guns In Record Numbers.
“Across the country, firearms industry analysts point to soaring numbers — including first-time gun buyers now making up a quarter of all sales and nearly 75 percent of gun retailers reporting sales boosts over last year. Minnesotans are riding that same wave, prompting more than 25,000 law enforcement queries tied to permit applications since Dec. 18.
That’s more than double the 10,681 checks run for permits during the same period a year ago. . . . Those burgeoning numbers worry gun control advocates, who are puzzled that the reaction to the Newtown tragedy has been this massive firearms buildup.”
They don’t understand things very well, do they?
But then, the gun-control movement is a bunch of old, out-of-touch white people, clinging to the politics of the last century."
School board: We're satisfied superintendent accused of plagiarism 'understands her mistake'
School board: We're satisfied superintendent accused of plagiarism 'understands her mistake' | NJ.com
"Koos told Bernardsville-Bedminster Patch that the seeming plagiarism of the Bettendorf message was actually a misunderstanding, and that she should have attributed Shutte's messages to him.
Koos called the incident "a mistake," and said she had an email from Shutte giving her permission to use the comments in her own letter, according to Patch.
However, Shutte told NJ.com he first heard from Koos sometime on Jan. 4, two days after the letter was already published on Bedminster's website with Koos' name signed to it.
On Jan. 11, Casella said the school board would investigate the possible plagiarism and, "as soon as we're able to get through everthing and get to the bottom of it, we will take appropriate steps from there."
But earlier that morning, the school district's website had been changed to edit another letter from the superintendent that appeared to be plagiarized from another school district."
"Koos told Bernardsville-Bedminster Patch that the seeming plagiarism of the Bettendorf message was actually a misunderstanding, and that she should have attributed Shutte's messages to him.
Koos called the incident "a mistake," and said she had an email from Shutte giving her permission to use the comments in her own letter, according to Patch.
However, Shutte told NJ.com he first heard from Koos sometime on Jan. 4, two days after the letter was already published on Bedminster's website with Koos' name signed to it.
On Jan. 11, Casella said the school board would investigate the possible plagiarism and, "as soon as we're able to get through everthing and get to the bottom of it, we will take appropriate steps from there."
But earlier that morning, the school district's website had been changed to edit another letter from the superintendent that appeared to be plagiarized from another school district."
Pennsylvania girl, 5, suspended for threatening to shoot girl with pink toy gun that blows soapy bubbles
Pennsylvania girl, 5, suspended for threatening to shoot girl with pink toy gun that blows soapy bubbles | Fox News
"A 5-year-old Pennsylvania girl who told another girl she was going to shoot her with a pink Hello Kitty toy gun that blows soapy bubbles has been suspended from kindergarten.
Her family has hired an attorney to fight the punishment, which initially was 10 days for issuing a 'terroristic threat.'
But her punishment was reduced to two days after her mother met with school officials and had the incident dropped to 'threatening to harm another student,' which apparently carries a lesser punishment."
"A 5-year-old Pennsylvania girl who told another girl she was going to shoot her with a pink Hello Kitty toy gun that blows soapy bubbles has been suspended from kindergarten.
Her family has hired an attorney to fight the punishment, which initially was 10 days for issuing a 'terroristic threat.'
But her punishment was reduced to two days after her mother met with school officials and had the incident dropped to 'threatening to harm another student,' which apparently carries a lesser punishment."
12 Year Old Girl Shoots Home Intruder
12 Year Old Girl Shoots Home Intruder - KTEN.com - No One Gets You Closer
"A day off for fall break was anything but relaxing for a 12-year old Bryan County girl, when an intruder broke into her home on Michael Avenue.
Deputies say, the girl was home alone when a man she'd never seen before, rang the front doorbell.
They say when no one answered the door, the man went around to the back of the house and kicked a door open.
That's when authorities say, the girl grabbed a gun and hid in a bathroom closet.
"He had worked his way all the way through the house and into the bathroom.
And from what we understand, he was turning the doorknob when she fired through the door." Says Bryan County Under sheriff, Ken Golden."
"A day off for fall break was anything but relaxing for a 12-year old Bryan County girl, when an intruder broke into her home on Michael Avenue.
Deputies say, the girl was home alone when a man she'd never seen before, rang the front doorbell.
They say when no one answered the door, the man went around to the back of the house and kicked a door open.
That's when authorities say, the girl grabbed a gun and hid in a bathroom closet.
"He had worked his way all the way through the house and into the bathroom.
And from what we understand, he was turning the doorknob when she fired through the door." Says Bryan County Under sheriff, Ken Golden."
Non-Union Workers Excluded from Hurricane Sandy Cleanup
Non-Union Workers Excluded from Hurricane Sandy Cleanup - By Eliana Johnson - The Corner - National Review Online
"In New Jersey, where Governor Chris Christie has said that relief measures for Hurricane Sandy should be “above politics,” non-union workers are now excluded from participating in cleanup and rebuilding efforts.
That policy took effect when the New Jersey state senate voted on Monday to expand an existing labor-agreement law that has been on the books since 2002.
According to the Jersey Journal, highways, bridges, pumping stations, and water and sewage treatment plants were not covered under the existing law, but the new bill includes them:
Senate President Stephen Sweeney (D-Gloucester), who authored the legislation and fast tracked it, said the agreements are key to making sure work goes to New Jersey workers.
Above politics, just not regional politics, I guess.
The new measure also passed along party lines, 23 Democrats to 13 Republicans.
Above politics, just not party politics."
"In New Jersey, where Governor Chris Christie has said that relief measures for Hurricane Sandy should be “above politics,” non-union workers are now excluded from participating in cleanup and rebuilding efforts.
That policy took effect when the New Jersey state senate voted on Monday to expand an existing labor-agreement law that has been on the books since 2002.
According to the Jersey Journal, highways, bridges, pumping stations, and water and sewage treatment plants were not covered under the existing law, but the new bill includes them:
Senate President Stephen Sweeney (D-Gloucester), who authored the legislation and fast tracked it, said the agreements are key to making sure work goes to New Jersey workers.
Above politics, just not regional politics, I guess.
The new measure also passed along party lines, 23 Democrats to 13 Republicans.
Above politics, just not party politics."
A New Anti-Terror Front? Yes, the Government Thinks It’s ‘Right-Wing Extremists’
A New Anti-Terror Front? Yes, the Government Thinks It’s ‘Right-Wing Extremists’ - By John Fund - The Corner - National Review Online
The Combating Terrorism Center, which is based at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, has issued a new report on its website entitled
“Challengers from the Sidelines: Understanding America’s Violent Far-Right.”
Normally, the center’s activities are focused on al-Qaeda and other violent Islamic groups seeking to topple governments around the world.
But the latest report looks inside America itself, and if the center is to be judged by the quality of its analysis in this report, it might be wise for all of us to be skeptical of its other work.
The Center’s report lumps together entirely legitimate tea-party-style activists with three groups it says represent “a racist/white supremacy movement, an anti-federalist movement and a fundamentalist movement.”
Together all these forces are said to have engaged in 350 “attacks initiated by far-right groups/individuals” in 2011, although the report never specifies what makes an attack a “far right” action.
The report’s author is Arie Perliger, who directs the Center’s terrorism studies and teaches social sciences at West Point.
I can only imagine what his classes are like as his report manages to lump together every known liberal stereotype about conservatives between its covers.
The Combating Terrorism Center, which is based at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, has issued a new report on its website entitled
“Challengers from the Sidelines: Understanding America’s Violent Far-Right.”
Normally, the center’s activities are focused on al-Qaeda and other violent Islamic groups seeking to topple governments around the world.
But the latest report looks inside America itself, and if the center is to be judged by the quality of its analysis in this report, it might be wise for all of us to be skeptical of its other work.
The Center’s report lumps together entirely legitimate tea-party-style activists with three groups it says represent “a racist/white supremacy movement, an anti-federalist movement and a fundamentalist movement.”
Together all these forces are said to have engaged in 350 “attacks initiated by far-right groups/individuals” in 2011, although the report never specifies what makes an attack a “far right” action.
The report’s author is Arie Perliger, who directs the Center’s terrorism studies and teaches social sciences at West Point.
I can only imagine what his classes are like as his report manages to lump together every known liberal stereotype about conservatives between its covers.
Histrionics, Economics and Right-to-Work
Histrionics, Economics and Right-to-Work [Mackinac Center]
However, while the evidence on the economic effects of right-to-work laws is mixed, extensive empirical research generally shows neutral to very positive impacts.
Examples include:
However, while the evidence on the economic effects of right-to-work laws is mixed, extensive empirical research generally shows neutral to very positive impacts.
Examples include:
Editorial: New truancy program bolsters education in Muskegon area
Editorial: New truancy program bolsters education in Muskegon area | MLive.com
A collaborative effort, the truancy program is designed to help families get their children into the classroom through counseling and mediation services, including those offered by Mediation & Restorative Services and the Department of Human Services’ school-based Family Resource Centers. If the truancy is persistent then the punishment element will go into effect.
A collaborative effort, the truancy program is designed to help families get their children into the classroom through counseling and mediation services, including those offered by Mediation & Restorative Services and the Department of Human Services’ school-based Family Resource Centers. If the truancy is persistent then the punishment element will go into effect.
The End of the University as We Know It
The End of the University as We Know It - Nathan Harden - The American Interest Magazine
In fifty years, if not much sooner, half of the roughly 4,500 colleges and universities now operating in the United States will have ceased to exist.
The technology driving this change is already at work, and nothing can stop it.
The future looks like this: Access to college-level education will be free for everyone; the residential college campus will become largely obsolete; tens of thousands of professors will lose their jobs; the bachelor’s degree will become increasingly irrelevant; and ten years from now Harvard will enroll ten million students.
In fifty years, if not much sooner, half of the roughly 4,500 colleges and universities now operating in the United States will have ceased to exist.
The technology driving this change is already at work, and nothing can stop it.
The future looks like this: Access to college-level education will be free for everyone; the residential college campus will become largely obsolete; tens of thousands of professors will lose their jobs; the bachelor’s degree will become increasingly irrelevant; and ten years from now Harvard will enroll ten million students.
House Committee finds stimulus cash flowing to foreign companies
House Committee finds stimulus cash flowing to foreign companies | Washington Free Beacon
"The government made this change in Section 1603 of the 2009 American Recovery Act, better known as the stimulus bill.
“The stimulus’s purpose was to create jobs,” said Yeatman.
Each job created by the grant program cost $1.2 million, according to the report.
“That cost-per-jobs figure is eye-popping,” Yeatman said.
Iberdrola Renewables, the American wing of a Spanish renewable energy company, received $1.77 billion spread over 24 grants, over 10 percent of the total grants awarded."
"The government made this change in Section 1603 of the 2009 American Recovery Act, better known as the stimulus bill.
“The stimulus’s purpose was to create jobs,” said Yeatman.
Each job created by the grant program cost $1.2 million, according to the report.
“That cost-per-jobs figure is eye-popping,” Yeatman said.
Iberdrola Renewables, the American wing of a Spanish renewable energy company, received $1.77 billion spread over 24 grants, over 10 percent of the total grants awarded."
Cheesecake Factory pasta on list of caloric food porn
Cheesecake Factory pasta on list of caloric food porn | Reuters:
"- Chocolate Zuccotto Cake from Maggiano's Little Italy. One slice weighs nearly one pound and has 1,820 calories, 62 grams of saturated fat and 26 teaspoons of added sugar - or 15 Hostess Ho Hos, CSPI said."
"- Chocolate Zuccotto Cake from Maggiano's Little Italy. One slice weighs nearly one pound and has 1,820 calories, 62 grams of saturated fat and 26 teaspoons of added sugar - or 15 Hostess Ho Hos, CSPI said."
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