Waldorf College's new president

Richard Hanson will become the 14th president in the history of Waldorf College when he assumes his new post on Jan. 1. He has spent the last 10 years as the vice president for academic affairs and dean of the college at Augustana in Sioux Falls, S.D.

North Central Texas College

Longtime college administrator Dr. Eddie Hadlock has been named the permanent president of North Central Texas College (of Gainesville, TX). On Tuesday the NCTC board voted 4-3 to name Hadlock, who had been serving as the Interim College President, as permanent president through Aug. 31, 2006.

University of Minnesota proposes closing colleges

EDUCATION: The school would incorporate General College and Human Ecology into other programs.BY XIAO ZHANGASSOCIATED PRESS
MINNEAPOLIS - Two colleges with a long history at the University of Minnesota would be closed under a proposal released Wednesday to restructure the university's academic programs.
General College and Human Ecology, two colleges that have been an integral part of the university's Twin Cities campus for much of the past century, would be swallowed up by other colleges under recommendations made by a task force formed by the university president.
Much of General College, which has offered underprepared students an opportunity to attend the university for about 75 years, would be absorbed by the College of Education and Human Development, according to the plan. Many programs in Human Ecology, which has existed for more than 100 years, would become part of a new College of Design, university officials said.
Provost Tom Sullivan said the changes aim at promoting academic excellence at the university and making it a world-class university. The school is positioning itself to become one of the top three public research universities in the world.

Full Story: http://www.duluthsuperior.com/mld/duluthsuperior/news/local/11274388.htm

UK trustees approve lower tuition increase than expected

LEXINGTON University of Kentucky students will pay less than they expected for tuition next year, but it will still be a double-digit increase of 12-point-5 percent.The school had projected a possible 14-point-5 percent tuition increase in February, but trustees voted today 14-to-2 for the lower increase for the next school year.
Student representative Rachel Watts and former board chairman Steven Reed opposed the measure. Watts cautioned that continuing to increase tuition by double digits each year might keep some potential students from being able to afford U-K.
A 12-point-4-5 percent increase would make tuition rise to two-thousand,906 dollars a semester. That's up from two-thousand,582 dollars and 25 cents, for freshmen and sophomores.
U-K president Lee Todd says additional state funding of 13-point-5 (m) million dollars allowed U-K to consider less of a tuition hike than first thought.
The five-thousand,165 dollars U-K students spend on tuition and other classroom fees per semester are higher than any other state university. Measured against similar costs at 19 other "benchmark" schools across the country, Todd says U-K ranks 15th.

Source: http://www.wkyt.com/Global/story.asp?S=3140458

UCF talks about stadium plans

It had no reports to show to residents, some of whom say the decisions have been made.
By David Damron
Sentinel Staff Writer
Posted March 29 2005

OVIEDO -- UCF officials met with groups of nearby homeowners for the first time Monday night about its possible stadium plans, telling a divided crowd that many traffic and potential site issues will be answered in a feasibility study due Thursday.The University of Central Florida has already started re-positioning athletic fields in the northern tier of campus, near McCulloch Road, to make room for what could initially be a 45,000-seat stadium.

For now, President John Hitt said an average of six football games a year could be played at the facility estimated to cost roughly $40 million, with no concerts or other athletic contests hosted there.Critics wanted more answers Monday about traffic flow, lighting and tailgate parties, but supporters said UCF deserves a chance to present its own study compiled by seven outside consultants before any plan is shot down."It's long overdue," said Remington Park resident Steve Dowman, a season-ticket holder who heard UCF's plans.

Full Story: http://www.sun-sentinel.com/sports/college/knights/orl-locucfstadium29032905mar29,0,1010766.story?coll=tf-knights

Southwestern Oregon Community College

The president of a community college in Kansas has accepted an offer to become the new head of Southwestern Oregon Community College (of Coos Bay, OR). Judith Hansen, the president of Independence Community College in Independence, Kan., accepted the offer Monday night, officials at the Oregon college said. Hansen will become the college's fifth president on July 1, replacing President Stephen Kridelbaugh, who is retiring after 15 years.

Bill would freeze cost of higher education

Fed up with skyrocketing tuition and fees, and unconvinced that state colleges are spending wisely, state Rep. Bob Ackerman has a simple solution: no more money.
No more as in no increase in state appropriations, no increase in tuition, no increase in fees. A bill sponsored by Ackerman, House Bill 2957, would bar all the state's two- and four-year colleges from raising the price of just about anything, from lab fees to textbooks to football tickets.
The only charges that could rise under the legislation would be building and parking fees. It's Ackerman's way of telling colleges they've gone too far in raising the price of higher education to make up for steep cuts by the state and not far enough in finding other ways to balance the budget.
"Basically it's just a shot across the bow to express my dissatisfaction with the confiscatory tuition and fee increases, both in community colleges and in the state system of higher education," he said. "I hope what would come out of this is a greater awareness of the exorbitant cost of higher education."
College officials say they're already well aware of the cost, having increased tuition at the state's seven four-year universities - with the Legislature's approval - by an average 46 percent since 1999 and by 64 percent at its 17 two-year colleges. That's because annual state funding for universities is $50 million less this year than it was at the start of the 2001-03 biennium, while community college support is almost $30 million less.

Full Story: http://www.registerguard.com/news/2005/03/28/b1.cr.tuitionfreeze.0328.html

Executive Buyout Will Strengthen Datatel's Steady Course

24 March 2005 Ron Yanosky
A senior-management buyout will enhance Datatel's competitiveness in the fluctuating higher-education marketplace. Customers should request specifics of Datatel's financials and its plans to make board-level changes.

Event
On 18 March 2005, Datatel, which provides higher-education technology and services, announced that its senior executive team will purchase the company from its founders, Ken Kendrick and Tom Davidson. The buyout is backed by Thoma Cressey Equity Partners and Trident Capital. The company's executive management team will remain in place; Datatel president and CEO Russ Griffith will retain both positions and will also become chairman of the board.

Analysis
This announcement eliminates concerns that Datatel, whose owners have long been retired from day-to-day operations, might be sold to an unknown entity with a radical new agenda. This is welcome news in a vertical area in which mergers and acquisitions have been common since 2000, when Jenzabar merged its student portal business with four small higher-education administrative-system providers, and continued through 1Q05, with Oracle's purchase of PeopleSoft.
Datatel has been conspicuous in its steadiness in this landscape, consistently achieving solid financials, long-term customer retention and low management turnover. The buyout will help Datatel offer new equity incentives to retain and recruit talent. Management continuity will be strengthened by agreements requiring executive team members to remain with the company for four years to receive full equity vesting. However, the buyout will not leave the company's leadership entirely unchanged. Datatel's new six-member board of directors will include, in addition to Griffith and senior vice president Vernon Hollidge, two individuals from Thoma Cressey, one from Trident Capital and one outside party.
As PeopleSoft's suite has been effectively eliminated from new administrative-system procurements, Datatel's main rivals will be SunGard SCT and Jenzabar. The buyout will strengthen Datatel's competitive position by allowing it to continue to stress stability and continuity of vision.

Complete Story: http://www.gartner.com/DisplayDocument?doc_cd=126967

SunGard SCT Joins Microsoft's Mobility Partner Advisory Council

Participation in MPAC Underscores Investment in and Commitment to Mobile Industry

MALVERN, Pa., March 23, 2005 — SunGard SCT, an operating unit of SunGard (NYSE:SDS), today announced its participation in the Microsoft Mobility Partner Advisory Council (MPAC). Through its participation, SunGard SCT gains information earlier about developments that impact the mobile environment.

Microsoft formed the council in February 2002 as a means of working more collaboratively with companies that are investing heavily in mobile computing. SunGard SCT recently announced the general availability of SCT PocketRecruiter 2.0. The Microsoft .NET-compliant solution makes the mobile recruiting solution compatible with a broader range of personal digital assistant (PDA) devices.“Our participation in MPAC increases our knowledge and understanding of the development and support of mobile computing technologies,” said Jack Kramer, senior vice president of solutions architecture, SunGard SCT. “It gives us additional tools and platforms to build innovative mobile technologies for our customers.”"Windows Mobile-based devices are powerful tools for business users and consumers, and they become even more compelling when combined with innovative applications," said Julie Wymetalek, manager of the MPAC program at Microsoft Corp. "Microsoft is pleased to welcome SunGard SCT into MPAC. SCT PocketRecruiter 2.0 takes advantage of the powerful wireless capabilities of Windows Mobile software to help recruiters provide a more personal and effective recruiting experience for both the admissions professional and prospective students."

Full Story: http://www.tmcnet.com/usubmit/2005/Mar/1127926.htm

93% of European Universities Plan to Expand their use of e-Learning over the next two years

WebCT expands throughout Europe in order to meet growing customer demand

LONDON, 21 March, 2005 — Almost all universities plan to expand their use of e-learning over the next two years according to a survey commissioned by WebCT, and a further 74% said e-learning already plays a major role across a majority of university courses, or believe it will within the next three years. In order to meet this increasing customer demand, WebCT has expanded its European management team by over 75% since mid 2004, as well as expanded its channel partnership network across Europe.
WebCT surveyed 150 representatives across its customer base from Europe’s top universities. The results highlighted a shift in the perception of e-learning as mission critical to universities, with e-learning playing a key role in the majority of courses. The survey also revealed that just under 50% of universities consider increased quality of education as the major benefit of e-learning followed by greater access to education and greater cost efficiencies. 63% of universities also plan to partner with other institutions to create joint e-learning courses, suggesting a shift towards greater collaboration between universities both nationally and internationally, as well as a rise in the importance of distance learning initiatives and the need for flexible e-learning solutions.
In 2004, WebCT significantly expanded its European customer base with new customers including the University of Complutense Madrid, the largest university in Spain, Swiss Virtual Campus, the University of Porto in Portugal and the oldest and largest university in Austria, the University of Vienna. WebCT has also made significant progress in the UK, where 19 out of the top 30 universities listed in The Guardian’s annual university league tables are using WebCT. New WebCT Vista customers in the UK include the University of Manchester, Keele University, the University of Birmingham, Kings College and the University of Sheffield.
Carol Vallone, WebCT president and CEO, said, “We are seeing a sharp increase in customer demand in Europe because of a transition in thinking around e-learning. Universities are becoming increasingly student centric across Europe as they compete for student enrolment. They now recognise e-learning as a way to make learning more effective and therefore provide students with a richer educational experience.”
Anne Trotter, Deputy Associate Dean of Education Practice Development, Homerton School of Health Studies, Cambridge explained, "We are in the early stages of e-learning development, however, we are aiming to increase student flexibility and to maximise their access to resources, communication tools and high quality, educationally robust learning materials. Through WebCT Campus Edition, we are introducing a whole new way of teaching and learning, which we see as an intrinsic part of the future at HSHS.”