MBA programs are getting extreme makeovers

By G. Jeffrey MacDonald, Special to USA TODAY
The master of business administration degree just isn't what it used to be, thanks to a reinventing of the way executives are trained at more than 50 business schools nationwide.
Fast fading are the days when students spent two graduate years mastering management theory and honing a specialty in finance or marketing to serve them in any number of industries. Instead, business schools are aiming to graduate more well-rounded managers who are as strong in communication as in technical analysis but geared often for a career in one particular industry.
Spurred by a mix of factors, from declining application numbers to feedback from unsatisfied employers, many of the nation's smaller business schools are carving out a niche by overhauling their MBA curricula. Over the next three years, about 300 business schools are expected either to add academic programs or substantially revise their curricula, according to a 2004 survey by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business International. More than 50 programs already have made significant revisions, association president John Fernandez says.
"Business wants a better developed student, a more broadly developed student," Fernandez says.
To get there, business schools are in some cases remaking the MBA from the ground up. Miami University (Ohio), for instance, laid to rest in 2003 the two-year traditional MBA program that treated each business subject separately. Next month, the program rises anew to confer the same degree in just 14 months. Formal management topics are now tackled in summer "boot camp." After that, students approach actual business problems through broad themes such as "product, service and customer development" and "the competitive environment," culminating in a six-week field experience abroad.

Full Story: http://www.usatoday.com/news/education/2005-04-19-mba-usat_x.htm

Middlebury College Merger

Middlebury College has always been known for its undergraduate programs in the liberal arts, especially in languages. The college has become increasingly popular with applicants in recent years, but officials have struggled to figure out whether and how to expand its small graduate program.
The college may have an unusual solution: taking over a graduate school.
The Monterey Institute of International Studies, a California graduate school with a strong academic reputation but struggling finances, approached Middlebury about a possible deal, and the two institutions are in serious discussions about an acquisition.
For Middlebury, assuming control of the institute could make it an immediate player in graduate education, expand its visibility on the West coast, and help build its connections to Asia (a strength of Monterey by virtue of its academic priorities and its Pacific location).
For Monterey, the deal could mean survival. While institute officials declined to discuss specifics, the college has been in financial trouble for some time. Two years ago, it briefly explored the possibility of becoming part of the University of California at Santa Cruz, but those talks fell apart amid California’s budget crisis.

Full Story: http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2005/04/21/mid

Temple University To Add USA Technologies' e-Suds Online Laundry Service Campuswide

Wednesday April 27, 6:00 am ET
- Temple embraces e-Suds as part of its embracing state-of-the-art technology solutions
MALVERN, Pa., April 27 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- USA Technologies (OTC Bulletin Board: USTT - News), Caldwell and Gregory, and Temple University today jointly announced the single largest installation of the e-Suds online laundry service yet undertaken on a college campus.

Temple University, located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and ranked among the biggest universities in the United States with 34,000 students, is installing the e-Suds computerized laundry service in 40 laundry rooms this summer.
"We are excited to bring this amazing technology to a university recognized for its leadership in information services," said John Gregory, President of Caldwell and Gregory, the distributor providing USA Technologies' e-Suds solution. "Being a school that embraces new technology and that strives for the betterment of their resident life, I saw Temple and e-Suds as a perfect match."
"Temple University has always been a leader in technology breakthrough, and in fact The Princeton Review named Temple the fourth-most 'connected campus' in the United States in its annual 'Top 25 Most Connected Campuses' survey," said Joe Smallberger, Senior Software Developer, Temple University. "We see adding e-Suds to our resident housing as another means to reinforce Temple's ongoing dedication to providing students, faculty and staff with consistent access to state-of-the-art technology and customer value services."
e-Suds, by USA Technologies, allows students to go online to check the availability of washers and dryers. A student uses their Blackboard Transaction System cards to activate and pay for the service, and receive an e-mail on their personal computers or cellular phones when the laundry is complete.

Full Story: http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/050427/nyw040.html?.v=6

WebCT Announces the Beta Release of WebCT Campus Edition 6

A host of new features will allow faculty to easily create engaging course environments; New infrastructure will enhance data integrity and reliability

LYNNFIELD, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 25, 2005-- WebCT, provider of higher education's most flexible and widely used e-learning solutions, today announced a new version of WebCT Campus Edition(TM). WebCT Campus Edition 6 takes WebCT's market-leading course management system to the next level, delivering unprecedented advancements in ease of use as well as cutting-edge teaching and learning functionality.
WebCT Campus Edition 6 will be generally available at the end of the second quarter. A beta version is being installed now at a number of test sites as well as at colleges and universities enrolled in the WebCT Campus Edition 6 Campus Partner Program, including these new participants: California State University, Sacramento; Corning Community College (N.Y.); Johnson County Community College (Kan.); Southern Texas College; University of Nottingham (UK); and The University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston. The Campus Partners are working closely with WebCT to establish best practices for upgrading that the entire WebCT community can learn from.
"We're adopting WebCT Campus Edition 6 because we're excited about the powerful new features and think our faculty members will be, too," said Mike Cooling, operating system analyst, university computing services, California State University, Sacramento. "We are also glad to be working closely with WebCT to help define best practices for deployment with which other institutions can succeed as they move to Campus Edition 6."
WebCT Campus Edition 6 is based on a new technology infrastructure that runs on a relational database back end (Oracle or Microsoft SQL Server) and application server (BEA WebLogic). This new infrastructure provides significant benefits for Campus Edition customers, including enhanced reliability, security and data integrity.

Full Story: http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/050425/255245.html?.v=1

Two-Thirds of Most 'Digitally Savvy' Community Colleges Choose WebCT

Tuesday April 26, 10:30 am ET
Digital Community Colleges Survey Examines How Colleges Are Deploying Technology
LYNNFIELD, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 26, 2005--More than two-thirds of the country's most "digitally savvy" community colleges use WebCT course management solutions, WebCT announced today. Moreover, nine of the top 10 most digitally savvy large urban community colleges use WebCT.
"Community colleges are a critical market for e-learning solution providers, since they often serve a non-traditional student population consisting largely of motivated adult learners with rigid work and family schedules," said Carol Vallone, WebCT's president and CEO. "These students thrive on distance-learning opportunities and on after-hours interaction like animated discussion. For busy community college faculty, ease of use and flexibility in their course management systems is critical, and these are almost certainly the reasons these institutions are opting for WebCT."
The Center for Digital Education and American Association of Community Colleges (AACC) on April 6 named 31 digitally savvy community colleges (there was one tie) for 2005 from a total pool of more than 200 community colleges. Community college officials responded to a set of 24 questions in the survey that addressed online capabilities, such as admission, registration, bookstores and grades. Additional questions focused on the availability of technology tools and training for teachers and faculty, along with strategic plans across departments and within curriculum planning. Colleges were ranked according to a four-point scale, providing Web site addresses and background data for final verification and validation. For more information on the institutions, please visit: http://biz.yahoo.com/iw/050406/084155.html.

Full Story: http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/050426/265642.html?.v=1

eCollege(R) Provides New Level of Flexibility for Managing Large-Scale Online Programs

Tuesday April 19, 9:00 am ET
- Advancements Increase Efficiencies for Centralized Program Administration
DENVER, April 19 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- eCollege® (Nasdaq: ECLG - News), a leading provider of value-added information services to the post-secondary education industry, today announced the release of its enhanced Program Administration System, providing a new level of flexibility for administrators to more effectively manage large-scale online programs. The enhancements are part of eCollege's overall product advancement framework, which includes a focus on operational efficiency to help institutions drive the profitable growth of their online programs.

eCollege's unique Program Administration System is an integrated toolset that enables administrators to centrally or divisionally manage the overall planning, preparation and execution of online programs across multiple schools and campuses. The new advancements provider greater convenience by empowering administrators with a flexible solution that enables them to centrally create terms, create and duplicate single or mass courses, and manage enrollment, registration, communication and reporting processes. The advancements can help reduce operational costs and improve the speed and ease of processes such as large volume course creation and duplication.
"While we have always provided a cost-effective and efficient means for program management as part of our unique outsource solution, we wanted to give customers even more options for increased operational flexibility," said Oakleigh Thorne, chairman and CEO of eCollege.

Full Story: http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/050419/latu011.html?.v=7

WebCT unveils first-of-its-kind program harnessing e-learning data to drive education excellence

Quality Assessment Innovation Project will help WebCT Vista institutions collect, organize, analyze and assess data about student learning activities

LYNNFIELD, Mass., April 18, 2005 - WebCT, provider of higher education's most flexible and widely used e-learning solutions, today announced the Quality Assessment Innovation Project, a first-of-its-kind initiative to help colleges and universities improve education by analyzing the student performance data they collect in the WebCT Vista academic enterprise system. The project builds on WebCT's announcement earlier this year of the WebCT Vista PowerSight Kit, software for harvesting institutional data on e-learning.
The four participating institutions in the Quality Assessment Innovation Project will use WebCT Vista's PowerSight Kit to extract data on student activities, compare it against student achievements, synthesize it with other campus data, and leverage it for accreditation and program improvement. WebCT's goal in creating this project is to encourage and expedite innovation in higher education and to make it easy for institutions to measure their results. Each participating institution will partner with WebCT to execute a project using its own data, collected in its WebCT Vista implementation.
The first project participants are:
City University (London), sponsor: Dr. Susannah Quinsee, head of e-Learning and associate director of library information services;
The University System of Georgia Board of Regents, sponsors: Dr. Catherine Finnegan, associate director of assessment and public information; and Associate Professor Libby V. Morris, Ph.D., graduate coordinator for doctoral programs in higher education at the Institute of Higher Education, The University of Georgia;
Santa Barbara (Calif.) City College, sponsor: Andreea Serban, Ph.D., associate vice president, information resources, director of institutional assessment, research and planning; and
Weber State University (Utah), sponsor: Dr. Kathleen Lukken, associate provost.
The WebCT Vista PowerSight Kit gives institutions unprecedented access to the untapped wealth of detailed quantitative data about student learning that the academic enterprise system automatically collects when learners participate in the online course environment. The kit is part of WebCT Vista and will soon be available as a module for the WebCT Campus Edition course management system.

Under the Quality Assessment Innovation Project, The University System of Georgia will use PowerSight-collected data in two ways: to prove students' technology literacy to accreditors and to evaluate the effectiveness of the university system's eCore curriculum. USG will be able to supplement data the WebCT PowerSight Kit collects with records in its student information system and surveys.

Full Story: http://www.webct.com/service/ViewContent?contentID=25774969

Four Universities Partner with LiquidMatrix to Meet Broad Range of Business Needs

Monday April 18, 10:15 am ET
ActiveCampus e-Recruitment Solutions Integrate with ERP Systems from Multiple Vendors
BUFFALO, N.Y.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 18, 2005--LiquidMatrix Corporation today announced that four higher education institutions, each utilizing a different enterprise resource planning (ERP) system, have selected LiquidMatrix's ActiveCampus solution to help them achieve their business objectives. The four institutions are: Faulkner University, Alabama; Saint Joseph College, Connecticut; West Virginia University; and University of Maryland.
The breakdown of institutions and associated ERP system is: Institution ERP System
----------- ----------
Faulkner University Oracle
Saint Joseph College Jenzabar EX
West Virginia University SunGard SCT Banner
University of Maryland Homegrown ERP

LiquidMatrix's ActiveCampus product suite helps institutions build powerful multi-faceted e-Recruitment and enrollment solutions. ActiveAdmissions, part of the ActiveCampus suite, affords an easy-to-use approach to develop and manage: personalized e-recruiting, targeted e-mail communications, Web content management, and integrated online applications.
"LiquidMatrix remains focused and dedicated to providing the best solutions to all higher education institutions, regardless of their ERP system," said Gary Guyton, LiquidMatrix president and CEO. "ActiveCampus provides the functionality and integration institutions need to conduct their complex e-Recruitment efforts more efficiently."

ActiveAdmissions improves online communications and facilitates transactions with prospective students, alumni, and all Web site visitors. LiquidMatrix works closely with each institution to fully integrate ActiveAdmissions with its respective ERP environment.

Full Story: http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/050418/185697.html?.v=1

Vantage Learning To Further Educational Needs in South Korea Through Partnership with Digital Daesung

Monday April 18, 11:28 am ET
Partnership with Korean company provides educators and students with Vantage Learning's customized web-based learning tools to enhance English reading and writing skills
NEWTOWN, Pa.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 18, 2005-- Vantage Learning (www.VantageLearning.com), the leading provider of online assessment and automated essay scoring, today announced its partnership with Digital Daesung, a South Korean education leader specializing in learning centers, e-learning, educational content, and testing services. Digital Daesung will offer Vantage's off-the-shelf and customized educational and commercial web-based solutions to enhance the English reading and writing skills of primary and secondary school students throughout South Korea.

Digital Daesung was founded in March 2000 to raise student achievement through research-based teaching, accurate testing systems, interactive professional development and integrated use of technology in the classroom. Digital Daesung currently manages more than 173 Daesung N School Centers for secondary school students and more than 440 Daesung Genex Schools for primary school students, where participants are achieving annual academic gains well above national norms.
In addition to Digital Daesung's current offerings, students throughout the country will have the opportunity to use Vantage Learning's suite of products, including MY Access!(TM) and Learning Access!(TM). MY Access! is Vantage's online writing tool powered by IntelliMetric(TM), its award-winning artificial intelligence scoring engine; Learning Access! is a suite of online diagnostic tools for assessments of student knowledge in reading, writing, math, and science,. Vantage Learning's products will be offered primarily through Digital Daesung's learning centers throughout South Korea.

Full Story: http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/050418/185841.html?.v=1

101communications Acquires T.H.E. Journal, Leading Franchise in Education Technology Market

Tuesday April 19, 7:00 am ET
CHATSWORTH, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 19, 2005--101communications, a leading B2B media company, has acquired the assets of ETC Group LLC, publisher of T.H.E. Journal, the largest circulated, and oldest continually published, journal serving technology users in K-12 and higher education. The acquisition also encompasses the magazine's website, www.thejournal.com; three e-mail newsletters; T.H.E. Institute, its professional development division, and EduHound, a popular resource directory for educators, students and parents.

"The education technology market is an important, and growing, vertical market," said Jeffrey S. Klein, President and CEO of 101communications. "The acquisition of T.H.E. Journal, combined with Campus Technology, our higher education franchise, gives us a strong leadership position in the education technology marketplace, enabling us to cover the entire market from kindergarten through higher education," said Klein.
"T.H.E. Journal has a rich history of serving readers and advertisers, and we are delighted to add this venerable publication and market leader to our Education Technology Group," he continued.

T.H.E. Journal, founded in 1972 as Technological Horizons in Education, is the original and foremost publication dedicated to covering the application of technology to the instructional and administrative learning environment. Published monthly, the magazine reaches more than 160,000 education professionals. T.H.E.'s online offerings serve an audience of more than 50,000 eNewsletter readers, and its Web site delivers 1.2 million impressions per month. Included in its digital products is EduHound, an online resource in English and Spanish that provides links to more than 15,000 K-12 education sites.

Full Story: http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/050419/195353.html?.v=1

Renaissance Learning, Inc. Teams Up with Sagebrush Corporation

Tuesday April 19, 8:00 am ET
- Partnership Provides Educators Greater Access to Accelerated Reader
WISCONSIN RAPIDS, Wis., April 19 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Renaissance Learning®, Inc., (Nasdaq: RLRN - News), a leading provider of learning information systems and school improvement programs for pre-K-12 schools, today announced a partnership with Sagebrush Corporation, which will further strengthen the distribution of its reading products. Sagebrush, a leader in providing technology, services, and educational resources to K-12 schools will distribute Renaissance Learning's reading solutions, including Accelerated Reader, STAR Reading, STAR Early Literacy, Fluent Reader, and Read Now. Renaissance reading solutions have been adopted in more than 63,000 schools.

"We are excited about this renewed partnership with a company so highly regarded by K-12 educators, librarians, and administrators," said John Hickey, chief executive officer and president of Renaissance Learning. "Partnering with Sagebrush further positions Renaissance Learning as an industry leader, now having relationships with all the major tradebook resellers in the K-12 market."
Renaissance Learning's reading solutions are available with a centralized web-accessible database called Renaissance Place, which offers schools and districts access to all student data anytime, from any web-enabled computer. Renaissance Place offers reports providing information to parents and educators on daily individual student progress and formative feedback, and schools and districts are now able to make data-driven decisions based on comprehensive information.

Full Story: http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/050419/cgtu025.html?.v=6

ECollege chalking up top honors in EPS growth

By Roger Fillion,
Rocky Mountain News
April 16, 2005

Five years ago, eCollege.com was on life support, its stock in the tank and its cash reserves burning up at an alarming rate. The Denver online education company was given a life expectancy of about a year.
Times have changed.

For 2004, eCollege took top honors in the percentage growth in earnings- per-share category of The Colorado 50 for posting a whopping gain of 2,833 percent in its diluted net income per share. Profits skyrocketed to 88 cents per diluted share for all of 2004, from 3 cents in 2003.
Yes, there were special factors: An $18.5 million tax benefit recorded in the fourth quarter added about 84 cents a share to the company's 2004 per-share diluted net earnings.

Also, eCollege's September 2003 purchase of Datamark Inc. skewed the year-vs.-year comparison of diluted net earnings. Datamark made a hefty contribution to eCollege's 2004 results.
But the online education company's 2003 diluted net earnings included Datamark's numbers only for November and December, making the year- vs.-year earnings increase appear larger.
ECollege CEO Oakleigh Thorne joked to a reporter that he was "sorry" the company hadn't generated "real growth" in its diluted net earnings of nearly 3,000 percent.
No matter. Wall Street still likes eCollege.
Why? Analyst Mark Marostica of Piper Jaffray & Co. noted that online education is posting strong growth and universities increasingly recruit students through marketing.

Full Story: http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/business/article/0,1299,DRMN_4_3704616,00.html

Blackboard expands into European Markets

New Marketing Director in Europe and UK-Based Communications Firm Hired
WASHINGTON, DC, Apr 14, 2005 (MARKET WIRE via COMTEX) -- Blackboard Inc. (NASDAQ: BBBB), a leading provider of e-Learning software and services to more than 2,200 universities and K-12 schools worldwide, is expanding awareness of its software products and services across Europe. Additional resources include: -- A new marketing director, based in Amsterdam
-- A new UK-based communications agency
-- A new Applications Service Provider (ASP) Data Center in Europe (to
open later this year)
Blackboard is pleased to announce the arrival of Dave Hayward as Marketing Director, Europe. Mr. Hayward will serve as a dedicated in-market resource to assist Blackboard in meeting the e-Learning needs of institutions across the region. Mr. Hayward joins Blackboard with a decade of experience working as a marketing executive at Oracle Corporation.
Blackboard has also retained The EuroPR Group, a London-based Independent PR Consultancy to support its European marketing and communications efforts. EuroPR Group will work closely with Mr. Hayward to generate awareness and excitement about how Blackboard is enabling academic institutions across Europe to enhance the educational experience. More than 350 learning institutions currently license Blackboard software products and services in Europe, some of which are hosted by Blackboard's ASP Services from servers based in the United States

Full Story: http://www.blackboard.com/about/press/prview.htm?id=695468

SkillSoft's Perspectives User Conference to Highlight Integrated Enterprise Learning in Las Vegas, May 2 - 5

Thursday April 14, 9:18 am ET
- Industry Analysts Elliott Masie and Josh Bersin Will Keynote; Presentations Will Focus on Maximizing Human Capital, Use of Informal and Formal Learning, and Supporting Employee Productivity
NASHUA, N.H., April 14 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- SkillSoft PLC (Nasdaq: SKIL - News), a leading provider of content resources and complementary technologies for integrated enterprise learning, today announced the agenda of its Perspectives user conference. The event will be held at Green Valley Ranch Resort, Las Vegas, from May 2 - 5. Attendees will have access to keynotes, breakout presentations and workshops on a variety of topics, such as management training, global deployment of learning initiatives, rapid development, third-party LMS strategies and ROI. Customer presenters and panelists include learning executives from TELUS, Yahoo!, U.S. Office of Personnel Management, Computer Sciences Corporation, Merck, ADP, Mellon Financial Corp., Kronos and University of Iowa.
Attendees may choose to participate in any of five half-day workshops at no additional cost. The workshops, held on May 2, cover SkillPort, SkillSoft's learning management system; rapid development of learning programs; internal marketing; achieving a learning "utopia"; and third-party LMS strategies.

Full Story: http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/050414/neth018.html?.v=6

Frostburg State University gets new President

Frostburg State University (Frostburg, MD) President Catherine R. Gira announced her retirement Tuesday from the post she has held for nearly 14 years. She will step down June 30, 2006. She became president of the university Sept. 1, 1991, after serving nine years as provost of the University of Baltimore.

Coast Community College District

Trustees of the Coast Community College District in California have appointed longtime teacher and administrator Robert V. Dees as president. Dees has worked at the college for 27 years. For the last seven years, he has been vice president for instruction.

SUNY trustees hire interim chancellor

MICHAEL GORMLEY
The Associated Press

ALBANY -- The State University of New York Board of Trustees on Tuesday hired a former U.S. Navy admiral to serve as interim chancellor at a salary of $340,000 a year while giving the current chancellor a $206,000-a-year teaching job.
Retired U.S. Navy Vice Admiral John R. Ryan, a former U.S. Naval Academy superintendent, will begin as interim chancellor June 1, when current Chancellor Robert King said he will resign.
Ryan won't receive the chancellor's $90,000-a-year housing allowance. Instead, he'll receive $90,000 more than the base salary paid to King.
Board members said the changes will ensure SUNY's growth at a time of record enrollment, minority enrollment, endowments and college board scores of freshman.
As chancellor, King, 58, has received the $90,000 annual housing allowance in addition to his $250,000 salary while remaining in his home in the Albany suburbs. He also has free use of a SUNY car and driver during his five years on the job.

Full Story: http://www.theithacajournal.com/news/stories/20050413/localnews/2111007.html

Fort Valley State University

Fort Valley State University president Kofi Lomotey says he's leaving the college June 30. Lomotey, who has headed the school since 2001, has faced criticism and setbacks in recent months. Earlier this year, the executive committee of the university's faculty senate's cast a 5-1 no-confidence vote against him. Some faculty members have criticized Lomotey's spending practices and educational decisions almost since his arrival.

Illinois Wesleyan University has a new President

Illinois Wesleyan University has a new president, who says the key to success for the Bloomington school is delivering on its promise to students. Dick Wilson said in his inaugural address yesterday that the university needs to follow its liberal arts mission. He also says the school should prepare students to become global citizens and engage students in civic duty.

New Horizons Delivers on the Promise of eLearning

Wednesday April 13, 11:00 am ET
New Horizons Online LIVE Synchronous eLearning Reaches 10,000 Student Mark
ANAHEIM, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 13, 2005--New Horizons Computer Learning Centers Inc. (Nasdaq:NEWH - News), the world's largest independent IT training provider, reports record growth for its synchronous eLearning offering, Online LIVE Learning. Introduced in 2001, New Horizons Online LIVE experienced 70 percent growth in the first quarter of 2005 over the same quarter in the previous year. With more than 100 subject areas available and award-winning eLabs at the fingertips of students, New Horizons has trained more than 10,000 students worldwide and has delivered over 350 custom, private events to over 120 Fortune 500 companies.

In order to achieve these major milestones in the market acceptance of its synchronous eLearning offering, New Horizons has leveraged more than 20 years of experience in classroom instruction to offer the industry's most effective, engaging and high-impact online learning experience.
According to Brandon Hall, industry analyst: "The promise of synchronous learning has been to provide students with a flexible, cost-effective, and enriching experience that simulates the classroom environment. Students are taking advantage of this method of training and have realized the benefits and efficiencies that come with training online."

Full Story: http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/050413/135237.html?.v=1

Blackboard Announces Winners of First Bbionic Course Contest(SM) and Greenhouse Project(SM)

Wednesday April 13, 7:00 am ET Programs Represent Milestone for Blackboard's Community of Practice; Winners Recognized at 7th Annual Blackboard Users Conference
WASHINGTON, DC--(MARKET WIRE)--Apr 13, 2005 -- Blackboard Inc. (NasdaqNM:BBBB - News) is pleased to announce the winners of its first Bbionic Course Contest and Greenhouse Project, two programs -- launched at EDUCAUSE 2004 -- to cultivate innovations in e-Learning and support the organic growth of knowledge within the Blackboard® community. Proposals for the Bbionic Course Contest, a course design competition were submitted from K-12 schools, and higher education institutions across the U.S. and abroad. Winners of this year's competition include:-- Virtual High School/Forks High School; Poetry Writing
-- Dallas Baptist University; ART-1306
-- Texas Women's University; Family Sexuality
-- Humboldt State University; Nutrition for Athletic Performance
-- University of Dundee (UK); Assessment Online
The winners of Greenhouse Project, a semi-annual grant program intended to foster academic dialogue, research and best practices development in e-Education are:-- University of Durham (UK); Foundations: Supporting and enhancing the
Building Block development community
-- University of Nebraska -- Lincoln; Underrepresented Courses: "Could
Distance Delivered Science Really Work?"

Full Story: http://biz.yahoo.com/iw/050413/084406.html

Blackboard Unveils "Caliper"

Tuesday April 12, 2:00 pm ET Product Development Initiative Will Tackle the Assessment and Evaluation Needs of Institutions, Programs, and Instructors
BALTIMORE, MD--(MARKET WIRE)--Apr 12, 2005 -- 7th Annual Blackboard Users Conference -- Blackboard Inc. (NasdaqNM:BBBB - News), a leading provider of e-learning software and services, unveiled today a new product development effort, codename "Caliper." Caliper will address the growing assessment and evaluation needs of educators in both traditional and e-Learning programs. Caliper will enable instructors and administrators to better plan, measure and report on their instructional and programmatic objectives. The product codename and focus were unveiled by Blackboard Chairman Matthew Pittinsky during the 2005 Annual Product Strategy Keynote, at the 7th Annual Blackboard Users Conference.

"Caliper spawned from an obvious need across the educational spectrum to streamline the process of measuring course, program, and institutional effectiveness," said Pittinsky. "With policymakers and accreditation boards mandating the measurement of student outcomes, the time is ripe for a system like Caliper. We have a unique opportunity to translate the data tracked in course management systems and other technologies into a useful framework for all stakeholders in the education community."
A recent Blackboard survey of Higher Education institutions determined that 90% of administrators agree that they are interested in using web-based technology to support program assessment.

Full Story: http://biz.yahoo.com/iw/050412/084459.html

New Open Source Tool From Blackboard & MERLOT Unleashes a Multitude of Educational Resources for Teachers and Students

Tuesday April 12, 7:00 am ET MERLOT Search Makes Thousands of Existing Online Educational Resources Easily Accessible via Blackboard
BALTIMORE, MD--(MARKET WIRE)--Apr 12, 2005 -- 7th ANNUAL BLACKBOARD USERS CONFERENCE -- Blackboard Inc. (NasdaqNM:BBBB - News), a leading provider of e-learning software and services, announced today the release of MERLOT Search, a Building Block for The Blackboard Learning System(TM). The new Building Block was announced at the 7th Annual Blackboard Users Conference during a keynote from Blackboard Chairman Matthew Pittinsky.
This tool will allow instructors to search for educational materials available through the Multimedia Educational Resource, for Learning and Online Teaching (MERLOT) without exiting their Blackboard course. MERLOT (www.merlot.org), a free and open resource features more than 12,000 online educational materials and more than 25,000 members representing the higher education community. Blackboard Building Blocks are software applications which extend the Blackboard e-Learning platform.
MERLOT Search allows instructors to search the MERLOT repository directly from Blackboard, saving time and additional steps. Instructors can apply search results to select specific learning resources and embed links to them in their Blackboard course Web site.

Full Story: http://biz.yahoo.com/iw/050412/084405.html

Elluminate Enables Babson College to Deliver Real-time, Web-based Education

Tuesday April 12, 8:50 am ET
Interactive eLearning Environment Provides Synchronous Content for Remote Students
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 12, 2005-- Elluminate, Inc., a leading provider of live eLearning and Web collaboration solutions for the real-time organization, announced today that Babson College has implemented Elluminate Live! Academic Version(TM). The college is using Elluminate Live! to simulate the face-to-face experience of a traditional classroom, adding live interaction to distance education programs and blended online/onsite course offerings, such as Babson's Fast Track MBA Program, the first of its kind in New England.
Elluminate Live! enables instructors to host guest speakers, eliminating costly travel, and students can attend class even when ill or during inclement weather. Other uses for the live eLearning environment at Babson College include virtual office hours for instructors and group spaces for students to use for online collaboration. In addition, the Executive Education arm of the college is using Elluminate Live! to build course modules for sale to corporations around the world.

Full Story: http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/050412/125485.html?.v=1

7th Annual Blackboard Users Conference Draws Record Attendance

Monday April 11, 1:15 pm ET Baseball Legend Cal Ripken Jr. to Kick-Start Three-Day Event With Opening Keynote Address
WASHINGTON, DC--(MARKET WIRE)--Apr 11, 2005 -- A crowd of more than 1400 people will descend upon Baltimore tomorrow for the 7th Annual Blackboard Users Conference, "Innovating Together(SM)." Blackboard Inc. (NasdaqNM:BBBB - News) is hosting the three-day event at the Baltimore Convention Center to provide a forum for clients to meet, connect, exchange ideas and foster innovation. Registration is still open and those interested can quickly and easily sign up at the Information Booth to take part in the conference. More than 2,200 schools, colleges and universities rely on Blackboard to enhance their education experience.

Baltimore hometown hero Cal Ripken Jr. will kick off the conference with a keynote address Tuesday morning about perseverance. Following his speech hundreds of conference sessions will open for attendees to learn about the latest innovations related to the convergence of technology and education. Sessions will be presented by Blackboard as well as clients and partners.
Among the innovations to be unveiled by Blackboard is the company's visionary product strategy.

Full Story: http://biz.yahoo.com/iw/050411/084248.html

Cardean Learning Group Makes Key Appointments to Executive Team

Monday April 11, 1:59 pm ET
- Online Education Innovator Adds Senior Enrollment, Product Development, and Finance Veterans
CHICAGO, April 11 /PRNewswire/ -- Cardean Learning Group LLC, the Chicago- based online education company, has named three seasoned corporate executives to its executive leadership team. The three join the company in key management roles to further strengthen Cardean Learning Group's role as a leading developer of online degree programs for working adults.

"These three management appointments strengthen our position as the leading innovator in online education," said C. Cathleen Raffaeli, president and CEO of Cardean Learning Group. "We have the most unique and adult-centered degree programs available online. We're confident our new management additions round out a very strong management group and position the company for competitive advancements in the near future," said Ms. Raffaeli.
The following have been named to executive positions at Cardean Learning Group LLC:

Ramon Gregory - Executive Vice President, Enrollment & Student Services
Ramon Gregory joins Cardean Learning Group as Executive Vice President for Enrollment and Student Services. Mr. Gregory has more than 20 years experience in the field of customer contact centers and operations. Additionally, he has been leading key initiatives at Cardean Learning Group as a senior consultant in the company's customer delivery area. Prior to Cardean Learning Group, Mr. Gregory was Senior Vice President for Customer Service Operations with The Home Depot in Atlanta. Before that, he served as Senior Vice President of Global Call Center Operations for insurance industry leader, American International Group (AIG). He is also the founder and principal of The Gregory Group LLC, an executive consulting and operations firm.

Full Story: http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/050411/cgm052.html?.v=5

The University of Mississippi and Cumberland Emerging Technologies Announce Collaboration Agreement

Monday April 11, 1:22 pm ET
NASHVILLE, Tenn., April 11 /PRNewswire/ -- Cumberland Emerging Technologies (CET) has announced the signing of a collaboration agreement with the University of Mississippi School of Pharmacy (UM) to develop and commercialize new pharmaceutical products. With the shared goal of bringing early-stage research to the marketplace, the parties have agreed to combine their strengths to take innovative new products, based on research at UM, through the critical phases of development and on to commercialization. The university and CET will work together to pursue grant funding for these projects through programs like Small Business Technology Transfer and Small Business Innovation Research, for which CET will provide program management.
In addition to bringing new products to market, the parties will explore opportunities for development of a Mississippi-based CET life sciences incubator, similar to the facility CET developed in Nashville in 2002.

Full Story: http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/050411/clm055.html?.v=4

Community Colleges at Capacity

For community colleges, turning away qualified students isn’t just something they don’t want to do, it goes against their entire philosophy.
But in the hallways and in sessions at the annual meeting of the American Association of Community Colleges, which convened over the weekend in Boston, leaders of two-year institutions talked about their frustrations with capacity issues. As states have cut funds or failed to keep up with enrollment growth, de facto enrollment limits have been set — and students are being turned away.
Likewise, in some states experiencing population growth or where states have decided to encourage more students to enroll in higher education, educators fear that state legislatures aren’t always following through with money to pay for that growth.
Tensions over these issues were evident at a session Sunday morning in which officials from Texas, Louisiana and California discussed capacity and growth issues in their states. Eduardo Marti, president of Queensborough Community College and moderator of the session, said the issue boils down to “what are we going to do with students coming to us and the resources are not here.” He added that this gap threatens “the whole concept of the community college experience.”
Glenda Barron, assistant commissioner of higher education in Texas, who is responsible for two-year colleges in that state, pointed both to successes and to serious challenges there. Texas is in the middle of a campaign to significantly increase college-going rates generally, and for members of various minority groups in particular. As part of that campaign — which aims eventually to add 500,000 students to higher education — Texas has seen the number of community college students increase by 88,000 in the last five years.

Full Story: http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2005/04/11/aacc

Google: Friend or Foe?

Just how afraid of Google and other new technologies should academic librarians be?
That was the essential question at the core of a Web-based panel Saturday, “Googlelizers, Visualization, Metasearch, and Other Disruptive Search Technologies,” sponsored in conjunction with the annual meeting of the Association of College and Research Libraries. The panelists more or less divided themselves into “resisters” and “Googlelizers” (or “evil Googlelizers,” as one of the self-described resisters, Steven J. Bell, characterized them, with tongue planted, mostly, in cheek).
“The war is over, and Google won,” said Richard Sweeney, university librarian at the New Jersey Institute of Technology and a proud Googlelizer. He and Judy Luther, a consultant on library technology issues, both praised Google for making information more accessible to a much broader range of users. Sweeney compared searching in Google to the kind of video and other gaming that many young people do, where once a user achieves a certain level of success, “you can move on to the next level."
By offering simple and advanced searching, Luther said, Google makes users, particularly young ones, feel “like they’re in control” and encourages them to do searches and get results.” Academic librarians, she said, “can build upon that” over time to transform those young people into consumers of what the libraries have to offer. She, too, drew a parallel to gaming, in which players typically try to “get around” those in positions of responsibility and lean heavily on their “strategy coaches.”
Librarians need to become coaches, she said, to help users figure out “how they can find the best information.”

Full Story: http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2005/04/11/google

Executives See Business Intelligence Emerging as Crucial Competitive Advantage

Monday April 11, 10:00 am ET
Research Study Demonstrates Keen Interest in Using Business Intelligence to Revolutionize Decision-Making Processes
PHILADELPHIA--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 11, 2005--Business intelligence capabilities and analytic prowess will play crucial roles in the most competitive sectors of the global economy, according to a new study by the director of research for Babson Executive Education (BEE) at Babson College in Wellesley, Mass. But an organization's efforts to develop fact-based decision-making capabilities are likely to fail unless they are closely supported by top management, the survey showed.

"We have reached a critical juncture in the history of global competition," said Professor Tom Davenport, president's distinguished professor in the Information Technology Management Division of Babson. "After years of fitful progress, leading firms have begun basing their competitive strategies on the sophisticated analysis of business data."
Davenport cited progress at organizations such as Capital One, Harrah's Entertainment, Dreyfus, Marriott, Procter & Gamble, Verizon and the NFL's New England Patriots as clear signs of an accelerating trend toward greater reliance on analytic processes and technologies.
"Many companies today use business intelligence for specific applications, but these initiatives are usually too narrow to affect corporate performance," Davenport said. "The organizations we surveyed, however, are building broad capabilities for enterprise-level business analytics and intelligence. Their capabilities go well beyond data and technology to address the processes, skills and cultures of their organizations. These strategies are driven by CEOs and senior executives who insist on fact-based decisions throughout their businesses."

Full Story: http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/050411/115144.html?.v=1

Mass. Biotechnology Council and MassBioEd Announce $9M Major Public/Private Partnership to Advance Science Education in the State

Monday April 11, 9:12 am ET
- -
- Bioteach Program Has Already Raised $3.3m ---
- Major Corporate Sponsorship Provided by Genzyme Corporation and Serono --
CAMBRIDGE, Mass., April 11 /PRNewswire/ -- Today the Massachusetts Biotechnology Council (MBC) and MassBioEd, the MBC's education foundation, announced the launch of BioTeach, a $9 million public/private partnership to provide the resources to enable every public high school in Massachusetts to teach biotechnology by 2010. BioTeach builds on the MBC's nine years of success with its Science Lab Awards program, adding biotechnology science and career components into the core biology curriculum of public schools in Massachusetts.

"Massachusetts would not be the world center of life science research that it is today without the talented minds that fill the laboratories of our companies, academic institutions, and hospitals," said MBC President Thomas Finneran. "There is no better way to engage a new generation of scientists than by bringing cutting-edge biotechnology into the classroom. Through this partnership, the MBC is expanding its historic commitment to science education in Massachusetts."
To date, the BioTeach program has received generous support from a number of MBC member companies, including commitments of $250,000 from Genzyme Corporation and $100,000 from Serono, the leading corporate sponsors, as well as a $1.4M grant from the U.S. Department of Labor. Such corporate and government financial assistance is critical to the success of the BioTeach program. In addition, the MBC plans to raise $100,000 annually through the annual MBC Golf Classic. MassBioEd is also partnering for BioTeach with local, private and public organizations listed below.

Full Story: http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/050411/nem018.html?.v=6

SunGard SCT Solutions to Help Improve the Education Experience for 22 Texas Colleges and Universities

MALVERN, Pa., April 7, 2005 — In the past year, 22 Texas colleges and universities have chosen SunGard SCT, an operating unit of SunGard (NYSE:SDS), for information technology and services that will help improve the education experience for their more than 500,000 students, faculty, alumni and staff.

Our SCT Banner Unified Digital Campus will help us empower our students, faculty and staff to accomplish more," said Doug Fox, associate vice president for information technology and chief information officer at Angelo State University. "They will be able to interact with each other and with our institution in far more convenient and productive ways. The integrated environment will really help us put the focus on our customers and their information needs." In addition to SCT Banner, the University licensed the SCT Luminis Platform which provides a foundation of infrastructure, enterprise applications, and portal features, and SCT Luminis Data Integration, which integrates disparate systems into a unified whole.Alamo Community College District licensed the SCT Luminis Content Management Suite, which supports Web content creation and management, in addition to the SCT Luminis Platform, SCT Luminis Data Integration, and SCT Banner. "Our Unified Digital Campus solutions will help us create an environment where everybody has the information and resources that they need at their fingertips. This digital enterprise will help us to meet the needs of students, faculty, and our entire community that we serve in what is increasingly a digital world. SunGard SCT's singular focus on higher education makes them the best provider of technology solutions for us," said Dr. Charles Burmeister, chief information officer, Alamo Community College District.

Full Story: http://www.tmcnet.com/usubmit/2005/Apr/1132197.htm

Houghton Mifflin Names Donna Lucki President of Houghton Mifflin School Division

Friday April 8, 10:00 am ET
BOSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 8, 2005--Houghton Mifflin Company today announced that the Board of Directors has named Donna Lucki President of Houghton Mifflin School Division. In her new role, she will oversee the publishing, marketing and sales operations of Houghton Mifflin's pre-K through grade 6 basal textbook division.
With more than 20 years experience in the publishing industry, Lucki most recently served as Senior Vice President and Publisher, Houghton Mifflin School Division. As Publisher, she led the Division's product development activities, including editorial, market research production, and art and design. Lucki joined the Company in 2003 and oversaw the development of new textbook programs in social studies, science, math, spelling, and pre-K.
Prior to joining Houghton Mifflin, Lucki was Senior Vice President and Publisher for Harcourt School Publishers, the basal elementary school publishing unit of Harcourt, where she was responsible for product development, editorial, design, production and overall improvement processes. As Publisher, she oversaw the development of all Harcourt elementary programs. Lucki also previously served as Editor-in-Chief of the Reading Department at Harcourt.
Lucki began her career as an elementary teacher in Depew, New York. She is a graduate of the State University College at Geneseo, New York, and holds a master's degree from the University of Buffalo.

Full Story: http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/050408/85091.html?.v=1

Datatel Executive Team Completes Management Buyout Backed by Thoma Cressey Equity Partners and Trident Capital

FAIRFAX, VA – April 8, 2005 – Datatel, Inc. announced today that the management buyout of its founders, Ken Kendrick and Tom Davidson, is complete. This management buyout, backed by Thoma Cressey Equity Partners and Trident Capital, was originally announced on March 18, 2005.
“Datatel takes pride in the cutting-edge technology and professional services that we provide,” said H. Russell Griffith, Datatel president, Chief Executive Officer, and Chairman of the Board. “With the added resources and expertise from Thoma Cressey Equity Partners and Trident Capital, Datatel will continue to grow and expand these offerings, providing our clients the tools they need to meet their business challenges.”
Concurrent with the signing of this transaction, president and CEO Russ Griffith will also assume the role of Chairman of the Board. Vernon R. Hollidge, Datatel senior vice president will also serve on the board, and the remainder of the executive leadership will remain unchanged.
Founded in 1968, Datatel is a leading provider of fully integrated enterprise information management solutions for higher education institutions. For the last 25 years, Datatel has exclusively focused on meeting the needs of colleges and universities, helping institutions operate more efficiently so they may better serve their constituents. More than 650 Datatel clients have achieved new levels of success using the company’s industry-leading software, Datatel Colleague, and acclaimed professional services.
Full Story: http://www.datatel.com/objectViewer.cfm?referrerID=0C8365D7-AA93-93B5-3222FB6618F33FC8&objectID=22EB8086-9C49-7073-923ACBB469CCC433

Princeton Review Names Rob Cohen as Interim General Manager of K-12 Division

Friday April 8, 8:00 am ET
NEW YORK, April 8 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- The Princeton Review, Inc. (Nasdaq: REVU - News), a leading provider of test preparation, educational support, and college admissions services, today announced the appointment of Robert Cohen to the post of Executive Vice President and Interim General Manager of the Company's K-12 Services Division.

Mr. Cohen's appointment comes in the wake of the passing of Tim Conroy last Wednesday in New York City. Mr. Conroy was the Executive Vice President and General Manager of The Princeton Review's K-12 Services Division.
"We are deeply saddened by Tim's untimely death. Our thoughts are with the entire Conroy family," said Mark J. Chernis, President and Chief Operating Officer. "He will be sorely missed by all who had the privilege of working with him."
Mr. Cohen was the former Executive Vice President of the K-12 Division. He was instrumental in growing the fledgling division into maturity. "Rob brings experience and leadership to the post. We're confident that he will do an outstanding job under these difficult circumstances," said Chernis.

Complete Story: http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/050408/nyf028.html?.v=5

Growing Market for Loans

The student loan industry has historically focused on students at four-year institutions, since community colleges tend to have low tuition rates and their students have less need to borrow.
That is starting to change. Sallie Mae is today announcing a major campaign in which it will offer two new loan programs for students at community colleges, and a set of financial services for the institutions themselves. Sallie Mae will also be pushing the new programs at the American Association of Community Colleges meeting, which starts tomorrow in Boston.
Officials of the company say that the new loan programs were designed to make up for gaps in traditional loan programs, and to reflect changes in community college costs. Even though community colleges remain much less expensive than other sectors of higher education, many two-year institutions have differential tuitions in which selected programs can cost more than twice the base tuition rates, and students in those programs in particular may need more sources of funds.

Full Story: http://insidehighered.com/news/2005/04/08/ccloans

Less Immunity for Public Colleges?

A federal appeals court has poked a hole in the immunity shield for state colleges.
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit ruled this week that the 11th Amendment does not protect public colleges from lawsuits filed by students under the Americans With Disabilities Act.
The 11th circuit’s decision overturned a lower federal court’s 2001 ruling in a lawsuit brought against Florida International University by a group of hearing impaired students. They contended that the state-funded university had violated the ADA by failing to provide qualified classroom interpreters or note takers or to offer other ways for such students to understand classroom instruction.
The suit also charged that the students had received lower grades because of the university’s failure to communicate classroom material well, and that the institution had then failed to remedy that problem.

Full Story: http://insidehighered.com/news/2005/04/08/disabled

Trustees resign from university system board

By CLARKE CANFIELD
©Copyright 2005 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed

PORTLAND, Maine — Two members of the University of Maine System board of trustees have resigned following legislation that critics say threatens plans to reorganize Maine´s universities and undermines the board´s authority.
Wickham Skinner and Donald McDowell submitted letters of resignation following the Legislature´s approval of a state budget that included an amendment that prevents the board from changing the names or locations of the state´s seven universities.
Skinner, vice chairman of the board, said Wednesday that the legislation blocks the proposed merger between the University of Maine at Augusta and the University of Southern Maine, and prevents name changes at other campuses.

Full Story: http://news.mainetoday.com/apwire/D89A4BN00-95.shtml

Washington Post unit buys education licensing company

Thursday April 7, 9:00 am ET
CHICAGO, April 7 /PRNewswire/ -- Kaplan Professional, a division of Kaplan, Inc., today announced that it has agreed to acquire BISYS Education Services, a prominent provider of licensing education and compliance solutions for financial services institutions and professionals.
Kaplan is a leading provider of educational services, providing professional training, postsecondary education, test preparation and K12 services for individuals and institutional customers. BISYS Education Services will join the Dearborn group of companies, which are part of Kaplan Professional.
"This move will enable us to provide customers with unparalleled resources," said Eric Cantor, Kaplan Professional President and Chief Executive Officer. "We will leverage both organizations' investments in technology and content to offer the highest quality services available."
"In an increasingly complex regulatory environment, our institutional customers require strategic, tailored solutions," said Andrea Mainelli, Kaplan Professional Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer. "We can now offer a single source for all their education and compliance needs."

Source: http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/050407/nyth040.html?.v=6

Tufts strives for need-blind policy

By Kat SchmidtDaily Editorial Board
The University has recently established its latest goal: ensure that every admissions decision is made without regard for a student's ability to pay.
In his 2002 inaugural address, University President Lawrence Bacow said, "We need to ensure that Tufts remains accessible to all and not just the wealthy few. We want to admit students on a truly need-blind basis ..."
Dean of Admissions Lee Coffin said that President Bacow's commitment to achieving need-blind admissions was one of the main objectives set out for him at the beginning of his tenure as Dean.
This goal, however, is easier stated than accomplished. Providing enough endowment resources to provide solid financial aid is "a moving target," Coffin said.
Tufts' financial aid comes from the interest on the University's endowment, an invested sum of money - currently estimated at $752 million - that generates revenue for the University.
Financial aid allocations are an intricate balancing act of dynamic need, fluctuating costs, and many economic constraints.
Tufts' policy is currently need-sensitive, which means that a student's ability to pay may be a factor in the admissions decision.

Full Story: http://www.tuftsdaily.com/vnews/display.v/ART/2005/04/06/42537421cb50e

Dr. Jeb Egbert appointed President of Argosy University/Orange County

Argosy University system president Dr. Gregory M. St. L. O'Brien has appointed Jeb Egbert, EdD, as president of Argosy University/Orange County, effective April 1, 2005. Since 2004, Dr. Egbert has served as President of Argosy University/Dallas, where he first joined as the school's provost. Dr. Egbert brings over 20 years of experience in a traditional liberal arts setting to Argosy University/Orange County as a senior manager and faculty member in business and education.

eCollege(R) Names Matthew Schnittman President of the eLearning Division

Thursday April 7, 9:00 am ET
DENVER, April 7 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- eCollege® (Nasdaq: ECLG - News), a leading provider of value-added information services to the post-secondary education industry, today announced it has promoted Matthew Schnittman from executive vice president and general manager of the eLearning Division to president of the eLearning Division.

Schnittman will continue to report to Doug Kelsall, eCollege's president and chief operating officer (COO). Schnittman will oversee all operations of the eLearning Division, including sales, account management, customer care, professional services and product management.
"Matthew has been an integral part of our management team since 1999, and has worked closely with some of our largest clients to ensure the success of their online operations," said Oakleigh Thorne, chairman and CEO of eCollege. "We are pleased to promote Matthew in recognition of his contributions."

Source: http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/050407/lath023.html?.v=5

PLATO Learning Products Win Three BESSIE Awards in 11th Annual ComputEd Gazette Competition

Tuesday April 5, 4:00 pm ET
MINNEAPOLIS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 5, 2005--PLATO Learning, Inc. (NASDAQ:TUTR - News), a leading provider of K-Adult computer-based and e-learning solutions, today announced that PLATO® Writing Process and Practice, PLATO® Physical and Life Science, and PLATO® eduTest Assessment were named ComputEd Gazette BESSIE Award recipients.
PLATO Writing Process and Practice was awarded a BESSIE in the High School Language Arts category. Designed for remedial, on-grade-level, and enrichment instruction, PLATO Writing Process and Practice teaches writing as a process that is flexible, adaptable, and recursive. The product emphasizes the peer review process and shows the value of writing by highlighting samples written by adults in a variety of occupations while providing grammar instruction that emphasizes contextual usage.
PLATO Physical and Life Science, recipients of the Middle School Science BESSIE award, are innovative standards-based curricula that supplement middle school and GED instruction by addressing difficult science concepts with sophisticated computer animation and multimedia. Students benefit from these comprehensive curricula with preparation for high-stakes testing and the appreciation of scientific inquiry.
PLATO eduTest Assessment was awarded a BESSIE in the Online Assessment category. This comprehensive assessment program helps educators quickly identify strengths and needs for students, classrooms, schools, or an entire district. Through online formative and benchmark assessments, educators can determine the needs of each of their students and establish the best course of action for improvement.
"We are excited to have our products recognized for their ability to aid teachers and positively impact learning outcomes. At PLATO Learning, we are committed to developing quality products using the most current research in educational theory and practice and delivering only those products proven effective. This award acknowledges our success at meeting that commitment to educators," said Mike Morache, PLATO Learning President and CEO.
In its 11th year, the BESSIE Awards target innovative and content-rich programs and web sites that provide parents and teachers with the technology tools to foster educational excellence. Winners are selected from titles submitted by software publishers from around the world.
A full list of BESSIE Award winners can be found at http://computedgazette.com/page3.html

UMassOnline Revenue Grows 30 Percent and Enrollments Grow 19 Percent in Fiscal Year 2005

Tuesday April 5, 4:30 pm ET
SHREWSBURY, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 5, 2005--UMassOnline, the University of Massachusetts' Web-based learning division, today announced that online education program revenue and enrollments grew by 30 percent and 19 percent, respectively, in fiscal year 2005 (July 2004 - June 2005). Revenue from the University of Massachusetts' system online programs was $16 million, up from $12 million in FY 2004. Enrollments reached 17,554, up from 14,702 in FY 2004. More than 90 percent of the revenue is retained by the UMass campuses to support education and research programs.
"I attribute our rapid growth largely to our product offerings," said David Gray, UMassOnline CEO. "UMassOnline has what students are looking for: high quality, accredited distance education programming delivered by world class faculty. We recently added five new programs to our portfolio, including the Medical School's Continuing Medical Education program. Reputation matters too. Students and employers recognize that and are drawn to our award winning programs. The Med School recently ranked 4th in primary care education by U.S. News & World Reports." Gray concluded, "We will continue to analyze market demand for new program opportunities that meet the needs of today's lifelong learners."
Janet McClelland, a working mother with a very demanding job as a leader in Community Health and Hospice, agrees that UMassOnline is meeting a critical need for today's busy students. "I am now a graduate student in the Master of Science in Nursing/Master of Public Health Dual Degree Program. Online learning offers the flexibility to complete assignments around my busy schedule, individualized classroom discussions, and the opportunity to receive feedback whenever it is necessary." Janet adds, "I am able to maintain my family life, demanding work schedule, and continue my education. I would not have done it any other way."

Full Story: http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/050405/56043.html?.v=1

Top 10 Digital Community Colleges for 2005

Wednesday April 6, 4:02 pm ET
FOLSOM, CA--(MARKET WIRE)--Apr 6, 2005 -- The top 10 digitally savvy community colleges for 2005 have been named by the Center for Digital Education (Center) and American Association of Community Colleges (AACC). A ranking was established based on their second Digital Community Colleges Survey, which examined how colleges are deploying technology to streamline operations and better serve their students, faculty and staff.
More than 200 community colleges across the country participated in the survey. Colleges were grouped into three categories based on city and student population. In the large/urban category, two colleges share the first-place position: St. Petersburg College in Florida and York Technical College in South Carolina. In the mid/suburban category, Indian River Community College in Florida earned the top position. Tompkins Cortland Community College in New York captured first place in the small/rural category.
Community college officials responded to a set of 24 questions in the survey that addressed online capabilities, such as admission, registration, bookstores, and grades. Additional questions focused on the availability of technology tools and training for teachers and faculty, along with strategic plans across departments and within curriculum planning. Colleges were ranked according to a four-point scale, providing Web site addresses and background data for final verification and validation.

Full Story: http://biz.yahoo.com/iw/050406/084155.html

MIT -- Spreading the Wealth

Four years after the Massachusetts Institute of Technology unveiled a plan to make all its course materials available online for all the world to use, Anne H. Margulies still gets asked one question more than any other: “Why would MIT give this all away?”
“I got that very question from my cab driver on the way over here,” Margulies, executive director of OpenCourseWare, said at a luncheon this week sponsored by the National Academies Forum on Information Technology and Research Universities. She spent the session both answering that question and explaining to the government officials and technology administrators in the room why MIT officials, in the face of a countervailing movement to “lock information and knowledge down,” continue to believe so passionately in what they call “intellectual philanthropy.”
First and foremost, says Margulies, “this advances our core institutional mission of disseminating knowledge and education.” But it has benefited MIT in other ways, buffing its public image, building collaboration even among its own professors, even (unexpectedly) attracting students: One in seven of MIT freshmen surveyed last year said the existence of the OpenSourceWare effort had influenced their decision to enroll.

Full Story: http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2005/04/07/mit

WebCT, Sakai Project Mavens Pledge Open Standards Harmony

Course management system developer WebCT last week made an announcement underlining its desire to work with the open source education community. WebCT said chief technology officer Chris Vento is a founding member and co-chairman of the IMS Global Learning Consortium's Tools Interoperability Working Group, which aims to make CMS platforms and tools interoperate whether or not they are open source or commercial products.
WebCT said Vento initiated the working group last fall after an appearance with Brad Wheeler, vice chairman of the Sakai Project, an open source organization, at the alt-i-lab learning technology conference. The first project of the working group is to demonstrate compatible software at the next alt-I-lab meeting June 20-22 in Sheffield, UK. The group will demo an open source assessment engine and open source homework tool that will run on commercial and open source platforms. Outside observers are taking a wait-and-see stance on the cooperation pledge. Scott Leslie, an educational technology researcher who maintains the edtechpost Wetsite, said, "from where I'm sitting, if there's a way that third party learning tools can interoperate with different learning environments that is not based on proprietary APIs, that seems like a good step forward. If, instead, the Tools Interoperability specification becomes 'Powerlinks for everyone,' well then . praise the lord and pass the hand grenades."

Source: Campus Technology

University of California Adopts Green Building and Clean Energy Policy

Diverse stakeholders in the UC system recently came together to develop a new system-wide policy, which tightens building design standards and includes ambitious but attainable goals for "green energy" production and purchasing.
The University of California (UC) system has a new, system-wide set of policies for energy conservation and environmental sustainability. The new "Green Building and Clean Energy Policy" is the result of an 18-month planning process that saw an unusual degree of cooperation among university administration, faculty, and students. The policy, which tightens building design standards and includes ambitious but attainable goals for "green energy" production and purchasing, was approved by the UC president in June 2004 and went into effect on July 1. The massive UC system includes ten campuses, five medical schools, and several acute care facilities; in all, more than 100 million gsf of space accommodating a rapidly growing student population of some 200,000. The system also is California's largest electricity user, consuming up to one% of the state's total peak load. According to Michael Bade, director of capital programs at UC San Francisco, the UC system has traditionally emphasized energy conservation and environmental stewardship. That tradition is reflected in the university's infrastructure: In the 1980s and early 1990s, the university performed numerous energy efficiency retrofits, and six of the campuses boast large thermal energy storage and cogeneration facilities.

Full Story: http://www.greenbiz.com/news/reviews_third.cfm?NewsID=27873

A Covenant With Students

The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill set off something of a movement in October 2003 when it announced changes in its aid policies that would guarantee low-income students enough grant money that they could have their full costs covered – without borrowing.
While the most prestigious private institutions in the country (which also happen to be the wealthiest) have been improving their aid programs dramatically in recent years, Chapel Hill — by creating a program for those with family incomes up to 150 percent of the poverty level — started things moving for public universities. Since Chapel Hill announced its shift, similar programs or other major aid efforts have been announced by the Universities of Virginia, Michigan, Maryland and Nebraska, among others.
The first students who benefited from Carolina’s program enrolled in the fall semester — and the university has been undertaking a major research effort to see who they are and how the aid program makes a difference. The results so far suggest that the lowest income students are well prepared academically, and can succeed at top universities. And the economic analysis of these students shows just how stratified top public universities have become by income, and how out of reach those universities can become without ambitious efforts by universities.

Full Story: http://insidehighered.com/news/2005/04/05/covenant

Bill mandates diverse faculty

By Melissa Mixon

A bill that would ensure public universities in Texas employ faculty and staff that are reflective of the state population was left pending Monday during a Senate subcommittee meeting on higher education.State Sen. Juan Hinojosa, D-Mission, authored Senate Bill 1643 to require the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board to develop a strategy for universities to use in recruiting and hiring minorities.Universities would then be required to implement strategies for recruiting and retaining minority faculty and staff. Each year universities would be required to report to the board how they are implementing their developed strategies. In a statement read by state Sen. Judith Zaffirini, D-Laredo, Hinojosa said Hispanics make up 30 percent of the Texas population. Out of this number, he said Hispanics make up 4.8 percent of the faculty and 10 percent of the staff at institutions of higher education. His statement said blacks make up 10 percent of the Texas population while only 4 percent are employed as faculty and 2 percent as staff at universities in Texas.In support of the bill, Javier Olguin, vice president of the Texas Association of Chicanos on Higher Education, said universities need faculty to reflect the state's demographics in order to achieve success.

Full Story: http://www.dailytexanonline.com/news/2005/04/05/TopStories/Bill-Mandates.Diverse.Faculty-912541.shtml

Yale Law remains number one as criticism of ranking rises

BY JOCELYN COURTNEY
Staff Reporter

Yale Law School will spend 2006 as the number one law school in the country again, while other University graduate and professional schools are ranked among the best in the nation according to the 2006 edition of U.S. News and World Report's Rankings of America's Best Graduate Schools. But more and more graduate schools are publicly urging applicants not to focus on rankings.The Law School has held the number one position for almost two decades. The Yale School of Management placed 15th for business schools around the country, slipping one spot from last year, and the Yale School of Medicine ranked 11th for medical research schools around the country. Harvard Business School ranked first among business schools with Stanford University and University of Pennsylvania tying for second. In the medical school ranking, Harvard ranked first with Johns Hopkins and Washington University coming in second. Harvard's law school ranked second while Stanford's came in third.The report attributed Yale Law School's success to its "freewheeling" and "anarchic" approach to teaching.

Full Story: http://www.yaledailynews.com/article.asp?AID=29046

State University of New York head to step down

Robert King will resign in June amid speculation over a falling out with trustees and Pataki

BY OLIVIA WINSLOW
STAFF WRITER; Staff writer Ellen Yan contributed to this report
April 5, 2005

SUNY Chancellor Robert L. King will resign in June, his office confirmed, concluding a puzzling series of events that began in January when he abruptly rescinded a request for a sabbatical and fueled speculation that a rift had developed with key trustees and the governor."The time has come to move on," King wrote in a April 3 letter to trustees his office released late yesterday."I have come to love higher education and very much want to move closer to students and teachers and classrooms," said King, who then offered to serve as an interim president at SUNY Potsdam, a move the trustees are expected to consider at their meeting scheduled for next week.King, former budget director under Gov. George Pataki, has been chancellor of the State University of New York since 1999. In his letter to the trustees, he said SAT scores of SUNY students have increased during his tenure and that SUNY enrollment has grown to a record 413,000. Research dollars SUNY institutions have obtained also have doubled to more than $900 million in the past decade, he noted.Pataki praised King yesterday, saying he has served with "distinction and success."Yet King's request for a sabbatical, which he rescinded two days later, came amid criticism from some members of the legislature. They didn't like that he would still be drawing his $250,000 a year salary and $90,000 a year housing allowance.

Full Story: http://www.newsday.com/news/local/longisland/ny-lisuny054204463apr05,0,5561599,print.story?coll=ny-linews-headlines

Without quorum present, faculty endorse new intellectual property policy

After contentious debate lasting more than an hour, the faculty voted 33-22 at its Tuesday meeting in favor of a resolution endorsing a new policy on patents, inventions and copyrights - but the result might have been illegitimate because procedure at the faculty meeting appeared to violate faculty rules.At issue was whether the University should be able to claim rights to inventions and discoveries made by professors while away from Brown and without University funding, such as during summers, breaks, sabbaticals and in independent consulting projects.Sixty-four professors were present for the vote - short of the required quorum of 100 voting faculty members. In a last-ditch effort to block the passage of the resolution after it passed a faculty vote, opponents quickly pointed out that a quorum was not present. But the meeting's parliamentarian, Professor of Engineering Peter Richardson, said that a quorum is assumed unless a count is first requested. Because a request for a count was not made before the vote, Richardson said the passing vote was legitimate.With Richardson's assertion, the meeting continued to other business.

Full Story: http://www.browndailyherald.com/news/2005/04/06/CampusNews/Without.Quorum.Present.Faculty.Endorse.New.Intellectual.Property.Policy-914268.shtml

Penelope Kyle to become President of Radford University

After 10 challenging yet rewarding years as president of Radford University, Dr. Douglas Covington will step down in May, allowing for Penelope Kyle to take over the reigns of the university. Since taking office June 1, 1995, the native of Winston-Salem, N.C. has focused his energies largely on increasing enrollment and building an image of RU pleasing to students, parents and community members alike.

Bluffton University's first female President to retire

Bluffton University's first female president announced yesterday that she plans to retire at the end of the 2005-2006 school year. Lee Snyder, 64, became president of the former Bluffton College in 1996, marking the first time a woman had been named president of any Mennonite college or university.

Ralph J. Hexter named president of Hampshire College

A dean from the University of California at Berkeley was named president of Hampshire College on Tuesday. Ralph J. Hexter succeeds Gregory Prince Jr. to become the fifth president of the small liberal arts college in western Massachusetts.

National-Louis University gets new President in August

Richard Pappas is heading across the lake to take a new job. The 11-year Lake Michigan College president has been named president of National-Louis University in Chicago. He will begin duties at the school, which is the largest private, nonprofit university in the nation specializing in teacher preparation and educational practice, on Aug. 1.

Indiana Wesleyan University

Indiana Wesleyan University's president will be leaving his position after 19-years and taking on the role of the university's first chancellor in June of 2006. Outgoing president Jim Barnes will act as an advisor to the new president. The university's board of trustees will begin a search for the new president in the coming weeks.

Students begin sit-in at Washington University

By Clay Barbour
Of the Post-Dispatch
04/05/2005
The scene inside Washington University's admissions office Monday was a throwback to the 1970s as 18 students staged a sit-in. Armed with signs, petitions and fliers, the students crowded the small office to take a stand against what they say are low wages paid to as many as 500 employees of the prestigious university. And while iPods and laptops outnumbered peace signs and paisley, the young activists proved that a passion for justice is as hip as ever. "We are here to stay," said Joe Thomas, a sophomore and one of the sit-in organizers. "We will miss classes if necessary. We'll even go to jail. We will be here 24 hours a day, seven days a week until the chancellor decides it's better to pay his employees a living wage than to deal with us for another day."
In a statement released late Monday, a spokesman for the university said a group of administrators was reviewing the school's pay scale and how it fits in the St. Louis market. The statement also said university Chancellor Mark Wrighton would consider the students' requests.

Full Story: http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/news/stories.nsf/education/story/15CC8D3C1E05D08286256FDA0060CD8F?OpenDocument

Accounting mistake leads to shortfall for UConn construction

(Storrs-WTNH, Apr. 5, 2005 7:50 PM) _ There are more problems with construction at the University of Connecticut.
This time, a measurement mistake for the new student union is costing the school millions more than they budgeted for.
by News Channel 8's Kent Pierce
It's a $9 million mistake.
UConn's student union should be beautiful when construction is done but the budget keeps getting uglier.
It's now almost $16 million over budget, rising prices for steel and labor are part of the problem.
But most is because of the difference between gross and net square footage.
"Gross square footage is the entire surface of the whole area in the building, net is that portion of the building you can use when you exclude hallways and common shared areas and stairwells," says Linda Flaherty-Goldsmith, UConn Vice President.
When the construction manager came up with the budget for the project she only took into account a net square footage instead of gross. That meant she thought this was only a sixty-thousand square foot building when really it was going to be 90-thousand square feet.
That mistake added $9 million to the budget and that money has to come from somewhere.
Correcting the error added 30-thousand more square feet and nine million dollars.
"We took the money from a line in the UConn 2000 program phase 3 for equipment, telecommunications and library books."

Full Story: http://www.wtnh.com/Global/story.asp?S=3171679&nav=3YeXYK3J

Yale joins coalition to keep loans

BY RAYMOND PACIA
Staff Reporter

As Congress prepares for the reauthorization of the Higher Education Act, Yale is joining its peers in pushing to preserve loan programs and prevent provisions officials believe compromise academic freedoms.This spring, Congress is expected to push for spending cuts in the Higher Education Act in order to compensate for a deficit in the federal budget. Yale officials are fighting to save the Perkins loan program, which provides interest-free loans to students from lower and middle-class families. The program gives the students 10 years to repay the loans, with an opportunity for loan forgiveness if they join the armed service or perform community service.As part of a plan to curb government spending, President Bush's fiscal year 2006 budget would recall the federal money invested in the program. Each year about 1,300 Yale students, mostly graduate and professional students, receive Perkins loans valued at as much as $6,000."We happen to think the Perkins loan program is great," Yale Director of Federal Relations Richard Jacob said.

Full Story: http://www.yaledailynews.com/article.asp?AID=29056

Nation's elite schools grow more selective

By John Mitchell
The Dartmouth Staff
Published on Wednesday, April 6, 2005

Ivy League institutions mailed out a record number of dreaded thin envelopes this week for the Class of 2009.
Meanwhile, schools across the Ancient Eight reported that the qualifications of their accepted students broke virtually every record in the books, including SAT scores so high that the test may have lost significance in decisions.
Although the number of high- quality applications continues to rise, the number of first-year spots at top schools has remained nearly unchanged, and acceptance rates have plummeted.
While Dartmouth's final acceptance rate -- including both early and regular admissions -- hit an all-time low of 16.8 percent, it still pales in comparison to the rates of some peer institutions.

Full Story: http://www.thedartmouth.com/article.php?aid=2005040601030

Va. Colleges Seek Financial Flexibility

Lawmakers to Act on Measure Being Watched Across Country
By Susan KinzieWashington Post Staff WriterWednesday, April 6, 2005; Page B05
The Virginia legislature will act on a bill today that Gov. Mark R. Warner (D) calls the most sweeping change to public higher education in decades.
It's not just that every public college in Virginia could have, to varying degrees, more freedom from regulations, more flexibility and more accountability for meeting state goals. It's part of an evolution in what it means to be a public university, experts said, emblematic of a conversation happening in many states as the share of public money has declined over the past couple of decades -- and something that will be closely watched as it shakes out.

"We're sure looking at it," said David Longanecker, executive director of the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education.
Public universities across the country are rethinking their relationships with the state, said Nils Hasselmo, president of the Association of American Universities. "They're looking for greater freedom to take their own fate in their own hands by, for example, setting their own tuition, entering into strategic relationships with other institutions and business and industry."

Full Story: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A28306-2005Apr5.html

Gay club could endanger Mars Hill College funds

By Amy MillerSTAFF WRITER
published: April 6, 2005 6:00 am
MARS HILL — The Baptist State Convention of North Carolina warned Tuesday that Mars Hill College could lose nearly $1 million in funding should the Baptist school approve a club for gay, lesbian and transgendered students.
“The Baptist State Convention has taken a very strong stand in opposition to homosexual lifestyles,” said Norman Jameson, executive leader for public relations and resource development for the convention. “In essence, this is a million-dollar decision.”
Mars Hill College is one of five North Carolina colleges affiliated with the convention. It gives the school nearly $1 million annually to cover operating expenses and fund scholarships, Jameson said.
That money could be in jeopardy if the school officially recognizes Open Doors, a group advocating equal rights for homosexuals.
Students last week presented a proposal to recognize Open Doors to the Mars Hill Student Government Association Senate. Organizations not officially recognized may not use the Mars Hill College name on any publicity, promotion or organizational information.

Full Story: http://www.citizen-times.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050406/NEWS01/50405015/1001

Endowment battle brews at Boston College

Students fight for disclosure of school's investments
By G. Jeffrey MacDonald, Globe Correspondent
April 3, 2005

On the heels of another banner year for Boston College's investment team, not everyone on campus is jubilant that the school has earned $380 million since 2003. Students concerned with nondiscrimination policies, the environment, and other issues are pushing to know whether the $1.35 billion endowment is invested in keeping with the school's values and Jesuit mission. But to date, the administration has offered them no satisfaction. In a posture that sets Boston College apart from many of its peer institutions, the administration has been consistently cold to a series of student initiatives for ethical investing. Requests to see the investment portfolio have met the same response as a 2004 proposal to establish an advisory committee on responsible investing: a firm 'no.' Student activists are planning this spring to hold teach-ins, launch a letter writing campaign, and create satirical works of public art, all aimed at getting finance officers to share their list of companies with the college community. Until that happens, student activists say, parties with a stake in the institution will wonder what there is to hide.

Full Story: http://www.boston.com/news/education/higher/articles/2005/04/03/endowment_battle_brews_at_bc/

Another Bailout by a For-Profit

struggling private college in West Virginia announced Friday that it had received permission from state officials to transform itself into a for-profit institution by selling itself to three for-profit entities.
Salem International University, with about 400 students on its campus and a similar number taking online courses, has had financial difficulties for years. Salem International, founded in 1888, was a small liberal arts and teacher preparation college for most of its history. In the last decade, it has sought to improve its finances through relationships with a Japanese university (Salem International was briefly known as Salem-Teikyo University) and a private education company in Singapore.
Richard W. Ferrin, president of the university, said in an e-mail message Saturday that he could not comment on the negotiations for Salem to become a for-profit institution because of confidentiality requirements. But documents Salem has filed suggest that the college faces serious financial difficulties.

Full Story: http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2005/04/04/salem

Professor With Pro-Nazi Ties Dismissed

By Associated PressApril 2, 2005, 10:26 PM EST
TEANECK, N.J. -- An adjunct history professor at Fairleigh Dickinson University who hosts a webcast program called "White Viewpoint" has been dismissed for missing too many days of class, school officials said. Jacques Pluss, 51, acknowledged he is a member of the National Socialist Movement, a pro-Nazi group. University officials said Pluss was dismissed for missing too many days of a class, but Pluss said each of his three absences was excused with a doctor's note. "What I suspect is somebody on campus discovered I crossed the line of political correctness," Pluss said. John Snyder, dean of Fairleigh Dickinson's University College, said that Pluss was replaced because he had missed four or five days this semester and would not be allowed to return. "It's not politics, it's hate mongering," Snyder said. "It's just hatred directed at the very students he taught." Pluss will be paid for the remainder of his contract through the end of the school year, Snyder said. Pluss, who has taught at the university since 2002, said he joined the National Socialist Movement in February but was careful to keep his views a secret on campus. "I never mentioned my political affiliations to anyone on campus, either students or faculty," he said, adding that he was trained to bring objectivity to teaching assignments. He was previously a tenured professor at William Paterson University in Wayne, N.J., from 1984 to 2000. Natalia Galbetti, a Fairleigh Dickinson freshman from Brazil, said the anti-foreigner comments Pluss made on his Internet show were not consistent with the way he treated his students. "He was always so nice to me," she said. "He knew that I was a foreigner. He definitely kept it out of the classroom."

Source: http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/nation/wire/sns-ap-professor-dismissed,0,3124413.story?coll=sns-ap-nation-headlines

Demographer's Dream: National Education Web Site Launched

Higher education analysts have a powerful new tool at their disposal that might help them understand the demographics of incoming classes of college students. The National Education Data Partnership, a collaboration of the Council of Chief State School Officers, Standard & Poor's School Evaluation Services, Achieve, Inc., and the CELT Corp., launched SchoolMatters.com,
a web-based national education data service that provides in-depth information and analysis about public schools, districts and state education systems. The Partnership is funded by a $45 million investment by The Broad Foundation and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
The organizations said the service is the largest "searchable collection of education performance data ever assembled," including student achievement information, financial data and demographic breakdowns, as well as analytical tools from Standard & Poor's.
For more information visit: http://www.schoolmatters.com