Rice Controversy Opens Window on RU Finance

Kate Zernike's "Pressure Builds on Rutgers President" (NY Times, April 4, 2013) does an excellent job of framing the national controversy surrounding Mike Rice's bullying of his basketball players against the back-drop of ongoing changes at Rutgers.  There is no question that the failure to respond more aggressively to Rice's behavior has damaged the Rutgers brand, and I can only hope that it has not ultimately disabled President Barchi during this critical time for the University.  

Undergraduate Research Writing Conference, April 10th

I just came back from a little tour of the Livingston Student Center where the Writing Program is running an Undergraduate Research Writing Conference on Wednesday, April 10th, 2013, from 9:00 am - 4:00 pm.  It's going to be an awesome event. Over 50 students will present their research projects completed in writing courses (most from Research in the Disciplines), so it will be a great opportunity to pick up some presentation tips and ideas.  Registration is free in the main lobby of the student center, not far from the Dunkin' Donuts, and you will get a program directing you to the sessions at 9:00 am, 10:30, and 1:40 pm.  The awards ceremony will be at 3:20, where free snacks and refreshments will be served and raffle prizes awarded to students who attend any of the sessions. 

Bonus: if students from my class attend the conference (getting a stamped record of attendance, with your name on the sign-in sheet) AND write at least a brief blog post about the event on their class blog, they will receive 2 points of extra credit toward the final grade.  

Higher Education Off the Rails: How Students Can Turn the Crisis Around

Historian Claire B. Potter will be presenting a talk titled "Higher Education Off the Rails: How Students Can Turn the Crisis Around" on Thursday, April 4th, starting at 7:30 p.m. in "The Gathering Lounge" at the Livingston Student Center on Livingston Campus.  The title announces quite clearly that this talk will speak directly to issues raised in our class, and I think anyone who is looking for some inspiration on how to address the issues we have raised could find it here.  Potter is the author of The Chronicle of Higher Education's "Tenured Radical" blog, which often assumes a critical stance toward the way things are going in higher education.  Highly recommended.  If you attend, you can get a point extra credit if you write about what she says in your blog.