Notes in the Margins: lazy faculty, flooding and profs in dorms

Job Openings for University Leaders With 'Few Morals, Flexible Ethics' An unknown prankster placed fake ads for new leaders at the University of Puerto Rico, apparently to make a political statement. (chronicle.com)

Water, water everywhere...again The 2010-2011 school year started out with a bang in Mellby Hall at St. Olaf, as the basement floor – including the computer lab and several dorm rooms – flooded two times between the week of Sept. 15 and Sept. 22. (manitoumessenger.com)

European Business Schools Pull International Students Away From U.S. A growing number of students worldwide are heading to Europe to pursue a degree that was born in America: the M.B.A. (chronicle.com)

Mold issue plagues summer storage This year, Minnesota experienced its most humid summer since 2002, and mold likes moisture. The fungi invaded several St. Olaf dorms in August, but Ytterboe Hall was impacted more than others. (manitoumessenger.com)

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More lawsuits target for-profit colleges Disgruntled students, employees and shareholders have filed a flurry of lawsuits against for-profit colleges since a federal investigation last month found deceptive practices at 15 campuses. (USA Today)

FBI raids University employees' homes in terrorism probe The FBI raided six Twin Cities addresses on Friday morning, including the homes of one former student and three University of Minnesota employees. Agents were looking for evidence related to an ongoing joint terrorism task force investigation. It concerned "the material support of terrorism.” (mndaily.com)

For-profit colleges win brief reprieve from Obama administration The Obama administration has said it would postpone action on a proposal to regulate for-profit colleges and trade schools, granting the industry a reprieve of a few months but warning that it intends to proceed with regulations meant to ensure that students are not overburdened by debt. (feeds.washingtonpost.com)

Colleges' newest dorm dwellers: professors A growing number of colleges are placing professors and their families in residence halls. It's a practice borrowed from the early days of academia that has grown in popularity in recent years, especially at large urban universities looking to create a more personal, small-campus feel. (feeds.washingtonpost.com)

Briefly: M.I.T. Weighs Charges for Online Lectures The Massachusetts Institute of Technology is considering charging for access to online lectures and class notes. (feeds.nytimes.com)

Shaping the Future with Online Learning In a session on closing the cyber gap in eLearning to increase motivation, the director of instructional design at Post University in Connecticut discussed how instructors could use elements of immediacy and social presence to increase motivation for those taking online courses. People work harder to understand material when they feel they’re in a conversation rather than simply receivers of information, he argued. (blogs.universitybusiness.com)

The Myth of the Lazy Professor After tenure, our service commitments ramp up, and we serve on committees at our own university and beyond. Some of us edit journals and hold other positions in professional organizations. And we spend a lot of time advising students and other researchers, helping them reach their career goals. Most of us are busier after tenure than we were before. (chronicle.com)