Notes in the Margins: Commercialism, WriteCheck and presidential challenges
On Campus, It's One Big Commercial This fall, an estimated 10,000 American college students will be working on hundreds of campuses — for cash, swag, job experience or all three — marketing everything from Red Bull to Hewlett-Packard PCs. Corporations have been pitching college students for decades on products from cars to credit cards. But what is happening on campuses today is without rival, in terms of commercializing everyday college life. (The New York Times)
Plagiarism software WriteCheck troubles some educators Software that curbs plagiarism has some faculty members feeling betrayed. (USA Today)
Guest post: 10 challenges for college presidents in 2011-12 This year seems to be especially rife with challenges our professional forebears would have never imagined. Like them, we will navigate through the times, but there are a few “bergs” that deserve serious respect. (The Washington Post)
On Campus, Studying the Needs of Veterans After a decade of conflict in the Middle East, and with a boost from the expanded benefits of the post-Sept. 11 GI Bill passed by Congress in 2008, the enrollment of returning veterans in colleges and universities in Texas is increasing. Because of rising tuition and fees, the cost to the state of exemptions for veterans increased to $24 million in 2009 from $9 million in 2002. Additionally, according to university officials across the state, it is a student population with needs and experiences that are not universally understood. (Texas Tribune via The New York Times)
A bachelors degree for $10,000? Imagine the impact There's been lots of chatter that Texas Gov. Rick Perry's plan either won't work or would lead to a substandard degree. I'm more than perturbed that Perry's idea is being so quickly dismissed by the education establishment. It's long past time that professionals in higher education - from college presidents to professors - work harder to figure out how to reduce college costs. They can no longer smugly claim that just having a degree is a fast track to high-paying jobs. (The Washington Post)
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