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Thursday, June 14, 2012

Residents of the 7th Ward New Orleans, LA

Residents of the 7th Ward: Notice of Intent to form a 7th Ward Neighborhood Association: please send to all faculty & staff


Hey now Dear 7th Ward Neighbor:

We are the last hold out, the largest neighborhood (10,000 residents, GNOCDC) without an association, without representation.  I learned this just this May while seeking help improve my neighborhood.  At Corpus Christi, I attended a meeting of the NPN (Neighborhood Partnership Network:  http://www.npnnola.com/) and am following up.  If we do not organize, we will have no say in the rebuilding of our city blocks, our neighborhoods, our lives.  The following is pulled from public sources.  Please read.  Please join.  Together, we can be heard, have a say in resources directed, and together improve our lives.
Sign up.  I will share information.  We can meet once per month to vote for officers, make a constitution, and our initial organizing meeting is at Augustine High School (A.P. Tureaud & Law St.), July 16th, 1 p.m. Thanks to Father Doyle for offering the cafeteria to us.

Sign up as many folks as you can.  A sign-up sheet is attached.

We all need to be safe, green (healthy), and to sleep at night.  We must organize or be ignored.  We need a CIVIC Association.  Help me help US!  

Red Beans & Ricely Yours,

Mona Lisa

Dr. Mona Lisa Saloy, Author & Folklorist
Phone 504-343-0689   email:  saloy1@cox.net

7th Ward Neighborhoods ' Network
"One Neighborhood, Many Voices for a Better Life, for a Better New Orleans"
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A Reform Agenda for the Campus

A REFORM AGENDA FOR THE CAMPUS

Below is a link to a major new report AAUP Principles & Practices to Guide Academy-Industry Relationships (http://www.aaup.org/AAUP/comm/rep/industry ).This book-length report offers faculty senates all the background history, rationales, and supporting scholarly documentation they will need to review and consider adopting these recommended Principles in handbooks and other guiding documents. But it begins with a concise action agenda: a summary of the Principles themselves in clear language that can be included in both handbooks and collective bargaining contracts.

The report is focused on the increasingly complex relationships between universities and commercial interests, relationships that now affect every category of institution and faculty members in a significant number of science, social science, and humanities disciplines. Yet the Principles we put forward for your consideration reach well beyond contracts for industry funded research. They represent a reform agenda for the campus as a whole.

Central to our Principles is a recommendation to win back faculty authority over the intellectual property that is a product of faculty research and scholarship, authority widely eroded over the last thirty years. Yet we also present a strong case for increased faculty accountability‹most notably by taking greater public responsibility for both individual and institutional financial conflicts of interest.

Although this report is the product of eighteen months of work by three permanent AAUP committees, and although it has been revised after review by a national panel of specialists in a variety of disciplines, we still present it to you as a draft. As the preface explains, we welcome your comments and suggestions about how it may be further refined.

Cary Nelson
AAUP President 2006-2012



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Call for nominations for the Spirit of POD Award – it’s time to start planning!

Dear Colleagues,
 

We are delighted to open the call for nominations for the Spirit of POD Award. This award recognizes POD members who make significant, long-lasting contributions to POD members, the organization as a whole, and the educational development profession. Recipients should reflect some combination of the attributes below, but may also contribute positively in other ways:

1.   Serving the organization and its members through steady participation in POD in more than routine ways;
2.    Sharing knowledge, experience, materials, ideas, and support freely with other POD members;
3.    Exercising innovative leadership in the organization;
4.    Exemplifying the philosophy, principles, and practices of POD, such as generosity of spirit, kindness, compassion, sincerity, and civility;
5.    Contributing substantially to the profession of faculty, instructional and organizational development;
6.    Being actively involved in POD for at least 10 years.
New this year, nominations will be taken through an online form found via the Spirit of POD Award WikiPODia site: https://sites.google.com/a/podnetwork.org/wikipodia/pod-2012-conference/spirit-of-pod-award .  The nomination deadline is Friday, September 28, 2012.  Further details appear on the WikiPODia site.

We are also asking that nominators solicit and include examples from other POD members as part of the nomination to demonstrate a convergence of evidence. Such solicitation should not be done via a public venue such as the POD listserv since the identity of any recipient is kept secret until the banquet at the annual conference.  Given the nature of this award, self-nominations are not accepted.

Please send any questions to Donna Ellis, Spirit of POD Award subcommittee chair, at donnae@uwaterloo.ca .

Thank you,

The Spirit of POD Award subcommittee members

 

 

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2012-13 POD Grants Call for Proposals | DEADLINE JUNE 18

Dear POD member,

This is a reminder that proposals for the 2012-13 POD Grant Fund are due soon.  For those of you who are writing proposals, the reviewing process will begin on Monday, June 18th, so please insure that your proposal is submitted to the POD Grant Chair before then.   

The purpose of the POD grant program is to provide funding to support POD members’ efforts to contribute new knowledge that can be applied to the fields of faculty, TA, instructional, and organizational development. The Core Committee has made a total of $9,000 available to be divided for multiple awards. The number and size of awards will be determined by the Grants Committee, based on the quality and potential impact of the work on the POD community and beyond. Our intent is to fund one larger grant (e.g. $5,000) and two or three smaller “seed” grants (e.g. $1,000-$2,000).

Please see the attached call for proposals and proposal checklist for more information.  Completed proposals should be sent to POD Grants Chair at the following email address:  shaun.longstreet@marquette.edu

Thanks,
Shaun Longstreet


-- 
C. Shaun Longstreet, Ph.D.
Director, Center for Teaching and Learning
Marquette University, 
Milwaukee, WI 53201-1881
Ph: 414-288-1777

POD Grant Proposal Checklist 2012-2013
Proposals due Friday, June 3, 2011
 
Each box should be checked to confirm that restrictions have been followed and requested information included.  Lettered and underlined sections below correspond to section headings that should appear in the text of each proposal.
 
. Cover Page
​A.​Proposal Title
​B.​Researchers
Name, title, email, and institution of Principal Investigator (PI)
Name, title, email, and institution of Co-Principal Investigator(s)
​C.​Mailing address and telephone number for Principal Investigator
​D.​Indicate that you have read the purpose and eligibility statements in the request for proposals and are in compliance with them.
 
 
 
​Include no identifiable information such as individual, center, or institutional names in sections II-IV. Identifiable proposals will not be reviewed. If you refer to your own work in the literature review, simply talk about it in the third person using the name without saying it is you.
 
. Proposal
​Maximum 3 pages, single spaced, 1”margins; font equivalent to 12 pt. Times New Roman (additional page permitted for references)
​A.​Proposal Title
​B.​Issue/Problem Statement
Describe the central issue or problem, and its importance to POD membership and institutions.  Include an explicit research question.
​C.   Literature review
Briefly contextualize the project and provide supporting citations from relevant research and professional literature.
​D.​Project Objectives, Methods, Timeline and Intended Products
List the project objectives, research methods, year-long timeline, and the intended results/products of the project.  Indicate the exact role of each person involved.  Where human respondents are involved, state whether you have applied or plan to apply for Internal Review Board approval from your institution for the use of human subjects.
​E.  Experience of researchers
Indicate PI and Co-PI expertise and prior experience relevant to conducting this project (in general, anonymous terms).
 
. Budget and Justification
Information should be presented in table format with supporting text.
​Maximum 1 page
​Request to POD (stipends per individual, equipment, supplies, consulting fees, travel for conducting research, etc.; see “Eligibility” section on call for proposals)
​Institutional Support (institutional contributions, in-kind, cash, personnel time)
​Budget Justification (who, what, and why)
For each item, include a sentence or two providing the rationale behind the estimated costs; include sufficient detail to permit knowledgeable reviewers to evaluate whether the request is reasonable.  
 
. Evaluation and Dissemination Plans
​Maximum 1 page
​A.​Evaluation Methods
​What plans do you have for evaluating the success of the project?
​B.​Dissemination Plan
Where do you plan to submit proposals for presenting or publishing the findings beyond the required submission of a proposal to the 2013 POD Conference or a manuscript to the POD annual publication, To Improve the Academy?

Request for Proposals
2012-2013 POD Network Grant Program
Proposals due Friday, June 15, 2012
Purpose
The purpose of the POD grant program is to provide funding to support POD members’ efforts to contribute new knowledge that can be applied to the fields of faculty, TA, instructional, and organizational development. The Core Committee has made a total of $9,000 available to be divided for multiple awards. The number and size of awards will be determined by the Grants Committee, based on the quality and potential impact of the work on the POD community and beyond.  Our intent is to fund one larger grant (e.g. $5,000) and two or three smaller “seed” grants (e.g. $1,000-$2,000).
Eligibility
• The principal investigator must have been a POD member for at least the previous 12 months.
• Previous grant recipients are eligible to submit another proposal only after 3 years have passed since the submission date of the previous proposal.  After that time, previous recipients who have submitted the required reports may submit a proposal for an unrelated new project or a related project that represents a considerable advancement of the previous project.
• Eligible expenses (not exhaustive list):
Wages, consulting or data-analysis fees, equipment, supplies, travel for conducting research.
• Ineligible projects & expenses (not exhaustive list):
Dissertation research, conference/institute travel and fees, an individual’s scholarship that is not of relevance to a large proportion of the POD membership, implementation of a new program (face-to-face or online), routine operation expenses.
Previously funded projects include a range of topics and institutional types.  Visit the POD website for a list of previously funded proposals: http://www.podnetwork.org/grants_awards/grantprogram.htm
Proposal Review & Evaluation Criteria
All grant proposals undergo blind review.  Please limit identifiable information to the Cover Page.  The committee will not review proposals that include information identifiable to an individual, center or institution, except on the cover page.
POD Grants Committee: Shaun Longstreet, Chair; Emily Donnelli, Beth Fisher, Sue Hines, Carolyn Oxenford, Suzanne Tapp; Phylis Dawkins, Liaison to Executive Committee
Reviewers will use the following criteria to evaluate grant applications:
1. Importance & scope of the project Strong proposals will successfully argue for the centrality or critical nature of the issue addressed.  They have a clear problem statement that outlines what issue the proposal writer will address with the funds from the POD Grant Committee. The text should include a brief literature review and indicate how this project adds to the existing research and holds promise for a sustained impact on the POD community. Strong proposals will advance the mission and values of POD, and will demonstrate that other POD members and institutions are interested in and will be able to access and use the results of the project.  Cross-institutional projects are encouraged but not required.
2. Proposal rationale and description  Each proposal should include explicit objectives for the project that are clearly tied to the problem statement, a one-year timeline, an indication of who will perform the various roles, and a description of the intended products.  
3. Probability of success
• Evidence of sufficient institutional support (e.g. letter from supervisor, Dean, Provost)
• Evidence of PI’s and CoPIs’ prior experience with a similar project or ability to undertake the project (e.g., through academic preparation or prior work experience).
• Proposed year-long time line is sufficient to achieve objectives
4. Budget and justification 
• Each item in the budget should be associated with an amount and a brief justification for its inclusion.  
• The amounts should be reasonable and the outlined expenses should be directly relevant to meeting the project objectives outlined above. 
5. Evaluation and dissemination
• A clear and feasible plan for evaluating the success of the project should be included.  Are the identified evaluation methods likely to provide evidence that the objectives have been achieved?
• Presenters should also plan for dissemination beyond the required submission of a POD conference proposal or a To Improve the Academy chapter  (reminder: acceptance of proposals and manuscripts is not guaranteed).
Awardee Expectations    All recipients are expected to:
• Conduct the research as proposed, to the best of their ability, and keep the POD Grants Committee Chair apprised of changes that might need to be made in their plans.
• Keep the Chair of the Grants Committee informed of IRB status if Internal Review Board approval is required or advised.
• Provide a brief mid-year report by February 1, 2013 .
• Submit a one-page final report that describes: a) project activities, b) impact on recipients’ professional development, and c) usefulness to faculty and TA development community by September 1, 2013.
• Submit a POD Conference proposal or a manuscript to To Improve the Academy in 2013 or 2014 based on the findings of your grant work. (all conference proposals and manuscripts will undergo peer review; acceptance is not guaranteed)
• Acknowledge the funding from POD when collecting data, and presenting and publishing the findings.
• Be willing to serve on POD Grants Committee in future years.
Grant Submission Process
• Follow the format outlined in the POD Grant Proposal Checklist 2012-2013
• Proposal due date:  Friday, June 15, 2012
• Proposals accepted as Word or PDF documents.
• Document naming convention: Principal Investigator’s Surname
• E-mail your proposal to Grants Committee Chair, Shaun Longstreet: shaun.longstreet@marquette.edu
• Use subject heading:  2012 POD Grant Proposal
• Applicants will be notified of the decision by Monday, August 6, 2012



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One Million Signatures for One Million Jobs

As someone who signed the petition in favor of H.R. 4170, The Student Loan Forgiveness Act of 2012, you've already signaled your support of bold, unique and novel ways to rebuild our economy for the 21st Century.  You and I both know that there's no silver bullet for solving all of our economic problems and that accomplishing the goal of restoring the middle class will take a variety of approaches, which is why I'm writing to you today.

Our friends at OurTime.org, a DC-based advocacy group for younger Americans, have just unveiled a fantastic new initiative: "One Million New Jobs" - something I would hope that each and every one of the more than One Million people who signed the petition in favor of H.R. 4170 can support.

With 5 applicants for every job opening, and millions more younger Americans graduating into the workforce this month, the One Million New Jobs initiative is a desperately needed solution to the ever-growing problem of youth unemployment.  The concept is pretty simple: through AmericaCorps, let's put one million younger Americans to work in areas such as teaching, nursing, park restoration and infrastructure repairs.

Some of you may be wondering why you should support an initiative that is only geared towards younger Americans.  The most honest and straightforward answer I can give you is: the more jobs that are created and the more people put to work, the faster our economy will grow for everybody.  While you may not directly benefit from this initiative, you can certainly appreciate the terrible toll that student loan debt can take on the quality of one's life.  With only half of recent graduates able to find work, this initiative will help ease the burden on the next generation by providing them with a paycheck, on-the-job training in sorely underserved areas, and security in knowing that their fellow Americans want them to succeed.

Several well-known celebrities, such as Larry David, Usher, Jessica Alba and others have already gotten behind this cause, and I am personally very excited to see this plan come to fruition.

Therefore, please help me in supporting our friends at OurTime.org by signing their petition to President Obama and Governor Romney, encouraging them to support this much-needed push for One Million New Jobs.

Thank you, as always, for your continued support.  Now, let's lend a hand to America's youth by helping to put them to work as soon as possible.

Sincerely,

Robert Applebaum
Founder, ForgiveStudentLoanDebt.com
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Tomorrow's Professor: Practical Ideas for Collaboration

Tomorrow's Teaching and Learning


----------------------------------------- 1,693 words ---------------------------------

Practical Ideas for Collaboration

Although there is existing literature on student and academic affairs collaborations focusing on systemic and organizational change, it can be challenging to find concrete examples for partnerships, particularly between MSS (multicultural student services) and academic affairs. Therefore, the following section includes practical suggestions for MSS/academic affairs collaborations.

Research

On many campuses, research is a priority, because it generates funding dollars, results in publications, and increases the institution?s academic prestige. Moreover, hard data speak to academic administrators and faculty in a way that nothing else can, particularly at a research university. Data can be used to educate the campus about students and multicultural issues, gain legitimacy for multicultural initiatives, and lay the groundwork for establishing collaborations with academic affairs.
   
Many national grants or agencies require a section about diversity in grant proposals as a condition of funding, which is a prime opportunity for multi-cultural programs to partner with academic units. These partnerships could be as simple as providing student data to a principal investigator or could be more collaborative in terms of generating ideas for programs that would meet the conditions of the grant and increase the likelihood of funding.

Multicultural student services can also generate research that might require expertise from academic colleagues. For example, an MSS professional might benefit from input and assistance from faculty on a research project. Not only could this partnership raise awareness and visibility, but it also might give an MSS unit access to additional resources (e.g., research databases, statistical programs) and assistance in data analysis.

Inside the Classroom

The most obvious area for academic affairs collaborations is within the classroom. Research has demonstrated the positive impact of diversity courses or related content on students? openness to diverse ideas (Milem et al., 2005; Pascalrella & Terenzini, 2005). Reaching students in the classroom is particularly important for campuses with a large number of commuter or nontraditional-age students who are not as engaged outside their classes (Kuh, Gonyea, & Palmer, 2001). This is highlighted by National Survey of Student Engagement data, which showed that commuters were less likely to participate in enriching educational experiences (a category that included climate for diversity) and campus educational resources (Kuh et al., 2001). There are also students who never set foot in an MSS office, whether owing to personal prejudices, identity issues, or merely a lack of time, so an MSS presence in a classroom might be their first and perhaps only exposure to MSS and its programs and
 services.

Teaching is the most direct and obvious way to provide visibility and impact for an MSS office, although university policies differ on nonfaculty teaching appointments. Some institutions require that nonfaculty be affiliated with an academic department through an adjunct or temporary position. Other campuses might have first-year orientation, career exploration, or other developmental courses that allow nonfaculty to teach with some flexibility in the curriculum.

Teaching a course is not the only way to make an impact; a single lecture can be a useful collaboration. Depending on staff members? academic background and expertise, guest lecturing might be possible, in areas from ethnic studies to education, political science to sociology. In addition to direct instruction, visiting classes to promote an upcoming program can be an effective avenue for publicity, particularly if the curriculum is relevant to the program?s goals. For example, writing courses might be an effective place to publicize a visit by an author, communications courses for a media presentation, honors courses to recruit peer mentors, and so forth. Such presentations can also be effective ways to provide general information about services to a captive audience. If faculty members are not willing to devote class time for a personal visit, often they will distribute an announcement, a more direct way of reaching students than other forms of publicity.

Service-Learning

Service-learning is another area perfect for collaboration between MSS and academic affairs, because service-learning activities combine out-of-class experiences with an intentional focus on academic learning outcomes (O?Grady, 2000). Service-learning can bolster some of the goals of an MSS unit and has increased in popularity and funding in recent years. MSS staff with community connections might help faculty find appropriate agencies or locations for projects as well as provide expertise in individual and group processing of service-learning experiences (Alvarez & Liu, 2002). Faculty can provide the historical context and academic analysis for the issues and communities that are being served. However, multicultural-oriented service-learning initiatives must be carefully considered on both sides, given the potential for perpetuating stereotypes and a colonialist mentality (O?Grady, 2000). Proper and thorough processing of service-learning experiences at community sites is th
e best way to prevent privileged students from leaving the service experience with previously held stereotypes more deeply embedded and using the service experience only as a missionary outlet without reflecting on what the agency and its clients have to teach them.

Academic Contests

Working collaboratively with an academic department on an academic competition can be implemented as a one-time activity or on an ongoing basis. Essay contests on a multicultural topic can encourage writers to think about new issues and provide thoughtful analysis for others to read. Art contests can produce designs for logos, posters, or other publications and give visibility to student work for an artistic portfolio. Encouragement, including extra credit, from faculty and academic departments can increase student submissions, and awards might be more meaningful if faculty members serve as judges. These types of collaborations can bring valued attention to students? talents, particularly if their work is published in a newsletter, website, or other public venue. This visibility might be particularly important for students with multicultural interests who have not otherwise found recognition or an appropriate outlet to express their talents.

Multicultural Speakers and Programs

Collaborating with academic affairs on multicultural speakers or performers can be an effective and fairly easy partnership. MSS staff can ask faculty colleagues for recommendations of a colleague with relevant multicultural research interests, an author of a book used in existing courses, or a notable figure in popular culture. Often academic departments have limited funds for this type of event, given the budgetary priority placed on direct instruction. Thus, cosponsorships with MSS might be of great benefit to an academic department by providing an enrichment opportunity for their students and faculty, while concurrently introducing a new audience to MSS.
   
Whether or not an academic unit is an official cosponsor, it might still be useful to include faculty in program planning to lay the groundwork for future, more meaningful collaborations. Faculty might be asked to give students extra credit for attending an activity. Inviting faculty and administrators to an invitation-only gathering to meet guest speakers and discuss their work provides an opportunity for them that also brings exposure to multicultural student services.

Mentoring Programs and Student Organizations

Establishing a mentoring program between students and faculty allows faculty to learn more about MSS and how it serves and impacts students. Mentoring programs provide an opportunity for faculty to connect with other student-centered faculty and staff and learn about student development issues from a student services perspective. Participation in a mentoring program might be also be an opportunity for junior faculty in underrepresented groups to connect with senior colleagues outside their departments, resulting in a positive impact on faculty retention.
   
MSS staff often serve as advisors to student organizations, and faculty might also be willing if there is a relevant connection. This can help share the advising load and bring in new advocates at the same time. It is also a great way to increase student-faculty contact outside the classroom, which has been shown to be particularly important for students of color (Pascarella & Terenzini, 2005). Advising an organization provides faculty with valuable insight into students? cocurricular lives as well as campus climate issues. A faculty member who has firsthand knowledge of a student organization?s difficulty with funding or recruiting members might be more likely to serve as an advocate around these issues in other settings. Other ways to include faculty with multicultural organizations are to invite them to speak at an organization?s meeting or have them as a special guest at an event.

Libraries

College and university libraries have found interesting ways to collaborate with student affairs (and specifically with MSS) through peer education, first-year programs, service-learning, mentoring programs, and academic skills workshops (Albin et al., 2005; Walter, 2005). MSS staff can also work with libraries to suggest books, films, or other multicultural resources and perhaps share the cost of these purchases. MSS offices that house their own small libraries can promote their holdings with faculty and academic departments as well as involve them in new acquisitions.

Committees

Having a faculty member serve on a search committee for a staff opening in MSS can increase awareness about a department, its mission and goals, and what qualifications are needed for a professional staff member. This experience gives the faculty member or academic administrator a stake in the future of the MSS office from a personal and professional standpoint; it also cultivates another advocate. Other related collaborations could include serving on a scholarship committee or an advisory board.
   
Additionally, including faculty or academic administrators in an advisory capacity can bring institutional credibility to an MSS office, particularly if it is located in student affairs. Faculty can offer a different perspective into the issues that face MSS and serve as a conduit for making connections with academic administrators. Conversely, it can be useful for MSS staff to serve on academic affairs committees such as summer programs, orientation, academic advising, and admissions and recruitment.

Consultations and In-Service Trainings

Staff in MSS can also serve as resources for faculty through consultation or workshops on topics such as basic information about students served by the office, cultural competency training, or differences in teaching/learning styles. MSS staff who have an understanding of racial identity and student development theories can offer faculty their expertise in facilitating the often emotional and confusing feelings that arise in classroom discussions around race and ethnicity (Alvarez & Liu, 2002). MSS staff can also help faculty design activities that are developmentally appropriate to the needs of students and perhaps bring practical or experiential applications to an academic course (Alvarez & Liu, 2002).


References

Abin, T., Currie, L., Hensley, R. B., Hinchliffe, L. J., Lindsay, B., Walter, S., & Watts, M. M. (2005, April). Meeting the student learning imperative: Building powerful partnerships between academic libraries and student services. Presented at the National Meeting of the Association of College and Research Libraries, Minneapolis, MN.

Alvarez, A. N., & Liu, W. M. (2002). Student affairs and Asian American studies: An integrative perspective. In M. K. McEwen, C. M. Kodama, A. N. Alvarez, S. Lee, & C. T. H. Liang (Eds.), Working with Asian American college students (pp. 73-80). New Directions for Student Services, no. 97. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

Kuh, G. D., Gonyea, R. M., & Palmer, M. (2001). The disengaged commuter student: Fact or fiction? Commuter Perspectives, 27(1), 2-5. Retrieved December 10, 2008, from http://nsse.iub.edu/pdf/commuter.pdf

Milem, J. F., Chang, M. J., & Antonio, a. l. (2005). Making diversity work on campus: A research based perspective. Washington, DC: Association of American Colleges and Universities.

O?Grady, C. (2000). Integrating service learning and multicultural education: An overview. In C. R. O?Grady (Ed.), Integrating service learning and multicultural education in colleges and universities (pp. 1-19). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.

Pascarella, E.T., & Terenzini, P. (2005). How college affects students: A third decade of research (Vol. 2). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

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Dr. Harry L. Williams Discusses Higher Ed Affordability on Capitol Hill

Delaware State University News
June 6, 2012
 
Dr. Harry L. Williams Discusses Higher Ed Affordability on Capitol Hill
DSU President Harry L. Williams went before a U.S. Senate committee June 6 to give his perspective on the issue of college affordability during a June 6 roundtable discussion of the U.S. Senate Democratic Steering and Outreach Committee.
The DSU president participated in a Senate Democratic Steering and Outreach Committee hour-long roundtable discussion that focused on the escalating costs of higher education, the resulting student debt load increase, and what the federal government can do to make college more affordable to all Americans.
Dr. Williams came before the committee at the invitation U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.). The DSU president was joined by leaders from 13 other colleges, universities, and education advocacy groups, who were all given an opportunity to share their ideas on how to make higher education more affordable.
Dr. Williams told the committee that making college more affordable for students is a never-ending priority for the University.
“Because of the increasing challenges of higher education affordability, Delaware State University constantly works to raise funds to help students make it through college without interruption due to financial reasons,” Dr. Williams said. “Dreams deferred often become dreams cancelled, and it motivates DSU to do all it can to keep students on their journey toward earning a degree.”
Noting that minority students are unfortunately the ones suffering the most due to the rising costs of college, Dr. Williams shared research findings that show how the rising costs of college results in decreased enrollment at Historically Black Colleges and Universities.
Sen. Coons said that when it comes to finding ways to make college more affordable, all options should be explored. He noted that many students are delaying college because of the astronomical costs that are associated with obtaining a degree.
“Today’s meeting was helpful in facilitating an open discussion among members of the Senate and leaders in the education world and I thank Dr. Williams for joining us and sharing his insight and wisdom,” Sen. Coons added. “I look forward to continuing to work with Dr. Williams to help more Delaware students to access and complete college.”
Sen. Coons also discussed legislation he has introduced that would help at-risk students prepare for and complete college.
The American Dream Accounts Act, which he introduced in March, encourages partnerships among schools, colleges, non-profits and businesses to develop secure, Web-based student accounts that contain information about academic preparedness, financial literacy and high-impact mentoring and would be tied to a college savings account.
The Communities Committed to College Tax Credit Act, which he introduced in April, is designed to help spur private investment in scholarship-funding trusts to make higher education more accessible and affordable for generations of Americans.
During the meeting, Dr. Williams also told the committee how DSU’s focus on STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) education is prompting the university to establish an early college high school on campus by the fall of 2013. The DSU president said that through this effort, the University hopes to encourage more minority students to pursue careers in STEM fields as well as reduce their cost of college.
Sen. Coons has also been an outspoken advocate for promoting STEM education.
There has been a lot of discussion in Washington recently on college affordability and ensuring that students can get a higher education that doesn’t cripple them financially. Today’s meeting comes a week after the New America Foundation released a report showing that children can be more successful at saving for college when it starts early and they are given the infrastructure to save.
The release of the New America Foundation report coincided with the U.S. Department of Education announcement on Thursday that the College Savings Account Research Demonstration Project will make an $8.7 million commitment of federal GEAR UP funds to support college savings accounts for students participating in the GEAR UP program.
 
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DU to Host Public Forum on Education Reform, Part of NABJ Convention

 
 
 
                                               
 
 
 
 
June 13, 2012
 
Dillard to Host Public Forum on Education Reform,
Part of National Association of Black Journalists Convention

 
(New Orleans) The National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) will sponsor a public forum in New Orleans to explore the city’s beleaguered public school system and seek solutions from panelists and residents.

 
The forum, Reforming Education in Post-Katrina Louisiana, is part of NABJ’s national convention, which will be held in New Orleans. It is free and open to the public and will be held at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, June 19, in the Georges Auditorium of Dillard University’s Professional Schools Building.

 
A diverse group of panelists will discuss proposed school reform legislation that would enable more students across Louisiana to attend private schools at taxpayer expense. Opponents contend that under this system, there is an absence of widespread access to special needs education, less accountability for individual institutions, and a greater likelihood that children of less-involved parents may fall through the cracks.

 
Norman Robinson, an anchor at WDSU-TV, will serve as moderator. The panelists are: Dr. Lance Hill, executive director of the Southern Institute for Education and Research at Tulane University; Kenneth L. Campbell, a member of the Black Alliance for Educational Options board; Karran Harper Royal, a parent and education activist; and Kira Orange Jones, a member of the state Board of Elementary and Secondary Education.
 

Also during the public forum meeting, Orleans Place Matters will release its Orleans Parish Health Equity Report. Orleans Place Matters is an initiative of the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies.
 

With more than 2,500 journalists and media professionals expected to attend, the NABJ convention is the largest annual gathering of journalists of color in the nation. Vice President Joe Biden is among the speakers at the five-day gathering.
 
           

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Dillard to Take Part in Nationally Staged Reading of James Baldwin's "The Amen Corner"

Dillard to Take Part in Nationally Staged Reading of
James Baldwin’s “The Amen Corner” on June 18
 

(New Orleans) Dillard University will host a reading of “The Amen Corner,” a 1954 play by author and activist James Baldwin, on Monday, June 18 at 7 p.m. in the Georges Auditorium. The reading is part of the second annual “One Voice, One Play, One Day” project, in which one significant work of black theater is read on the same day, at approximately the same time, in theaters across the country.

 
“One Voice, One Play, One Day” is an initiative of Project 1 Voice, a national performing arts organization dedicated to the preservation of black theater. Project 1 Voice will present the reading at Dillard University in conjunction with the American Theatre Project of New Orleans.

 
“The Amen Corner” tells the story of a family in Harlem in the mid-20th century trying to navigate its faith, relationships and careers amidst a backdrop of poverty and racism. The New Orleans reading will star Sherri Marina, formerchair of Dillard University’s theater department, and Nicoye Banks (“Law & Order,” “Woman Thou Art Loosed: On the 7th Day”), as well as members of the Chakula Cha Jua Theater Company and the Anthony Bean Community Theater, which recently produced “The Amen Corner.” Ed Bishop, artistic director for the American Theater Project of New Orleans, will direct.
 

In 2011, the inaugural “One Voice, One Play, One Day” presentation featured readings of Alice Childress’s “Trouble In Mind” in 18 theaters across the U.S.
 

Tickets are $10 and will be available at the door. To learn more, visit atpno.org or project1voice.org, or contact Ed Bishop (504) 957-9283.
 
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