Inside Higher Ed: Big Cuts to International Programs

April 15, 2011
When a chart of all cuts in the 2011 budget passed by Congress on Thursday was made public earlier this week, international-education advocates received an unpleasant surprise: funding for foreign language and area studies programs within the Education Department could be cut by as much as $50 million, rolled back to levels last seen before Sept. 11, 2001. (Note: This article has been updated from an earlier version to reflect new developments.)

Inside Higher Ed: Big Cuts to International Programs

Diverse Issues in Higher Education: Scholars of Minority-Serving Institutions Remain Dedicated, Enthusiastic and Passionate About Their Research

April 13, 2011 by Dr. Marybeth Gasman

My very favorite aspect of being a faculty member is the work I get to do with new scholars. This past week at the American Education Research Association's annual meeting in New Orleans, my colleague Clif Conrad of the University of Wisconsin and I hosted a lunch for new scholars. The focus was on research related to Minority Serving Institutions. As we all know, these institutions are growing rapidly (especially the Hispanic Serving Institutions and Asian American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions). MSIs also are doing the lion's share of the work when it comes to educating students of color. That said, it is vital that we know more about MSIs

During the luncheon, Clif and I asked the young scholars to share their research interests and also their reason for doing research on MSIs. What resulted was a rich exchange and the discovery (on my part) that we have some amazing young scholars among us who should be tapped to help us understand the work that MSIs are doing.

Taryn Ozuna at the University of Texas, Rebecca Villareal at the University of Maryland and Dina Maramba and Robert Palmer at SUNY-Binghamton are interested in the experiences of Hispanic or Asian students at historically Black colleges and universities. Both of these populations are growing on HBCU campuses but we know very little about these students' experiences.

In the room, there also was a great deal of interest around issues of success at Hispanic Serving Institutions. Laura Cortez at the University of Texas-El Paso is doing research on Hispanic students at HSIs along the Texas border. And Gina Garcia at UCLA is doing a comparison of emerging HSIs (those with fewer than 25 percent Hispanic students on their campuses) and traditionally White institutions.

Amy Fann of the University of North Texas is doing research related to tribal colleges and universities, specifically exploring how tribes are managing the higher education process for American Indian students.

Tafaya Ransom at the University of Pennsylvania, Valerie Lundy-Wagner at New York University, Terrell Strayhorn at Ohio State University, Kim Griffin at Penn State and Brian Burt at the University of Michigan all are doing work related to minorities in the STEM fields. In particular, they are looking at the role that HBCUs play in preparing students for success in graduate STEM programs.

Lastly, Steve Mobley and Noah Drezner at the University of Maryland, Brian McGowan at Indiana University, James Ellis at the University of Michigan, Anya Johnson at the University of Mississippi and Samaad Keys at the University of Georgia are all interested in the complex experiences of students at HBCUs - both traditional students and those that are often overlooked, such as gay and lesbian students.

There were several other young scholars attending the luncheon in addition to those mentioned above - they were all enthusiastic and passionate about their work. Given their dedication to the craft of research and their innovative spirits, I think that we will have a good start in terms of the research that we need to better understand the strengths and challenges of Minority Serving Institutions in the 21st century. I urge you to seek these young scholars out and find out more about their important and innovative research agendas.

Diverse Issues in Higher Education: Scholars of Minority-Serving Institutions Remain Dedicated, Enthusiastic and Passionate About Their Research

Tuskegee University News: Bioethics Center to commemorate U.S. presidential apology for syphilis study

TUSKEGEE, Ala. (April 12, 2011) - The Tuskegee University National Center for Bioethics in Research and Health Care will observe the Commemoration of the Presidential Apology for the United States Public Health Study of Untreated Syphilis in the Negro Male in Macon County, Alabama on April 14 - 15 at the Kellogg Hotel and Conference Center on campus. The theme for this year's celebration is "U.S. Public Health Service Syphilis Study at Tuskegee: A Metaphor for Bioethics Abuse."

This year, the commemoration will include two bioethics panel discussions on Thursday, April 14 beginning at 9 a.m. The opening session, which will address health care reform, will feature Dr. Bailus Walker of Howard University, Dr. Jay Chun from Morgan State University and Dr. Charaye Farmer-Dixon from the Meharry School of Dentistry. Dr. Darryl Scriven, associate director for education for the Bioethics Center, will serve as moderator and provide response to the comments in ethical terms.

The Friday program topic is "Ethical Problematic: Benevolence, Beneficence and Malevolence." Presentations will be made by Fred D. Gray, Esq., the attorney for the participants and families of the U.S. Public Health Service Syphilis Study; Dr. John Douglas, chief medical officer, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, on the Guatemalan Syphilis Research Study; and Carletta Tilousi, Havasupai Tribal Council member and the lead plaintiff in the suit against Arizona State University's Havasupai Research Study.

Other topics to be covered over the two-day period include human subject research, health equity, trust between minorities and researchers, clinical trials and training in bioethics for researchers.

This event is free and open to the public. For more information, contact the Bioethics Center at 334-725-2319. For a schedule of events, click here.

About the Apology

The commemoration marks the 1997 apology from U.S. President Bill Clinton to the victims of the infamously known "Tuskegee Experiment." The U.S. Public Health Service program, "Tuskegee Study of Untreated Syphilis in the Negro Male," wreaked havoc on hundreds of black men and their families in Macon County, Ala., from 1932 to 1972. Some of their relatives attend the commemoration at Tuskegee annually.

About the National Center for Bioethics in Research and Health Care

The Tuskegee University National Center for Bioethics in Research and Health Care was officially established on May 16, 1999. It officially opened in 2006. The Center continues to build upon the rich history and commitment of Tuskegee University to seek improvements in the health and health care of people living in underrepresented areas.

Tuskegee University News: Bioethics Center to commemorate U.S. presidential apology for syphilis study