Welcome to the Daily Dose of Higher Education from BreakDrink.com. This is the Tuesday, February 12th edition and I’m Sue Caulfield, filling in for Shawn Brackett. Thanks for tuning in as we bring you the latest and greatest in the world of today’s colleges and universities.
Community Colleges Respond to Demand for STEM Graduates
http://chronicle.com/article/Work-Force-Demand-for-STEM/137231/ [story]
Follow the story on Twitter: #comm_college #STEM
Work-force shortages and the mounting unemployment rate are two terms that don’t often appear in the same breath. If you speak about STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) employment opportunities, you will find just that. A recent report by the Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce has predicted that 35 percent of STEM job openings will require some sort of certificate program or associate’s degree. These degrees are often fulfilled by local community colleges, and can provide a diverse population for these unfilled positions. However, STEM programs drain funds from these institutions, and valuable time and resources from students enrolled in the programs. Students are often required to take advanced level math and science courses, and could wind up in remedial classes if they do not succeed the first time. Jack Friedlander, executive vice president for education programs at Santa Barbara City College in California explains that, “Time is the enemy. The longer it takes students to complete the degree, the less likely it is that they’re going to do it.” Santa Barbara City College’s STEM Transfer Program is an example of one way community colleges are working to combat this. The program offers an academic plan for students that take them from basic skill courses to transfer through to a four-year institution. Understanding the need for remedial courses, outside commitments, and community college support is crucial in helping students through these programs.
Pay Rises Yet Again For College Football’s New Coaching Hires
http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/ncaaf/2013/02/11/college-football-coach-salary-changes-ncaa/1907359/ [story]
http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/ncaaf/2012/11/19/ncaa-college-football-head-coach-salary-database/1715543/ [NCAA Football Head Coach Salaries]
Follow the story on Twitter: @NCAA @NCAAFootball #NCAAFootball #NCAA
A few weeks ago, #DailyDose reported on an article involving the Delta Cost Project and how higher education institutions were not spending nearly as much on academics as they were on athletics. USA Today Sports surveyed the new head football coaches for the 2013-14 season and found that they will be paid 7% more on average in the coming year. In addition to this increase, many of these new coaches are not new players on the field; they have coached at other NCAA institutions before. This will result in higher education institutions paying out a one time bonus to many of these coaches over the year. When added to the bonuses they are expected to received, this 7% increases to nearly 26% more than what their predecessors made. All of this adds up to a 70% increase since 2006, which is when USA Today Sports began to track head coach salaries.
The Jobs With The Biggest (And Smallest) Pay Gaps Between Men And Women
http://www.npr.org/blogs/money/2013/02/05/171196714/the-jobs-with-the-biggest-and-smallest-pay-gaps-between-men-and-women?ft=1&f=93559255 [story]
Follow the story on Twitter: @nprnews
This story was tweeted out today from Liz Gross (Thanks @lizgross144!) and reports the largest and smallest salary gaps between men and women in 2012. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that the national average of women’s earnings as a percentage of men’s earnings is 80.9%. Echoing Liz’s disappointments, the average of women’s earnings as Education Administrators sits at spot number six with females earning 67.2% of what male’s earn in the same positions.
In the Israeli Desert, a Modest Effort to Build an Environment for Peace
http://chronicle.com/article/In-an-Israeli-Desert-a-Modest/136853/ [story]
Follow the story on Twitter: #highered #global
Our last story tonight feastures a little slice of good sitting amongst turmoil in the MiddleEast. Arava Institute for Environmental Studies is attempting to drag the focus away from conflict and put the spotlight on global issues, such has sustainable energy. This institution is the definitition of modety with a budget oif $1.5 million and a total enrollment of about 80 students between their graduate and undergraduate studies. They admit an equal amount of applicants from the nations in the area and have been recognized for their work in integration between physical science and social science. The director David Lehrer explains the philosophy of the institution in a few simiple sentences; “We teach that nature knows no limits…The peace-building stuff is not our business. It’s the way we do business, but the business we’re in is the environment.”
That’s it for tonight…Don’t forget to tune in again on Thursday with the next edition of Daily Dose. Happy Tuesday!
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