Teachers

Some students engaged in a non-disruptive protest Tuesday at commencement ceremonies for Teachers College of Columbia University. The Washington Post reported that students held signs saying "Not a Test Score" to protest the awarding of an honor and a speaking role to Merryl Tisch, chancellor of the New York State Board of Regents. The students said that reforms pushed by Tisch rely excessively on standardized test scores, to the detriment of educational values. Susan Fuhrman, president of the college, released a letter (covering numerous controversies at the institution) in which she defended the honor for Tisch. "I have been listening closely to objections by some about bestowing the TC Medal of Distinguished Service on New York State Regents Chancellor Merryl Tisch," Fuhrman wrote. "Let me assure you that our decision to bestow the TC Medal on Chancellor Tisch was made to recognize her body of work and leadership across a range of fields, including education, and does not constitute an institutional endorsement of specific decisions, opinions, or policies. The same standard applies to all of our medalists, and going forward we will broaden community involvement in the selection process." Ad keywords: Administrators

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit on Tuesday revived a bias lawsuit against Louisiana State University at Baton Rouge that had been dismissed by a lower court. In the case, a woman passed over as police chief said she was denied the position of police chief based on illegal gender bias, and was retaliated against for raising complaints about her treatment. The appeals court said that there was sufficient evidence for a full trial on the case. For example, the court noted that her application received no response and that a man got the job, even though a college degree was a requirement for the position, she had bachelor's and master's degrees, and the man lacked a college degree. While LSU offered non-discriminatory reasons for her dismissal, the appeals court said that the evidence in its entirety was sufficient for the case to go forward. Ad keywords: Administrators

A former Rutgers University quarterback can move forward with a lawsuit against the video game company Electronic Arts Inc. after a federal appeals court on Tuesday reversed a lower court’s ruling that said the First Amendment protected the company’s right to depict individual players in games. The company’s “NCAA Football” series features avatars that match individual players in height, weight, number – and in plaintiff Ryan Hart’s case, left wrist band – but not in name. While the National Collegiate Athletic Association is not a party to this case, a separate lawsuit against the NCAA -- which likely won't be resolved for a few years -- charges that the association should compensate athletes for benefiting financially from their image.

Adobe faces questions from higher education officials who say that new pricing plans are hard to understand and may represent large increases in fees. Editorial Tags: Technology

Suzanne Fortier, president of the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada, has been selected as principal and vice chancellor of McGill University, in Quebec. James Gandre, provost and executive vice president of Roosevelt University, in Illinois, has been appointed president of Manhattan School of Music, in New York. Editorial Tags: College administrationNew presidents

Historically black colleges urge Education Department to reconsider changes to some student loan criteria, and for-profit colleges and student advocates gear up for rewrite of "gainful employment" regulation. Editorial Tags: Federal policyEducation DepartmentFinancial aidFor-profit collegesHistorically black colleges

As budget crunch eases at California's community colleges, a lawmaker pushes two-tiered tuition, a solution both faculty groups and system leaders oppose. Editorial Tags: College costs/pricesCommunity collegesCalifornia

In today’s Academic Minute, the University of Southern California's Sarah Freakins examines the role environmental factors played in the origin of bipedalism. Feakins is an assistant professor of Earth sciences at USC's Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences. Find out more about her here. A transcript of this podcast can be found here. Section: Academic MinuteFile: 5-22-13_usc_walking_upright.mp3

The Alt-Ac TrackTo do an alt-ac search, you need to know the possibilities that are out there, write Brenda Bethman and Shaun Longstreet. Job Tags: Academic administrationAd keywords: FacultyEditorial Tags: HiringShow on Jobs site:

While other colleges have cut adjuncts' hours to avoid insurance mandates ahead of the Affordable Care Act taking effect, College of DuPage is offering some adjuncts coverage under a new "lecturer" designation. Editorial Tags: AdjunctsFacultyPayHealth Care