“… The speech by Mr Justice Paul Carney at University College Cork contained ‘prejudicial material’ leading to a ‘reasonable apprehension’ Warren and Jeffrey Dumbrell had not received a fair trial and rendered their convictions for murder unsafe, the court ruled …” (more)
[Mary Carolan, Irish Times, 28 July]
“… The luck of the Irish was not with 23 year-old Natasha McShane on the night of April 23rd. The exchange student from Belfast, Northern Ireland, was beaten with a bat and suffered a traumatic brain injury (TBI). She was rushed to Illinois Masonic Medical Center in critical condition and doctors weren’t sure she would live. Natasha did live and so began her odyssey through the for-profit American health care system …” (more)
[Helen Redmond, The Seminal, 26 July]
“Strategy ties ‘enlightened self-interest’ to creation and spread of knowledge. Giving up intellectual property rights stemming from academics’ work can help universities increase the income generated from research and retain their best staff …” (more)
[Hannah Fearn, Times Higher Education, 29 July]
“Many MPs do not get involved in science policy because the issues take them ‘seriously outside their comfort zone’, a senior parliamentarian has admitted …” (more)
[Paul Jump, Times Higher Education, 29 July]
“Fianna Fáil and the Greens’ revised capital programme has slashed investment in higher education infrastructure by a massive €1 billion and this could have a hugely negative affect on Ireland’s university level R&D capacity, according to Fine Gael Innovation & Research Spokesperson, Deirdre Clune …” (more)
[CorkPolitics.ie, 28 July]
“The High level Strategy Group, chaired by Colin Hunt, is due (over-due, in fact) to report on a strategy for Higher Education in Ireland. One issue that may be confronted is the question of the re-introduction of fees. Rather than a return to the old system a more likely scenario is some form of income contingent loan …” (more)
[Kevin Denny, Geary Behavioural Economics Blog, 28 July]
“It started with a story in the Press-Register of Mobile, Alabama. On 16 July, the paper reported that beleaguered oil giant BP was hurriedly signing up scientists to gather data for the company …” (more)
[Nature, 28 July]
“I have, over recent months, from time to time expressed some concern as to whether Ireland has a clear policy on investing in higher education. I still have major concerns in that regard, not least because there is every indication that universities and colleges may suffer another significant budget cut later this year …” (more)
[Ferdinand von Prondzynski, University Blog, 28 July]
“… This made me think about a frustration I share with many librarians, the feverish amassing of publications that may never be read, published in journals that libraries can’t afford, churned out by unhappy and exhausted colleagues who feel they have no choice …” (more)
[Barbara Fister, Inside Higher Ed, 27 July]
“Over recent months I have tended to be highly nervous every time it was suggested that we would have an announcement on capital expenditure. The reason? Well, DCU has a very direct interest in one of the most expensive projects for investment right now: the planned ‘Metro North’ …” (more)
[Ferdinand von Prondzynski, University Blog, 28 July]
“Under mounting pressure to clear up confusion over Fine Gael’s policy in relation to Waterford Institute of Technology’s quest for university status, the party’s leader yesterday pledged to change the law in order to fast track WIT to University of the South East …” (more)
[Marion O’Mara, Waterford News and Star, 27 July]
“Fianna Fáil and the Greens’ revised capital programme announced yesterday has slashed investment in higher education infrastructure by a massive €1 billion and this could have a hugely negative affect on Ireland’s university level R&D capacity, according to Fine Gael Innovation & Research Spokesperson, Deirdre Clune TD …” (more)
[Fine Gael, 27 July]
“Building work will begin within weeks on the transformation of Dublin’s Grangegorman hospital into a state-of-the-art education and health campus, providing 450 construction jobs a year over the next decade …” (more)
[Katherine Donnelly, Independent, 27 July]
“Universities Australia yesterday warned that the sector faces a ‘perfect storm’ of factors threatening vital international student revenue next year. UA warned the industry was threatened by the strong Australian dollar and rising competition, as well as the Gillard government’s tougher visa conditions and tighter migration settings …” (more)
[Andrew Trounson and Guy Healy, The Australian, 28 July]
“… Leaving Cert curricula are, by necessity, very tightly defined. When told at 3rd-level that what is written in a textbook needs to be balanced against the most recent research in the area as well as a student’s own experiments and observations, the student trained in rote learning only can often falter …” (more)
[Eoin Lettice, The Frog Blog, 22 July]
“While many students turn to YouTube when looking for help with their homework, it can be hard to find good-quality educational clips there, according to two professors who did a preliminary analysis of several video search engines …” (more)
[Jeff Young, Chronicle of Higher Education, 26 July]
“… Discrimination now rarely takes the form of some guy saying ‘hey little lady, shouldn’t you let a man handle that?’ It is much more subtle, but just as ugly. These days, bright, thoughtful, enlightened people assume that the absence of women in certain fields results from women being unable to compete on merit …” (more)
[HT: Suw]
[Stubbornella, 26 July]
“… This blog, by the way, is intending to do a survey on this topic in the autumn in Ireland, and on the whole I expect similar findings: a continuing commitment to university work, but growing disenchantment with the conditions …” (more)
[Ferdinand von Prondzynski, University Blog, 27 July]
“… The first jobs will come on stream in weeks as work begins on the new DIT campus at Grangegorman. Eventually 450 people will be employed building the new university …” (more)
[Michael Brennan and Paul Melia, Independent, 27 July]
“… Universities are handing out degrees to people who are not remotely academically distinguished and often have no/very tenuous connection with the academic institution, as there are absolutely no prerequisites to receiving an honorary degree. Hollywood actor, Orlando Bloom was awarded a degree very recently, by University of Kent, at the Canterbury Cathedral. The reason is simply because he grew up in Canterbury …” (more)
[Mahfooz's Expositions, 26 July]
