True crime on campus §10

More true crime on campus More extracts from campus security reports. Some innocent, some silly and some just a bit odd. Our outstanding Security staff have to deal with just about everything. 1445 Report of a smell of burning coming from the Kitchen in L Block Derby Hall. Security and the Fire Service attended. On …

Cover your eyes – another frightening course emerges from the crypt

Seriously scary Have posted before about some rather leftfield programmes, including a zombie course at the University of Baltimore and, more recently, a course covering Lady Gaga. Also previously looked here at the launch of an MA in Beatles Studies and the offer of a degree in Northern Studies as well as offering a podcast …

Auditing University Rankings

Holding league tables to account? The Chronicle reports that there are to be some new rules to govern university league tables. The proposals were announced recently in Paris at the Unesco Global Forum, “Rankings and Accountability in Higher Education: Uses and Misuses.” This Forum, which gave voice to lots of concerns about ranking methodologies, concluded …

Sing Sing – fundraising for Mamelodi

Sing Sing Selina Mwenifumbo and Shaunna Francis, two pupils at Nottingham University Samworth Academy, have written, recorded and released this song to raise money for the Mamelodi Trust in South Africa. It's available for download on iTunes for 79p and every penny will go to the Mamelodi Trust, which raises money for schools in the squatter camps …

Stanford Adds Alumni Interviews

One of those big differences between US and UK universities Inside Higher Ed carries a piece on alumni interviews: Alumni interviews have for decades been part of the admissions process at elite private colleges. Their role has sometimes frustrated applicants, and left them guessing about strategies. Over the years, the process has also annoyed many …

Latest Guardian University League Table for 2012

New Guardian League Table for 2012 Top 20 of the full list (available here) is as follows (last year's position in brackets): 1 (2) Cambridge 2 (1) Oxford 3 (4) St Andrews 4 (8) London School of Economics 5 (5) UCL 6 (3) Warwick 7 (6) Lancaster 8 (17) Durham 9 (9) Loughborough 10 (7) …

iPhones and iPads on Campus

The search for killer apps goes on Follow up to an earlier post on Abilene Christian University providing iPhones to all students and a follow up on implementation a year later. The Chronicle of Higher Education reports on a conference looking at the use being made of smartphones and tablets in different parts of university …

The difficulties of leading via Twitter

A Cautionary Tale: "A College Unfriends Its Social-Networking President" The Chronicle of Higher Education carries a fascinating story about a new breed of institutional leader seeking to engage through twitter. Unfortunately, not everyone at the college seems to be fully bought in: John Maeda, president of the Rhode Island School of Design, may be the …

University “cheating league table”

A rather dubious league table The Telegraph has a story based on reported incidences of plagiarism which it describes as an: investigation into cheating at universities, with thousands of students caught plagiarising, trying to bribe lecturers and buying essays from the internet. As noted in a previous post this issue is really about improved detection …

Campus extremism ‘a serious problem’

And a threat to UK security, it seems BBC News carries the story which arises from the first report of the new Homeland Security Committee: Campus extremism is a "serious problem" that threatens UK security, a group of MPs and peers has said. There are "grave concerns" students are being radicalised in British universities, according …

True Crime on Campus §9

More True Crime from the University of Nottingham A few of these show the unfortunate effects of excessive alcohol consumption and the resulting challenges for our ever-patient Security team: 2302 Security were called to a report of a fight at Hugh Stewart Hall on arrival those responsible were identified. The Police also attended but no …