US teaches; China learns

From USA Today:

...China is second only to India when graduate students and undergrads are counted. But undergraduates such as Sun are the newer phenomenon. Nationally, an 11% growth in undergrad enrollments last year was driven largely by a 60% increase from China, a report by the Institute of International Education says. Grad student enrollments were up 2%.

U.S. colleges and universities have long welcomed students from China, where the higher education system can't meet the demand. Two years ago, a record 10 million students throughout China took the national college entrance test, competing for 5.7 million university slots. Because foreign undergraduates typically aren't eligible for U.S. federal aid, colleges here can provide limited financial help. Now, thanks to China's booming economy in recent years, more Chinese families can afford to pay...

Free webinar on careers in intelligence

Henley-Putnam University is sponsoring a free webinar on careers in intelligence analysis on 17 DEC at 1100 (PST). Registration is required but the webinar is free.

"Author and Henley-Putnam adjunct professor Thomas B. Hunter will provide an introduction to careers in intelligence analysis, including a discussion of counterterrorism, human factors in terrorism, weapons systems, detainee support and Homeland Security. He will also offer a breakdown of the different agencies and their missions. Prior to joining Henley-Putnam, Mr. Hunter served as an intelligence officer with the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA), where he specialized in a variety of analytical areas, including Homeland Security, Detainee Support, and South American narcoterrorism."

President Thomas op-ed on higher ed

President Thomas has co-authored an op-ed on the current budgetary issues facing Washington state and its effect on higher education. Excerpt:

That brings us to the state budget, which analysts now predict will be $2.6 billion out of balance by the end of the biennium in the middle of 2011. Some are already drawing a target — again — on higher-education funding. They say that their hands are tied, and look to colleges for reductions because investing in higher education is not constitutionally mandated.

Further cuts to higher education would be a huge mistake.

Colleges are already working with limited resources; additional cuts in operating support would make it increasingly difficult to offer the classes and support services students need. Slashing financial aid would force many students out of college and dash their best hope for getting the skills and knowledge they need to improve their lives and climb the economic ladder.

Read the whole thing here.

Reminder: Boren Scholarship

Dear Fulbright Adviser,

Now that this year’s Fulbright deadline has passed, we would like to remind you of another opportunity for students interested in adding an international component to their educations. The Boren Awards provide funding to students pursuing international and language study in world regions critical to U.S. interests, such as Africa, Asia, Central and Eastern Europe, Eurasia, Latin America, and the Middle East. Students who have applied for or expressed interest in the Fulbright, especially those that are interested in one of the world regions listed above, may also want to consider the Boren Awards. We encourage you to share this information with them.

Boren Fellowships for graduate students provide up to $30,000 for language study and international research. Boren Scholarships for undergraduate students provide up to $20,000 for study abroad. We are currently accepting applications for the 2010-11 academic year competition and the national deadline for Boren Fellowship applications is January 28, 2010. The national deadline for Boren Scholarship applications is February 10, 2010. However, each institution has a designated campus representative, and your campus may have an earlier, on-campus deadline. Please contact us or visit our website for campus-specific information.

We appreciate your efforts in publicizing this award and helping internationally-minded students fund their studies. If you have any questions about the Boren Awards, please contact us at boren@iie.org or 1-800-618-NSEP. You can also visit borenawards.org for more information and to access the online applications for Boren Scholarships, Boren Fellowships, and The Language Flagship Fellowships.

We look forward to receiving applications from your institution.

Sincerely,

Boren Scholarships and Fellowships
Institute of International Education
1400 K Street, NW, Suite 650
Washington, DC 20005-2403
Phone: 202-326-7733
Fax: 202-326-7672

borenawards.org
boren@iie.org

How much do you--and everyone else--owe after college?

Thanks to the link from alum Ned Culhane:
http://www.projectonstudentdebt.org/state_by_state-data2008.php

A few comparisons:

School/Average student debt, 2008
Evergreen/$15371
UW Seattle/$16800
Pacific Lutheran/$22484
Whitman/$16684
University of Oregon/$18805
Lewis and Clark/$20661
Willamette/$24465
University of Puget Sound/$25005

A couple of ways you can look at this: that we are at the top of this, and/or the distance between Puget Sound and a state school like Oregon is smaller than we might expect--

Thoughts?

Internship with Organizing for America

Organizing for America is the spinoff from the Obama campaign that is now an arm of the national Democratic party. Interns with OFA learn "political mobilization skills essential for any campaign and experience the power of grassroots community organizing firsthand."

The following is from their mailing on this opportunity:

"Apply for a Spring 2010 internship before the December 18th deadline.

President Obama has always encouraged young Americans to believe they can be change makers. If you are passionate about reviving the economy, making the United States a global leader in clean energy, and want to be in the heart of politics, apply for an OFA internship. No prior experience is necessary.

Learn more and apply today to help mobilize Americans for the changes we need:"

my.barackobama.com/2010SpringInternship

Awesome internship opportunity with Metro Parks Tacoma

Nancy Davis, the government relations officer for Metro Parks, visited campus today to talk with students about an internship opportunity in her office. Metro Parks is an independent governmental entity with a broad range of responsibilities, from parks and zoos and recreation programs (including a highly successful red wolf breeding program) to youth programs and community centers. It has interests in legislation at the federal and state levels, as well as with local government here in Tacoma.

She wants someone to start work next semester, and wants to give students opportunities to work in areas of interest to them that are on the Metro Parks agenda. It appears that this is an opportunity get get some real world experience and some real world responsibilities!

If you are interested, please contact Professor Sousa. You can discuss ways you might get credit toward graduation for this work.