Muara Teweh!

BRIGHT children, and some not so bright, who drop out of school due to the inability of their parents or guardians to meet the costs of their education, are a common feature in many Zimbabwean families.

This writer did his primary schooling in the countryside where one of his class mates, who always came out tops throughout the primary school years, failed to further his education due to his parents’ failure to pay for his school fees, despite scoring four units at grade seven. The boy had neither a relative nor benefactor to assist him realise his potential.

Two other classmates at secondary school had to receive financial assistance from the Catholic Church for their A-Levels, while a number of people he knows today received similar church assistance for their university education » Read more after the jump →

A criminal scheme outlined in a 40-page indictment boiled down to this simple point: a powerful state senator and an ambitious college administrator worked behind the scenes to help each other profit illegally at the taxpayers’ expense, authorities said.

A federal indictment says state Sen. Wayne Bryant, D-Lawnside, worked in early 2002 to support Dr. R. Michael Gallagher’s appointment as dean of the School of Osteopathic Medicine at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey’s Stratford campus.

Gallagher later helped Bryant get a job at UMDNJ that authorities describe as a no-work position meant to pad the legislator’s pension. In turn, the indictment says, Bryant helped head off an unwanted merger for UMDNJ and steered extra aid to the Stratford school — money that Gallagher allegedly diverted for his own benefit. » Read more after the jump →

State Sen. Wayne Bryant has long been considered an advocate for public higher education, but following his indictment on Thursday his legacy on college and university campuses across the state may be reduced to a cautionary tale of what not to do.

“This is a shot across the bow in terms of its potential impact on Rutgers and other public institutions,” said David J. Harris, a former member of the Rutgers University board of governors. “It’s a clear reminder of what the nature of our business should be and that we should not have to cozy up with questionable characters like Wayne Bryant in order to do the public’s business.”

The 20-count federal grand jury indictment calls into question little or no-work jobs Bryant held in exchange for pensionable income at the Rutgers University campus in Camden and the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey campus » Read more after the jump →

Somebody is sure to ask: “Does God exist, and how can you prove it?”
Tonight, when philosopher Peter Kreeft delivers the annual Weston Lecture at Augustine College, the questioner — and the rest of the audience — will get an answer they won’t likely hear in the philosophy and sociology departments, much less the science laboratories, of the modern university.
Yes, Mr. Kreeft will say. And then, if past performances are any indication, he’ll provide an erudite, witty and user-friendly disquisition on the various arguments and proofs for the existence of a divine order. Perhaps he’ll even observe that we owe obedience to this order because it is both the source and end of all our meanings and purposes.
Words like “obedience” and “order” will probably shock the audience, particularly students, most of whom probably associate them with another unpopular word, “authority.” » Read more after the jump →

LISA NAPOLI: Preparing people for good jobs is part of the American sell in India this week. Under Secretary for Public Diplomacy Karen Hughes is there with a delegation of university presidents. Miranda Kennedy has more from New Delhi.
MIRANDA KENNEDY: More students from India attend American universities than from any other country, and the U.S. government wants to expand those numbers further, because educating foreign students is big business.

Today Karen Hughes said the U.S. is simply playing to its strengths.

KAREN HUGHES: We believe we have the highest quality of educational experience available. We also know that India has a very young population — more than 50 percent of the population is under the age of 25, and so India has a growing demand. » Read more after the jump →

U.S. Under Secretary of State for Public Affairs and Public Diplomacy Karen Hughes says “the United States and India are engaging more actively and constructively than ever before on a wide range of issues – from technology to agriculture, from poverty alleviation to space exploration, from combating disease to reducing pollution.” U.S.-India trade, says Ms. Hughes, is also growing. Success in these mutual endeavors, she says, ultimately depends on education:

“We have a very broad dialogue with India, a very broad global, strategic partnership. And when you think about the areas in which we are cooperating: whether it be energy, or agriculture, or high-tech issues, education is foundational to all of them. And so we think we really have an opportunity on. . . .to expand that partnership.”

Under Secretary Hughes’s trip to India with a delegation of American university » Read more after the jump →

U.S. Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs Karen Hughes told a gathering of Indian business leaders in Mumbai, India, “talent is becoming one of the world’s most sought after commodities,” and the best way to nurture talent is to give more students access to higher education.

“We believe encouraging more young people to become truly global citizens serves our national interest, India’s interests and your interests as business leaders,” she said March 26, addressing members of the Indo-American Chamber of Commerce. “In this increasingly global world, you need employees who are highly educated, able to speak different languages, able to move easily between cultures and countries - and so we are here to ask for the business community’s active partnership and support.” » Read more after the jump →