Funding Opportunities - Department of Defense - Minerva Research Initiative (MRI): Chinese Military and Technology Research and Archive Programs (US Army Research Office)
This is generating some hubbub.
Like most things this is a double-edged sword. On the one hand, yeah - it sort of IS important to think about and try to understand things like how groups like Al Queada recruit or what the result will be of a burgeoning Chinese economy and technology. On the other - should the government be funding university research? Researchers in the private sector all know that the source of the money makes a big difference. If there is a vested interest in a particular outcome then researchers can get pushed around a bit by money-men. Do we really want the DoD to be looking over the shoulders of people studying such important things? However, who is better to fund such projects that the DoD? I mean the results will very clearly mean a lot to them - and they've got the money to share.
Since I don't believe in numbers and continue to claim that they are simply just another rhetorical construction we use to try and make sense of complicated situations I will never have to worry about this. Nobody cares what I am researching (yet) and nobody is going to be writing any big checks for me. Which is fine- I think I want to be more of a teacher anyway. But a lot of my friends do social sciencey stuff. And I'm wondering what they might think of it all.
Showing posts with label educational politics. Show all posts
Showing posts with label educational politics. Show all posts
Sunday, August 3, 2008
Saturday, July 26, 2008
It wasn't cool when Roosevelt tried to pack the court, either
Baylor Board Votes to Increase Regent Membership to 24
GRAPEVINE, Texas -- Baylor Regents today voted to modify the size of its governing body, increasing its board size from a previous goal of 16 to 24 members. The vote came as the board was concluding its annual summer retreat, which this year was held in Grapevine.
Board Chair Howard K. Batson said the increase in board size was intended to position Baylor for future success.
"Our goals are ambitious and we are going to need increased diversity of talents within our board structure to achieve the level of future success we envision," Batson said. "Our board is strong now and with this action we believe we can create an even more representative governing body that will help Baylor to reach new heights in the coming years."
Wes Bailey, chair of the Governance Review Committee of the board, explained that the recommendation came after extensive study by his committee.
"We have spent significant time over the past several months looking at governance issues and considering an array of best practices in higher education," Bailey said. "The Board determined today it would revise its plans to downsize to 16 and instead adopt a plan to transition to a steady board size of 24."
One-fourth of Baylor's regents will continue to be elected by the Baptist General Convention of Texas.
During the three-day retreat, Regents also received the university's annual report, noting the substantial progress on each of the 12 imperatives of Baylor 2012, the university's 10-year vision. The report included data and information on multiple achievements, including:
* continued increases in average SAT and GRE scores,
* undergraduates who are distinctively and strongly oriented to spirituality and community service,
* best ranking ever in the U.S.News & World Report 2007 rankings of national doctoral-granting universities,
* construction of the Paul L. Foster Success Center in the newly remodeled Sid Richardson Building housing Academic Advisement, Academic Support, Access and Learning Accommodation, Career Counseling and Career Services, and
* continued improvement in Baylor's student-faculty ratio, now 15:1, with fewer large classes and more small classes.
GRAPEVINE, Texas -- Baylor Regents today voted to modify the size of its governing body, increasing its board size from a previous goal of 16 to 24 members. The vote came as the board was concluding its annual summer retreat, which this year was held in Grapevine.
Board Chair Howard K. Batson said the increase in board size was intended to position Baylor for future success.
"Our goals are ambitious and we are going to need increased diversity of talents within our board structure to achieve the level of future success we envision," Batson said. "Our board is strong now and with this action we believe we can create an even more representative governing body that will help Baylor to reach new heights in the coming years."
Wes Bailey, chair of the Governance Review Committee of the board, explained that the recommendation came after extensive study by his committee.
"We have spent significant time over the past several months looking at governance issues and considering an array of best practices in higher education," Bailey said. "The Board determined today it would revise its plans to downsize to 16 and instead adopt a plan to transition to a steady board size of 24."
One-fourth of Baylor's regents will continue to be elected by the Baptist General Convention of Texas.
During the three-day retreat, Regents also received the university's annual report, noting the substantial progress on each of the 12 imperatives of Baylor 2012, the university's 10-year vision. The report included data and information on multiple achievements, including:
* continued increases in average SAT and GRE scores,
* undergraduates who are distinctively and strongly oriented to spirituality and community service,
* best ranking ever in the U.S.News & World Report 2007 rankings of national doctoral-granting universities,
* construction of the Paul L. Foster Success Center in the newly remodeled Sid Richardson Building housing Academic Advisement, Academic Support, Access and Learning Accommodation, Career Counseling and Career Services, and
* continued improvement in Baylor's student-faculty ratio, now 15:1, with fewer large classes and more small classes.
John Lilley's tenure at Baylor: Mission Impossible?
John Lilley's tenure at Baylor: Mission Impossible?
Yeah, okay, I'm obsessive. I am interested that Lynn Tatum was trying to be so careful - Dr. Tatum was a favorite of mine - I respect him a lot. I think I annoyed him a bit, but that happens. For what it is worth he is a black belt and one day I asked that he show us he can really kick the top of the door. He did - and then informed me that he had been in the hospital the day before so if fell over in class it would definitely be my fault. Good guy.
Yeah, okay, I'm obsessive. I am interested that Lynn Tatum was trying to be so careful - Dr. Tatum was a favorite of mine - I respect him a lot. I think I annoyed him a bit, but that happens. For what it is worth he is a black belt and one day I asked that he show us he can really kick the top of the door. He did - and then informed me that he had been in the hospital the day before so if fell over in class it would definitely be my fault. Good guy.
Editorial: Back to Baylor rifts?
Editorial: Back to Baylor rifts?
Check out the comments - people are pissed. And have been for a while.
One of these days ask me about my Baylor and politics experience. And bring a snack.
Check out the comments - people are pissed. And have been for a while.
One of these days ask me about my Baylor and politics experience. And bring a snack.
Gossip, cont
The Forbidden Gospels Blog: Baylor Board fires university's president
I'm not ready to make official proclamations (you know I will when I can) but it seems that this is just as juicy a story as I wanted it to be. First, please read the comment on the last post - whoever anon is, she/he is right. The speculation I have heard is that Lilley was all on board with the 2012 goal of becoming a top tier university. And he had some crazy ideas about that. Things like maybe we shouldn't be granting tenure for things like ID and a really good teacher who doesn't actually do research. As I said, all speculation. But, if that is the case all of Sloan's old lackey's would be having heart - attacks. See, Bobby S. had this idea that you can be an inerrentist, base your research on the Bible, and be a highly respected academic. Now - some of my readers are inerrentists. And most of my readers are smarter than I am - am I saying you are dumb if you believe the world was created in 7 days? No. But you also have to accept that you will not be a respected biologist that way. And my readers know this. Sloan didn't. At the time I was studying English, and I just wasn't sure how I was supposed to be a good Baptist but also look at things like gender studies and postmodernism. Good thing I gave up and was a medievalist for a few years.
So, if the rumors I have heard are true, Lilley's problem was that he took Baylor's goals seriously. And if you know anything about Baylor you know that the last 15 years people have been pretty split down the middle on just that.
If I hear more or something different, rest assured I will re-visit the issue. Hell, I'm sure I will regardless.
Thanks and Gig 'em.
I'm not ready to make official proclamations (you know I will when I can) but it seems that this is just as juicy a story as I wanted it to be. First, please read the comment on the last post - whoever anon is, she/he is right. The speculation I have heard is that Lilley was all on board with the 2012 goal of becoming a top tier university. And he had some crazy ideas about that. Things like maybe we shouldn't be granting tenure for things like ID and a really good teacher who doesn't actually do research. As I said, all speculation. But, if that is the case all of Sloan's old lackey's would be having heart - attacks. See, Bobby S. had this idea that you can be an inerrentist, base your research on the Bible, and be a highly respected academic. Now - some of my readers are inerrentists. And most of my readers are smarter than I am - am I saying you are dumb if you believe the world was created in 7 days? No. But you also have to accept that you will not be a respected biologist that way. And my readers know this. Sloan didn't. At the time I was studying English, and I just wasn't sure how I was supposed to be a good Baptist but also look at things like gender studies and postmodernism. Good thing I gave up and was a medievalist for a few years.
So, if the rumors I have heard are true, Lilley's problem was that he took Baylor's goals seriously. And if you know anything about Baylor you know that the last 15 years people have been pretty split down the middle on just that.
If I hear more or something different, rest assured I will re-visit the issue. Hell, I'm sure I will regardless.
Thanks and Gig 'em.
Thursday, July 24, 2008
This is all I have right now
The Baptist Standard :: The Newsmagazine of Texas Baptists - Update2: Baylor disunity leads to Lilley's firing
This is a long article, but doesn't really answer some important questions. I'm hitting the grapevine to find out more.
This is a long article, but doesn't really answer some important questions. I'm hitting the grapevine to find out more.
Once upon a time my alma mater was respectable
Baylor University fires President John Lilley 1:13 PM CT | Dallas Morning News | News for Dallas, Texas | Latest News
Yeah. Things are that bad. I would like to point one thing out: I was right. About a lot of things. See, Baylor has been headed down hill for a number of years. It started with Sloan. The only cool thing that guy ever did was allow dancing on campus. I know - heresy. There were all kinds of terrible decisions made - in an attempt to elevate Baylor's status. By the time I graduated the school was in such bad financial shape that you could have liquidated the whole place and still have been in a ton of debt. He ran that place so far into the ground that they had to borrow from a rainy day fund just to break even for a few years. And the rainy day fund had been used once since 1845 - the year that Baylor broke from the SBC, which provided a great deal of their funding.
Then there were charming ideas floated like "you can research what you want, but you won't get funding for it unless it is inline with Baptist doctrine." That one eventually got shot down - but I'm pretty sure only because of Baylor Med.
I don't know what this Lilley fellow did, but it must have been bad. I'm on a search to find out. See, they kept Sloan around for 10 years - he was sort of like George W Bush - only at the college level. Started out w/ pretty good support, then it waned when people realized he was not only an idiot but a an ideologue, until the only folks left who liked him were the ones who believe he might be Jesus. So what the crap did this Lilley guy do that was so bad? Stay tuned. I'll find out.
While I may not particularly love the school I am at right now, I will say I am more proud of the degrees I got here.
Yeah. Things are that bad. I would like to point one thing out: I was right. About a lot of things. See, Baylor has been headed down hill for a number of years. It started with Sloan. The only cool thing that guy ever did was allow dancing on campus. I know - heresy. There were all kinds of terrible decisions made - in an attempt to elevate Baylor's status. By the time I graduated the school was in such bad financial shape that you could have liquidated the whole place and still have been in a ton of debt. He ran that place so far into the ground that they had to borrow from a rainy day fund just to break even for a few years. And the rainy day fund had been used once since 1845 - the year that Baylor broke from the SBC, which provided a great deal of their funding.
Then there were charming ideas floated like "you can research what you want, but you won't get funding for it unless it is inline with Baptist doctrine." That one eventually got shot down - but I'm pretty sure only because of Baylor Med.
I don't know what this Lilley fellow did, but it must have been bad. I'm on a search to find out. See, they kept Sloan around for 10 years - he was sort of like George W Bush - only at the college level. Started out w/ pretty good support, then it waned when people realized he was not only an idiot but a an ideologue, until the only folks left who liked him were the ones who believe he might be Jesus. So what the crap did this Lilley guy do that was so bad? Stay tuned. I'll find out.
While I may not particularly love the school I am at right now, I will say I am more proud of the degrees I got here.
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