The bill would end government payments to private, commercial student lenders, leaving the government to lend directly to students. It would also redirect billions of dollars to expand the Pell grant program for low-income students, and to pay for other education initiatives.
News release prepared by: Nellie Ryan, 785-532-6415, media@k-state.edu
K-STATE JOURNALISM EXPERT SAYS INTERNET CHANGING NEWS, NEWSPAPERS
MANHATTAN — News is changing in several ways and innovation is taking place at record-breaking speed, according to Angela Powers, director of the A.Q. Miller School of Journalism and Mass Communications at Kansas State University.
Powers researches influences on news content, media leadership and ethics, and media convergence.
“Some newspapers in the U.S. are laying off people, closing their doors,” she said. “Yet, other newspapers have an enthusiasm for new methods and techniques for gathering news and information that is completely changing the way they’re doing business.”
Part of that transformation has to do with the Internet, which has created massive interconnectedness, Powers said.
“Journalists are now routinely producing original content for the Internet and determining which medium is most appropriate, rather than simply covering a story for print or electronic media,” she said. (more…)
I joined the University of California faculty in 1966 and so have watched a good many of them, but have never seen one less impressive that this year’s. In 1964 there was focus and clarity. This one was brain-dead. The former idealism and sense of purpose had degenerated into a self-serving demand for more money at a time when both state and university are broke, and one in eight California workers is unemployed. The elite intellectuals of the university community might have been expected to offer us insight into how this problem arose, and realistic measures for dealing with it. But all that was on offer was this: get more money and give it to us. Californians witnessing this must have wondered whether the money they were already providing was well spent where there was so little evidence of productive thought.
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At this time of high unemployment, one group of professionals has no shortage of job security: bad teachers. Few public school principals in the country are able to dismiss an incompetent teacher without a protracted, expensive struggle, and therefore firings rarely happen. Yet researchers agree that hiring good teachers, and ditching bad ones, is the best way to improve education.
Nationwide, 2% or fewer teachers are ever fired or fail to have their contracts renewed because of poor performance. Among tenured teachers - those who get job security, typically after two or three years of satisfactory performance - there are often no dismissals at all, according to the U.S. Education Department.
News release prepared by: Katie Mayes, 785-532-6415, kmayes@k-state.edu
K-STATE’S ELEMENTARY EDUCATION PROGRAM RECEIVES NATIONAL HONOR
MANHATTAN — Kansas State University’s bachelor’s degree program in elementary education is being honored with the 2010 Distinguished Program in Teacher Education Award from the Association of Teacher Educators.
The honor recognizes high-quality teacher education programs featuring exemplary collaboration between local education agencies and institutions of higher education in program development and administration. (more…)
KANSAS CITY, Mo. - The Kansas City school board narrowly approved a plan Wednesday night to close nearly half of the district’s schools in a desperate bid to avoid a potential bankruptcy.
An Independence Public schools representative said a bus driver for the district did not follow protocol when he left two boys on a bus at the end of his route Monday.
Nino and Chaz Florido said they were scared when a substitute bus driver missed their stop.
“I thought maybe it was going to be another way to get home, but it wasn’t,” Nino said.
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Jake Witzenfeld, president of Cambridge University’s Israel Society canceled a talk by Benny Morris, a distinguished Israeli historian, for fear the Israel Society would be portrayed as a mouthpiece for Islamophobia.
The trial of Geert Wilders, in Holland, has received almost no attention from the media panjandrums in the West for fear the issue might lead to Muslim incitement, particularly in cities like Rotterdam where the Islamic population is near a majority.
Yale University Press refused to publish cartoons about the Prophet Mohammed in a book about the cartoons and the aftermath of the original publication, for fear of a possible violent response from Islamic adherents.
Contact: Toni Dixon, School of Business, (785) 864-4449, tonidixon@ku.edu
School of Business offers new online course for nonmajors
http://www.news.ku.edu/2010/march/9/onlineclass.shtml
LAWRENCE - Nonbusiness majors at the University of Kansas will have a new way to learn about information systems through an online course that will be available in the fall.
IST 205 Survey of Information Systems is one of the six required courses in the business minor. The online offering of IST 205 will be conducted entirely on Blackboard and will be first made available to non-Lawrence students.
“This is the first online course in the School of Business,” said Mark Best, lecturer in business. “We’re hoping to give more flexibility to students at the Edwards Campus or students hoping to transfer credit to other schools.”
Students will use Blackboard, a Web-based classroom environment, to gain hands-on practice in information systems technology. IST 205 online will cover a range of topics, including computer software and hardware, databases, e-business and e-commerce, Microsoft Excel and information security.
“Students interested in taking IST 205 online will have to be motivated and responsible in order to complete assignments on time,” Best said. “They will be able to test out the theories we discuss in the course. I’ll be doing some live online meetings with students and using the Wiki tool and discussion board on Blackboard to enhance communication and student collaboration.”
Although IST 205 is the only class available online, the School of Business plans to add more online classes in the near future, including at least one graduate course. IST 205 online will be restricted to non-Lawrence students until Aug. 1. Students interested in taking IST 205 online must contact Continuing Education at (785) 864-5823 for enrollment information.
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There will be a Senate Judiciary Health Care Freedom Amendment (SCR 1626) subcommittee hearing this Thursday morning, March 11, at 8:00 a.m.
The focus will be on the constitutional aspects of the proposed amendment. Therefore, I have invited two constitutional scholars to give testimony.
I have been given some indication that Subcommittee Chairman John Vratil has invited several legal professors to testify as well. (more…)
Kansans for Life is the state affiliate of the National Right to Life Committee. SEE VIDEO HERE proving that Kathleen Sebelius, Nancy Pelosi and Barack Obama are lying when they say the Health Care Reform bill keeps the status quo, and does not federally fund abortion!
SEE EXCELLENT RELATED KANSANS FOR LIFE BLOG ARTICLES BY CLICKING: HERE (more…)
How can you tell when a president is in trouble on a big issue?
When politicians of his own party avoid appearing with him when he’s in their home area. (more…)
Spring Break “No School Day Camp” at Mahaffie
The Mahaffie Stagecoach Stop and Farm is offering a day camp on Wednesday, March 17th from 7:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., at the historic site, 1200 Kansas City Road in Olathe.
The camp is available to kids in kindergarten through sixth grade and features history based games, crafts, living history activities, movie times and stories frown from cowboy culture. Weather permitting, campers will spend time indoors and outside.
The cost is $50 for the first child in the household and $40 for each additional household participant. Registration is open until Thursday, March 11th. For more information or to register call (913) 971-5111 or email mahaffie@olatheks.org.
News release prepared by: Katie Mayes, 785-532-6415, kmayes@k-state.edu
K-STATE STUDENTS ELECT NEW PRESIDENT AND VICE PRESIDENT
MANHATTAN — In a general election March 2-3, students on Kansas State University’s Manhattan campus elected Danny Unruh, senior in food science and industry and political science, Manhattan, as student body president.
Unruh’s running mate, Annie Oliver, senior in life sciences, Prairie Village, will serve as vice president.
“Annie and I are so very excited to have been elected student body president and vice president,” Unruh said. “We have a profound love for K-State and the people that make it such a great place. We look forward to providing the students at K-State with financial accountability, a cutting-edge classroom experience and a sustainable future.” (more…)
News release prepared by: Kristin Hodges, 785-532-6415, khodges2@k-state.edu
Friday, March 5, 2010
K-STATE RESEARCHERS SAY NUTRIGENOMICS LIKELY TO CHANGE THE FUTURE OF PUBLIC HEALTH; STUDIES ON NUTRIENTS AND GENE EXPRESSION COULD LEAD TO TAILORED DIETS FOR BETTER DISEASE PREVENTION
MANHATTAN — Personal health recommendations and diets tailored to better prevent diseases may be in our future, just by focusing on genetics.
Researchers at Kansas State University recently published an academic journal article discussing the potential for nutrigenomics, a field that studies the effects of food on gene expression. The researchers discussed the possibility of using food to prevent an individual’s genes from expressing disease. The researchers said nutrigenomics could completely change the future of public health and the food and culinary industries. (more…)
News release prepared by: Erinn Barcomb-Peterson, 785-532-6415, ebarcomb@k-state.edu
Friday, March 5, 2010
EXTENSIVE, MULTILAYERED APPROVAL PROCESS REQUIRED FOR K-STATE’S BIOSECURITY RESEARCH INSTITUTE TO SAFELY STUDY SELECT AGENT PATHOGENS
MANHATTAN — Through stacks of documentation and months of preparation, the Biosecurity Research Institute is undergoing the extensive, multilayered process of gaining approval to study federally regulated select agent pathogens that threaten human and animal health as well as the food supply.
“There’s a misperception that regulators will just come in and give a blanket OK, and that’s not true,” said Scott Rusk, director of Pat Roberts Hall, which houses the laboratory. “The inspectors don’t come in and then leave us with the whole building and all possible research projects approved.”
The Biosecurity Research Institute is a biosafety level-3 facility for research on animal and plant diseases that threaten human and animal health and food safety. The ability to possess and use some of these pathogens in research requires approval from multiple agencies like the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Both groups collaboratively regulate the use and security of select agent pathogens. he listing of pathogens as select agents is subject to change, with new ones being added over time, and it doesn’t necessarily correlate to how dangerous an agent is to people, said Beth Montelone, the institute’s interim director. Rather, a pathogen’s status depends on what threat the government thinks it poses.
The Biosecurity Research Institute is currently seeking approval for six bacterial pathogens and one virus that are considered select agents.
“The regulators’ upcoming site visit is just the first step of what we’ll be doing in terms of getting the building fully ready for all of the projects that have been proposed for the next two years,” Montelone said. “The select agent registration is the brass ring, but there are layers below that.”
Even if the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention gives the OK for work with the seven pathogens, the laboratory and scientists will still have to get permits from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to use them. So from the day the regulators perform the initial inspection, it could be another six months before researchers can actually start the project.
“It’s good that there’s scrutiny, but it does have a price,” Montelone said. “It costs time and effort, and it means that research is slowed down. There’s only part of the process that we can control.”
To become approved to study select agents, the Biosecurity Research Institute is being scrutinized from top to bottom. This includes understanding how the infrastructure at Pat Roberts Hall works, reviewing the laboratory’s safety, security, operations and maintenance, medical surveillance, training and incident response programs, standard operating procedures, and interviewing laboratory workers and laboratory support staff.
“Each application is project-specific, so if we get approval to do these seven pathogens and want to add new research projects with the same pathogens, additional pathogens or more personnel, we have to prepare an amendment and resubmit it for approval,” Rusk said.
Going through a lengthy and extensive authorization process is vital to keeping the laboratory safe. Moreover, when a lab doesn’t adhere to standards, its authorization to work with agents can get yanked for years. It could also face significant monetary fines — recently an institution was fined nearly $1 million — and people could lose their jobs and even face criminal penalties.
Because of the extensive process, some research organizations have decided not to study select agents. But Rusk and Montelone said that the Biosecurity Research Institute was created for exactly this type of research.
“We have long-term relationships and plan to work with collaborators at the National Bio and Agro-defense Facility and the U.S. Department of Agriculture Arthropod-Borne Animal Disease Research Unit,” Rusk said. “If confidence is lost in our ability to do this type of work, those relationships and collaborations may be impacted as well. That’s the reason this all takes a long time. The stakes are high, and you have to get it right. The ultimate goal is to facilitate the high quality of science that goes on in the building.”
While the process to become approved for select agents and materials requiring U.S. Department of Agriculture permits is ongoing, the Biosecurity Research Institute has had several other projects underway. In November 2009, a study of the wheat blast fungus began and a study was completed on two pig diseases, porcine circovirus and porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus.
And since August 2008, the laboratory has housed a project in which researchers are using lower level agents as a first phase of a research project that will eventually include select agents when the Biosecurity Research Institute obtains approval to do that next phase of work.
“Having researchers in the building but not doing highly regulated work is a huge benefit because it helps test our operations so that we are fully prepared when higher risk work begins.” Rusk said.
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News release prepared by: Erinn Barcomb-Peterson, 785-532-6415, ebarcomb@k-state.edu
NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION AWARD WILL HELP K-STATE BIOCHEMIST WITH RESEARCH FOR COMPUTER MODELS OF PROTEIN STRUCTURE THAT CAN HELP HIGH SCHOOL, COLLEGE STUDENTS
MANHATTAN — An award from the National Science Foundation will boost a Kansas State University professor’s contribution to the study of proteins while also helping college and high school science teachers learn more about computational and structural biology. (more…)
On the heels of President Obama’s pledge to freeze non-defense discretionary spending comes even more evidence that resources for schooling don’t equal reform of schooling. Quality time with great teachers, not quantity time with ineffective ones, is what distinguishes economic winners and losers, according to a new report from the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. Compared to their peers in 29 other countries, American 15-year olds place 21st in science literacy (see p. 6), and 25th in math literacy (see p. 12) according to the latest Program for International Student Assessment (PISA).
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Computerworld - The parents of a Pennsylvania high school student have asked a federal judge to bar school district personnel from switching on cameras in school-issued MacBook laptops, calling the security feature “Peeping Tom technology.”
Federal officials have also stepped up their investigation of Lower Merion School District of Ardmore, Pa., according to reports published Saturday. The Associated Press said that the FBI was exploring whether district officials broke federal wiretapping and electronic surveillance laws, while the Philadelphia Inquirer cited sources who said federal prosecutors have subpoenaed documents from school officials.
This Friday Derrick Sontag, Kansas State Director for Americans for Prosperity, will address members and guests of the Wichita Pachyderm Club. His topic is “An update on the budget shortfall in Kansas, how we got there through excessive spending, and how our state’s tax burden compares with neighboring states.”
AFP’s model budget for Kansas is titled Commonsense Budget Proposal. It contains “a roadmap for legislators seeking to make Kansas government more efficient - and less costly - without turning to Kansas taxpayers,” according to Sontag.
