iBerry

Talk of ending journalism school at CU-Boulder is latest effort to transform such programs, suggesting the only way to build them anew is to tear them down.

Ron Feemster describes his efforts to help community college journalists learn their craft. (Spoiler alert: He's no longer employed there.)

Federal appeals court finds that U. of Wisconsin at Madison improperly rejected funds for Catholic activities that involved worship.

Education Management Corporation, the company that runs the Art Institutes, Argosy University and other for-profit colleges, has turned to external consultants to help employees craft letters voicing opposition to the U.S. Department of Education's proposed regulations on "gainful employment." CEO Todd Nelson wrote to employees last week asking them to cooperate with representatives from DCI Group who would write personalized letters on behalf of employees, which they could then sign and send to Education Secretary Arne Duncan. Steve Burd, editor of the New America Foundation's Higher Ed Watch blog, which first reported on Nelson's request, characterized it as an attempt at "manufacturing dissent."

In an e-mail message to Inside Higher Ed, an Education Management spokeswoman, Jacquelyn Muller, said it was "important" for the company's employees and students to be able to speak out against the proposed rules. "We will continue to communicate our opposition to the proposed Gainful Employment Rule and support voluntary efforts that allow our employees, students and faculty to do so as well."

A California judge has dismissed a student's claim that last-minute tuition increases imposed on students by California State University campuses were unfair, the San Francisco Chronicle reported. A San Francisco State University student had asked the small claims court to refund her share of the additional tuition increase the Cal State system imposed in July 2009 in the wake of huge budget cuts. A class action aiming to overturn the tuition increase is working its way through the courts, too.

A large California community college district has gotten rid of all of its emergency notification boxes to save money -- a move not yet commonplace despite boom in cell phone usage.

Susquehanna U. Press is placed "on hiatus." Move follows decisions at Rice, Scranton and SMU.

Scholar reflects on a career trying to teach and enforce "the Queen's English." Bonus: a double limerick.

Drake University on Wednesday announced that its football team will play a game on May 21, 2011 in Tanzania -- in what the university believes will be the first American football game in Africa. Drake will play an all-star team from the CONADEIP conference in Mexico in what is being called the Global Kilimanjaro Bowl. After the game, members of both teams will participate in service activities in the area and they plan to climb Mount Kilimanjaro.

Peter Sefton has a new post on the fundamentals of OpenCourseWare. From the post:

There is an obvious advantage to being the one whose materials are out there being used.

Audrey Watters has a new post on five ways tech startups can disrupt education. Openness is listed among many of the ways listed. From the post:

Our modern education system is, after all, not so modern, with many of its practices strongly rooted in a “factory” model circa the Industrial Revolution. But what does revolutionizing education really look like? And which startups working in education technology are really “disruptive”?

George Siemens responds. Thanks to Veera Uusoksa for the link.

Ashley Michelle Papon has a new post on alternatives to college, including OpenCourseWare. From the post:

“It’s kind of like a self-paced class, except that I don’t need to worry about receiving a grade when it’s all said and done,” King [open education participant] says. “I never learned well with a teacher just talking at me from the front of the room. I can read until I understand it.”

“crve” is reporting that Microsoft’s Security Development Lifecycle is being licensed CC BY-NC-SA. From the post:

This should make it easier for others to use and distribute the principles behind SDL and for programmers to integrate SDL components into their own development processes.

Jane Park has a new post noting CC License functionality has been added to yolink, a browser plug-in that enhances search.

For-profit college turns to events co-branded with media outlets to change minds and critics wonder about the journalistic ethics of providing positive PR.