TheBizofKnowledge: July 2006 Archives

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Jul31	Schools are Sometimes Stupid, Too Bill Belew July 31, 2006 Know More: Business of Education, Traditional University 2.0, Business of Education I was reading a report about the national commission on higher education blaming the colleges and universities for their inefficencies and ineptitude. In other words...the public colleges and universities are NOT doing their jobs. One proposal is to have a national test, aka fourth grade style - to measure who is doing their job and who isn't. The public schools and colleges are balking at this. Their reason - Privacy Grounds. Say what?! No one is asking them to tell anyone how any individual is doing. But rather how the institution as a whole is doing or NOT. What a lame excuse. Can't a college or university do better than that when they want people sitting in their classroom and seeing the grade results? Fopros open their books. Elementary schools open theirs. It is high time the non-profit public higher ed institutions become more transparent. what do you think? go to 老毕看中国 Posted at 2:49 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
Jul31	National Commission On Higher ED Blames Colleges and Universities Bill Belew July 31, 2006 The national commission on higher ed has drafted a report that accuses public colleges and universities of being too inefficient. Professors are teaching less - the profs like this, but it's not what they are paid for, is it? College... Continue Reading Posted at 12:48 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
Jul30	FAFSA Under Attack Bill Belew July 30, 2006 The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is being attacked for its complicated process. Amen to that! According to the draft - too little money is reaching low-income students. The number of families with income below $34K who did... Continue Reading Posted at 2:46 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Stanford's Conflict of Interest Bill Belew July 30, 2006 Fingers point at Fopros all the time. The fopros only one students so they can make money. They want investors so that when they get more students, the investor, who, let's say produces notebook paper, will benefit from the growth... Continue Reading Posted at 12:43 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
Jul28	Higher Ed Institutions Need to do a Better Job Bill Belew July 28, 2006 Charles Miller is a leader in the K-12 school accountability movement in TX. It seems she is the one that is saying our colleges and universities need to do a better job of measuring what they do AND providing the... Continue Reading Posted at 2:46 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Harvard and MIT Have Their Hands Full Bill Belew July 28, 2006 The Boston Globe reported that the Broad Institute, a joint research organization of Harvard and MIT has found itself between a rock and hard place. The mission of the Broad Institute is to create new molecules that could be useful... Continue Reading Posted at 12:42 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
Jul27	National Commission on Higher ED Says Colleges Too Inefficient Bill Belew July 27, 2006 More federal money is needed to help low-income students attend college says a report by the national commission on higher education. The recent the commission says - colleges are too inefficient. The federal financial aid system is "increasingly dysfunctional, inefficient... Continue Reading Posted at 2:45 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
	North Dakota University Presidents Can't Get Along Bill Belew July 27, 2006 Robert Potts, Chancellor of higher education in North Dakota will leave his position next month. His reason: The board won't let him have clear authority over the campus presidents - he says. Potts has accused the North Dakota State University... Continue Reading Posted at 12:41 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
Jul26	LeMoyne-Owen College Trustees Head for the Exit Bill Belew July 26, 2006 Well, sometimes the best way to get more money is with less people asking for it. Non-profits seem to always have their hands out. It kind of reminds me of the guy standing at the corner of the exit off... Continue Reading Posted at 2:03 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Capital University Cuts Deeply Bill Belew July 26, 2006 Captial University in Colubmus, OH has been operating in the red for serveral years. They finally decided on what they should do to save money - make cuts, fire staff, cut programs. Some 75 positions were eliminated. Continuing education centers... Continue Reading Posted at 12:01 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
Jul25	Montana State University Takes a Serious Look Bill Belew July 25, 2006 Two former athletes from MSU were arrested for murder. The two are charged with killing a suspected cocaine dealer and the dumping the body on a MSU agronomy farm. The bigwigs at the college are assembling to discuss what to... Continue Reading Posted at 2:00 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Concorde Career Colleges Purchased by Liberty Partners Bill Belew July 25, 2006 Concorde Career Colleges operates 12 campuses in seven states and offers training/education in the health fields. Liberty Partners, a private equity firm in NY has purchased them for $114.5 million. Concorde is now a sister school to New York Technical... Continue Reading Posted at 12:31 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
Jul24	For profit Schools Reach Out to Military Students Bill Belew July 24, 2006 Online education is NOT for everyone. But there is one niche that online education does seem to especially cater to despite some challenges. That group is the military. The special problems that military students face are: 1. Slow connection speeds... Continue Reading Posted at 2:30 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Three States Without Fopros Bill Belew July 24, 2006 Delaware and Rhode Island do not have fopros among their college listings. Could be they don't have enough land space. Montana is the third state that does not have a fopro. It could be that Montana doesn't have enough people... Continue Reading Posted at 12:17 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
Jul23	Non-profit Schools Reach Out to Military Students Bill Belew July 23, 2006 Online education is NOT for everyone. But there is one niche that online education does seem to especially cater to despite some challenges. That group is the military. The special problems that military students face are: 1. Slow connection speeds... Continue Reading Posted at 4:29 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Gender Gap Grows in Higher Ed Bill Belew July 23, 2006 The percentage of males going after an undergraduate degree has shrunk to 42% from 44% in 1999-2000. The reason appears to be that more young women (under age 24) are going to school 52-55%...and the are smarter than their male... Continue Reading Posted at 12:16 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
Jul21	Maryland Board of Education Can Do No Better Bill Belew July 21, 2006 The Maryland State Department of Education assumed control of three elementary schools and turned them over to a for-profit operator of public schools - Edison Schools Inc. The results - Edison = Maryland State DOE could do no better. This... Continue Reading Posted at 2:10 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Better Schools - Divide and Conquer Bill Belew July 21, 2006 Divide and conquer is the theme of the Gates' strategy for improving education in the US. Bill & Melinda theorize (seems that word always appears when talking about education) - why not pragmatize? Anyway, the theory is that smaller schools... Continue Reading Posted at 12:04 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
Jul20	$8 million to be a Teacher Bill Belew July 20, 2006 The US Department of Education recently awarded 20 grants totaling $7.866 million in a program called Transition to Teaching. The purpose of the grants is to help high-need schools recruit and retain highly qualified mid-career professionals, paraprofessionals and college grads... Continue Reading Posted at 2:13 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Samsung's Value Innovation Program (VIP) Center Bill Belew July 20, 2006 Samsung has its own ideas on how to light up its best thinkers. When Samsung wants new ideas it sends its best thinkers to its Value Innovation Center. Here is Samsung's Five Steps to Brilliant Ideas: 1. Lock Them Up... Continue Reading Posted at 12:10 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
Jul19	GE Affects Education Change in Louisville - Cincinnati Next Bill Belew July 19, 2006 General Electric invested a lot of time and resources in 22 schools in 17 cities with the aim of increasing the number of kids that went off to college. The results were good - sorta. Nearly 75% of the students... Continue Reading Posted at 2:48 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
	IBM Takes Aim At Teacher Training Bill Belew July 19, 2006 IBM hopes to give teachers new tools to do a better job. Big Blue has donated $442 million to education (K-12) in the past decade. One program is called Reinventing Education. IBM has worked for years, flying in teachers to... Continue Reading Posted at 12:50 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
Jul18	Broad Education Foundation Takes Aim at Superintendents Bill Belew July 18, 2006 The Broad Education Foundation was founded by Eli Broad. It has committed some $375 million to school reform since 1999. The Broad Foundation is banking on training seasoned execs to run troubled school districts as a way to affect change... Continue Reading Posted at 2:46 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Wal-Mart Provides Competition to Public Schools Bill Belew July 18, 2006 Wal-Mart likes to do things better, well at least more cheaply, which in their mind means better. One way Wal-Mart does this is by getting manufacturers to compete. Now Wal-Mart wants the schools to compete. Last year Wal-Mart gave more... Continue Reading Posted at 12:47 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
Jul17	IBM Takes Aim At Special Needs Kid Bill Belew July 17, 2006 IBM hopes to give teachers new tools to do a better job. Big Blue has donated $442 million to education (K-12) in the past decade. At one private school in for learning disabled children in Brooklyn, NY, IBM is working... Continue Reading Posted at 2:50 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Milken Family Foundation Takes Aim at Teacher Attrition Bill Belew July 17, 2006 Nearly half of all teachers flee the profession within the first five years. No doubt, new teachers are gungho, equipped, idealists and fighting made when they walk into their first classroom. why do they leave within five years? The Milken... Continue Reading Posted at 12:45 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
Jul16	Corporate America Takes Aim at Education Bill Belew July 16, 2006 The US government contributes $425 billion to education each year. Corporate giving amounted to about $2 billion. Companies like General Electric, IBM, Wal-Mart and foundations like the Gates' are trying to affect change as well. In the past 25 years... Continue Reading Posted at 6:44 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	American Schools Losing Out To China and India Bill Belew July 16, 2006 Americans have long thought that the schools were not getting the job done. Desperate for a turn around big businesses, even individuals with deep pockets have attempted to infuse big bucks into the system in hopes that something good would... Continue Reading Posted at 6:42 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Jul14	8 Steps for Women to Break Through the Glass Ceiling Bill Belew July 14, 2006 Only 16% of directors of the top 200 S&P's 500 companies are women. So, why would a woman want to sit at the table for 10 when eight and half of the others there are men? Here are four reasons:... Continue Reading Posted at 2:33 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
	College Education - Not Worth It? Bill Belew July 14, 2006 There are two camps - one says "Go to College - get an education." The other says, "Pursue a trade." The argument has popped up again. Jared Bernstein of the Economic Policy Institute says wages have fallen for college grads... Continue Reading Posted at 12:32 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
Jul13	Blogging for Graduates Bill Belew July 13, 2006 I saw a comic in www.businessweek.com about blogging and graduates. They are often more truthful than they are funny. I guess that's what makes them funny. The old codger faculty dude announces "As this graduating class enters the workforce, I... Continue Reading Posted at 2:30 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
	What You Don't Learn at UC Berkely Business School Bill Belew July 13, 2006 I learned some of my most important lessons about business NOT in business school, but on a bike. I was reminded of one of them today while out riding. To really understand this, you might want to buy a couple... Continue Reading Posted at 12:29 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
Jul12	Apollo Plans Full Cooperation into Stock Option Backdating Accusation Bill Belew July 12, 2006 In the past few months, there have been articles in the press and discussions on radio and TV regarding how companies award stock options. Apollo Group has become suspect in how it has awarded stock options. The Securities and Exchange... Continue Reading Posted at 2:08 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Buffett Gives to Education Bill Belew July 12, 2006 It's old news now that Warren Buffett gave his wad to the Gates foundation - some $37 billion of it. Whew! His contribution alone doubled the size of the foundation to nearly $60 billion and put second place Ford Foundation... Continue Reading Posted at 12:11 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
Jul11	Help Wanted at Facebook Bill Belew July 11, 2006 Facebook is a social networking site created by students for students. But its 100 employees are unable to keep up with the growth. Its marketing director, Melanie Deitch says they are getting too big for their britches. They now need... Continue Reading Posted at 2:10 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Harvard Loses $100 million when Firing President Summers Bill Belew July 11, 2006 Harvard lost more than its president when it forced Larry Summers to resign. Oracle CEO, Larry Ellison, reneged on his pledge to give the school the $100 million he had verbally promised. Summers explained in an interview published in Businessweek... Continue Reading Posted at 12:09 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
Jul10	FoPro Growth in Numbers and Respectability Bill Belew July 10, 2006 Fopros have not only grown in number, but they have grown in respectability as well. Since 1990, the number of fopros in the US has increased by more than 110% - from around 350 campuses to 750 campuses. During that... Continue Reading Posted at 2:39 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Business Academic Consortium in Japan Take Aim at New Internet Search Engine Bill Belew July 10, 2006 Hitachi, Mizuho Corporate Bank, the University of Tokyo and a few other Japanese businesses and academic institutions are teaming up and planning to meet this month to develop the next generation Internet search engine. Yea! Go! I am probably wrong,... Continue Reading Posted at 2:34 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Maine Has New College Boom (part 2) Bill Belew July 10, 2006 Maine normally gets a single application for a new college every five years or so. It has received two in the past month. Both proposed colleges could add jobs to the US' most northeastern state and one could add to... Continue Reading Posted at 1:58 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
Jul 9	US Company UGS Offers $1.1 Billion in Software Grants to 87 Chinese Universities Bill Belew July 9, 2006 UGS has offered $1.1 Billion in software grants to universities in China. As a result, some 45,000 undergrad and grad students yearly in China will benefit and have direct access to UGS' world-class Product Lifecycle Management software. Whoa! Here is... Continue Reading Posted at 10:00 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Ford Motor Teams Up With Historically Black Colleges and Universities Bill Belew July 9, 2006 Ford Motor announced it will partner with the Historically Black Colleges and Universities' Business Deans Roundtable (whew! that's a mouthful!) to help prepare African American high schoolers for careers in business, engineering, math, science and technology. Ford committed another $100K... Continue Reading Posted at 9:59 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Maine Has New College Boom Bill Belew July 9, 2006 Maine normally gets a single application for a new college every five years or so. It has received two in the past month. Both proposed colleges could add jobs to the US' most northeastern state and one could add to... Continue Reading Posted at 9:56 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Jul 7	She Said the Student has the Power at Fopros Bill Belew July 7, 2006 In fopros, the faculty 1. serves on committees 2. participates in deciding the curriculum content and delivery method 3. responds to the market needs 4. ask the students and employers what they need and teach accordingly 5. teach part-time and... Continue Reading Posted at 2:17 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
	He Said the Faculty have the Power at Non-profits Bill Belew July 7, 2006 In non-profit universities, faculty 1. serve on faculty counsels 2. decide the curriculum 3. protect tradition 4. tell students what the student needs (from the faculty perspective) to know 5. are secure in their tenured positions 6. are protected by... Continue Reading Posted at 12:16 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
Jul 6	She Said Fopros Put out the Best Bill Belew July 6, 2006 Fopros concentrate on 1. educational outcomes. 2. student satisfaction. 3. retention rates. 4. completion rates. 5. placement rates. 6. employer satisfaction. It can be genuinely hard to NOT get into a fopro. If a student has a highschool degree or... Continue Reading Posted at 2:14 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
	He Said Non-profits Have Only the Best Bill Belew July 6, 2006 Non-profits are concerned with who is at and who comes to their institutions. Non-profts try to be as selective as possible. 1. They accept students with the highest ACT/SAT/GMAT scores. 2. They hire faculty with the highest qualifications. 3. They... Continue Reading Posted at 12:12 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
Jul 5	She Said the Fopros Teach What the Market Calls For Bill Belew July 5, 2006 What do people need to know now to do their job better? That is what is taught at fopros. The market determines what the hot subjects are. Is more health care needed because the population is getting older? Is more... Continue Reading Posted at 2:11 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
	He Said Non-profits Teach Discipline and the Disciplines Bill Belew July 5, 2006 Non-profits tell students, parents, society what it is a person needs to know. They set up shop and say "here is what you need to know and here we are if you want to learn all about this." What is... Continue Reading Posted at 12:09 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
Jul 4	Due Process at the Fopro Bill Belew July 4, 2006 I read recently about a Dean of a fopro who was quite pleased to have the authority to dismiss a professor/instructor who was accused of inappropriate language, extreme suggestiveness and even making propositions. The man was released and sent packing... Continue Reading Posted at 4:18 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
	She Said Fopros Make People More Productive Bill Belew July 4, 2006 What good is it to know something if you do not know what to do with it? Fopros also offer general education courses, but they are primarily interested in the application of what is learned. Fopros provide lessons in skill... Continue Reading Posted at 2:08 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
	He Said Non-profits Make People Smarter Bill Belew July 4, 2006 Universities are committed to the generation and dissemination of knowledge as well as the advancement of the sciences, technology and so on. They do this by 1. research 2. lab work 3. discovery This is at the heart of the... Continue Reading Posted at 12:07 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
Jul 3	New MACs/PCs for New Students Bill Belew July 3, 2006 So, which PC is best for new students? New MAC hardware based on Intel processors have erased the gap between them and HPs, Dells and others. MACs can now run Windows programs if making that transition is an obstacle. Windows... Continue Reading Posted at 4:05 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
	She Said the Faculty Need to Teach More Bill Belew July 3, 2006 Faculty members in fopros teach more. They may teach four to five to six classes x four hours per class each week, meaning they can have as much as 24 contact hours per week with the students. Faculty members are... Continue Reading Posted at 1:50 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
	He said the Faculty need to do More Research Bill Belew July 3, 2006 Faculty cost more schools more money regularly than any other expenditure. If there is no one in front of the students, then nobody is learning and the business of school is not being done. However, at traditional universities faculty are... Continue Reading Posted at 12:49 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
Jul 2	She Said Fopros have to Make a Profit Bill Belew July 2, 2006 Fopros want to be liked as well. However, when push comes to shove, they prefer to make money. In the fopro world, no one likes a school that is consistently in the red. Fopros have taken the traditional model of... Continue Reading Posted at 3:47 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
	He Said Traditional Universities Have Prestige Bill Belew July 2, 2006 Colleges and universities love to compare themselves to one another. They also want to climb the rankings in the annual reports of whatever ranking system. It doesn't matter that the methodology of the rankings is legitimate or not. In the... Continue Reading Posted at 1:46 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Giving Back to Xavier High School Bill Belew July 2, 2006 When I was growing up, we hated Xavier High School. They used to beat my high school in swimming and wrestling. Now, one of their alumni has beaten me in making money and giving back. Mike Fernandez graduated from Xavier... Continue Reading Posted at 12:24 AM \| Permalink \| Comments

« June 2006 | Main | August 2006 »

Jul31	Schools are Sometimes Stupid, Too Bill Belew July 31, 2006 Know More: Business of Education, Traditional University 2.0, Business of Education I was reading a report about the national commission on higher education blaming the colleges and universities for their inefficencies and ineptitude. In other words...the public colleges and universities are NOT doing their jobs. One proposal is to have a national test, aka fourth grade style - to measure who is doing their job and who isn't. The public schools and colleges are balking at this. Their reason - Privacy Grounds. Say what?! No one is asking them to tell anyone how any individual is doing. But rather how the institution as a whole is doing or NOT. What a lame excuse. Can't a college or university do better than that when they want people sitting in their classroom and seeing the grade results? Fopros open their books. Elementary schools open theirs. It is high time the non-profit public higher ed institutions become more transparent. what do you think? go to 老毕看中国 Posted at 2:49 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
Jul31	National Commission On Higher ED Blames Colleges and Universities Bill Belew July 31, 2006 The national commission on higher ed has drafted a report that accuses public colleges and universities of being too inefficient. Professors are teaching less - the profs like this, but it's not what they are paid for, is it? College... Continue Reading Posted at 12:48 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
Jul30	FAFSA Under Attack Bill Belew July 30, 2006 The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is being attacked for its complicated process. Amen to that! According to the draft - too little money is reaching low-income students. The number of families with income below $34K who did... Continue Reading Posted at 2:46 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Stanford's Conflict of Interest Bill Belew July 30, 2006 Fingers point at Fopros all the time. The fopros only one students so they can make money. They want investors so that when they get more students, the investor, who, let's say produces notebook paper, will benefit from the growth... Continue Reading Posted at 12:43 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
Jul28	Higher Ed Institutions Need to do a Better Job Bill Belew July 28, 2006 Charles Miller is a leader in the K-12 school accountability movement in TX. It seems she is the one that is saying our colleges and universities need to do a better job of measuring what they do AND providing the... Continue Reading Posted at 2:46 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Harvard and MIT Have Their Hands Full Bill Belew July 28, 2006 The Boston Globe reported that the Broad Institute, a joint research organization of Harvard and MIT has found itself between a rock and hard place. The mission of the Broad Institute is to create new molecules that could be useful... Continue Reading Posted at 12:42 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
Jul27	National Commission on Higher ED Says Colleges Too Inefficient Bill Belew July 27, 2006 More federal money is needed to help low-income students attend college says a report by the national commission on higher education. The recent the commission says - colleges are too inefficient. The federal financial aid system is "increasingly dysfunctional, inefficient... Continue Reading Posted at 2:45 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
	North Dakota University Presidents Can't Get Along Bill Belew July 27, 2006 Robert Potts, Chancellor of higher education in North Dakota will leave his position next month. His reason: The board won't let him have clear authority over the campus presidents - he says. Potts has accused the North Dakota State University... Continue Reading Posted at 12:41 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
Jul26	LeMoyne-Owen College Trustees Head for the Exit Bill Belew July 26, 2006 Well, sometimes the best way to get more money is with less people asking for it. Non-profits seem to always have their hands out. It kind of reminds me of the guy standing at the corner of the exit off... Continue Reading Posted at 2:03 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Capital University Cuts Deeply Bill Belew July 26, 2006 Captial University in Colubmus, OH has been operating in the red for serveral years. They finally decided on what they should do to save money - make cuts, fire staff, cut programs. Some 75 positions were eliminated. Continuing education centers... Continue Reading Posted at 12:01 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
Jul25	Montana State University Takes a Serious Look Bill Belew July 25, 2006 Two former athletes from MSU were arrested for murder. The two are charged with killing a suspected cocaine dealer and the dumping the body on a MSU agronomy farm. The bigwigs at the college are assembling to discuss what to... Continue Reading Posted at 2:00 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Concorde Career Colleges Purchased by Liberty Partners Bill Belew July 25, 2006 Concorde Career Colleges operates 12 campuses in seven states and offers training/education in the health fields. Liberty Partners, a private equity firm in NY has purchased them for $114.5 million. Concorde is now a sister school to New York Technical... Continue Reading Posted at 12:31 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
Jul24	For profit Schools Reach Out to Military Students Bill Belew July 24, 2006 Online education is NOT for everyone. But there is one niche that online education does seem to especially cater to despite some challenges. That group is the military. The special problems that military students face are: 1. Slow connection speeds... Continue Reading Posted at 2:30 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Three States Without Fopros Bill Belew July 24, 2006 Delaware and Rhode Island do not have fopros among their college listings. Could be they don't have enough land space. Montana is the third state that does not have a fopro. It could be that Montana doesn't have enough people... Continue Reading Posted at 12:17 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
Jul23	Non-profit Schools Reach Out to Military Students Bill Belew July 23, 2006 Online education is NOT for everyone. But there is one niche that online education does seem to especially cater to despite some challenges. That group is the military. The special problems that military students face are: 1. Slow connection speeds... Continue Reading Posted at 4:29 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Gender Gap Grows in Higher Ed Bill Belew July 23, 2006 The percentage of males going after an undergraduate degree has shrunk to 42% from 44% in 1999-2000. The reason appears to be that more young women (under age 24) are going to school 52-55%...and the are smarter than their male... Continue Reading Posted at 12:16 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
Jul21	Maryland Board of Education Can Do No Better Bill Belew July 21, 2006 The Maryland State Department of Education assumed control of three elementary schools and turned them over to a for-profit operator of public schools - Edison Schools Inc. The results - Edison = Maryland State DOE could do no better. This... Continue Reading Posted at 2:10 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Better Schools - Divide and Conquer Bill Belew July 21, 2006 Divide and conquer is the theme of the Gates' strategy for improving education in the US. Bill & Melinda theorize (seems that word always appears when talking about education) - why not pragmatize? Anyway, the theory is that smaller schools... Continue Reading Posted at 12:04 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
Jul20	$8 million to be a Teacher Bill Belew July 20, 2006 The US Department of Education recently awarded 20 grants totaling $7.866 million in a program called Transition to Teaching. The purpose of the grants is to help high-need schools recruit and retain highly qualified mid-career professionals, paraprofessionals and college grads... Continue Reading Posted at 2:13 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Samsung's Value Innovation Program (VIP) Center Bill Belew July 20, 2006 Samsung has its own ideas on how to light up its best thinkers. When Samsung wants new ideas it sends its best thinkers to its Value Innovation Center. Here is Samsung's Five Steps to Brilliant Ideas: 1. Lock Them Up... Continue Reading Posted at 12:10 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
Jul19	GE Affects Education Change in Louisville - Cincinnati Next Bill Belew July 19, 2006 General Electric invested a lot of time and resources in 22 schools in 17 cities with the aim of increasing the number of kids that went off to college. The results were good - sorta. Nearly 75% of the students... Continue Reading Posted at 2:48 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
	IBM Takes Aim At Teacher Training Bill Belew July 19, 2006 IBM hopes to give teachers new tools to do a better job. Big Blue has donated $442 million to education (K-12) in the past decade. One program is called Reinventing Education. IBM has worked for years, flying in teachers to... Continue Reading Posted at 12:50 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
Jul18	Broad Education Foundation Takes Aim at Superintendents Bill Belew July 18, 2006 The Broad Education Foundation was founded by Eli Broad. It has committed some $375 million to school reform since 1999. The Broad Foundation is banking on training seasoned execs to run troubled school districts as a way to affect change... Continue Reading Posted at 2:46 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Wal-Mart Provides Competition to Public Schools Bill Belew July 18, 2006 Wal-Mart likes to do things better, well at least more cheaply, which in their mind means better. One way Wal-Mart does this is by getting manufacturers to compete. Now Wal-Mart wants the schools to compete. Last year Wal-Mart gave more... Continue Reading Posted at 12:47 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
Jul17	IBM Takes Aim At Special Needs Kid Bill Belew July 17, 2006 IBM hopes to give teachers new tools to do a better job. Big Blue has donated $442 million to education (K-12) in the past decade. At one private school in for learning disabled children in Brooklyn, NY, IBM is working... Continue Reading Posted at 2:50 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Milken Family Foundation Takes Aim at Teacher Attrition Bill Belew July 17, 2006 Nearly half of all teachers flee the profession within the first five years. No doubt, new teachers are gungho, equipped, idealists and fighting made when they walk into their first classroom. why do they leave within five years? The Milken... Continue Reading Posted at 12:45 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
Jul16	Corporate America Takes Aim at Education Bill Belew July 16, 2006 The US government contributes $425 billion to education each year. Corporate giving amounted to about $2 billion. Companies like General Electric, IBM, Wal-Mart and foundations like the Gates' are trying to affect change as well. In the past 25 years... Continue Reading Posted at 6:44 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	American Schools Losing Out To China and India Bill Belew July 16, 2006 Americans have long thought that the schools were not getting the job done. Desperate for a turn around big businesses, even individuals with deep pockets have attempted to infuse big bucks into the system in hopes that something good would... Continue Reading Posted at 6:42 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Jul14	8 Steps for Women to Break Through the Glass Ceiling Bill Belew July 14, 2006 Only 16% of directors of the top 200 S&P's 500 companies are women. So, why would a woman want to sit at the table for 10 when eight and half of the others there are men? Here are four reasons:... Continue Reading Posted at 2:33 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
	College Education - Not Worth It? Bill Belew July 14, 2006 There are two camps - one says "Go to College - get an education." The other says, "Pursue a trade." The argument has popped up again. Jared Bernstein of the Economic Policy Institute says wages have fallen for college grads... Continue Reading Posted at 12:32 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
Jul13	Blogging for Graduates Bill Belew July 13, 2006 I saw a comic in www.businessweek.com about blogging and graduates. They are often more truthful than they are funny. I guess that's what makes them funny. The old codger faculty dude announces "As this graduating class enters the workforce, I... Continue Reading Posted at 2:30 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
	What You Don't Learn at UC Berkely Business School Bill Belew July 13, 2006 I learned some of my most important lessons about business NOT in business school, but on a bike. I was reminded of one of them today while out riding. To really understand this, you might want to buy a couple... Continue Reading Posted at 12:29 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
Jul12	Apollo Plans Full Cooperation into Stock Option Backdating Accusation Bill Belew July 12, 2006 In the past few months, there have been articles in the press and discussions on radio and TV regarding how companies award stock options. Apollo Group has become suspect in how it has awarded stock options. The Securities and Exchange... Continue Reading Posted at 2:08 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Buffett Gives to Education Bill Belew July 12, 2006 It's old news now that Warren Buffett gave his wad to the Gates foundation - some $37 billion of it. Whew! His contribution alone doubled the size of the foundation to nearly $60 billion and put second place Ford Foundation... Continue Reading Posted at 12:11 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
Jul11	Help Wanted at Facebook Bill Belew July 11, 2006 Facebook is a social networking site created by students for students. But its 100 employees are unable to keep up with the growth. Its marketing director, Melanie Deitch says they are getting too big for their britches. They now need... Continue Reading Posted at 2:10 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Harvard Loses $100 million when Firing President Summers Bill Belew July 11, 2006 Harvard lost more than its president when it forced Larry Summers to resign. Oracle CEO, Larry Ellison, reneged on his pledge to give the school the $100 million he had verbally promised. Summers explained in an interview published in Businessweek... Continue Reading Posted at 12:09 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
Jul10	FoPro Growth in Numbers and Respectability Bill Belew July 10, 2006 Fopros have not only grown in number, but they have grown in respectability as well. Since 1990, the number of fopros in the US has increased by more than 110% - from around 350 campuses to 750 campuses. During that... Continue Reading Posted at 2:39 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Business Academic Consortium in Japan Take Aim at New Internet Search Engine Bill Belew July 10, 2006 Hitachi, Mizuho Corporate Bank, the University of Tokyo and a few other Japanese businesses and academic institutions are teaming up and planning to meet this month to develop the next generation Internet search engine. Yea! Go! I am probably wrong,... Continue Reading Posted at 2:34 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Maine Has New College Boom (part 2) Bill Belew July 10, 2006 Maine normally gets a single application for a new college every five years or so. It has received two in the past month. Both proposed colleges could add jobs to the US' most northeastern state and one could add to... Continue Reading Posted at 1:58 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
Jul 9	US Company UGS Offers $1.1 Billion in Software Grants to 87 Chinese Universities Bill Belew July 9, 2006 UGS has offered $1.1 Billion in software grants to universities in China. As a result, some 45,000 undergrad and grad students yearly in China will benefit and have direct access to UGS' world-class Product Lifecycle Management software. Whoa! Here is... Continue Reading Posted at 10:00 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Ford Motor Teams Up With Historically Black Colleges and Universities Bill Belew July 9, 2006 Ford Motor announced it will partner with the Historically Black Colleges and Universities' Business Deans Roundtable (whew! that's a mouthful!) to help prepare African American high schoolers for careers in business, engineering, math, science and technology. Ford committed another $100K... Continue Reading Posted at 9:59 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Maine Has New College Boom Bill Belew July 9, 2006 Maine normally gets a single application for a new college every five years or so. It has received two in the past month. Both proposed colleges could add jobs to the US' most northeastern state and one could add to... Continue Reading Posted at 9:56 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Jul 7	She Said the Student has the Power at Fopros Bill Belew July 7, 2006 In fopros, the faculty 1. serves on committees 2. participates in deciding the curriculum content and delivery method 3. responds to the market needs 4. ask the students and employers what they need and teach accordingly 5. teach part-time and... Continue Reading Posted at 2:17 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
	He Said the Faculty have the Power at Non-profits Bill Belew July 7, 2006 In non-profit universities, faculty 1. serve on faculty counsels 2. decide the curriculum 3. protect tradition 4. tell students what the student needs (from the faculty perspective) to know 5. are secure in their tenured positions 6. are protected by... Continue Reading Posted at 12:16 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
Jul 6	She Said Fopros Put out the Best Bill Belew July 6, 2006 Fopros concentrate on 1. educational outcomes. 2. student satisfaction. 3. retention rates. 4. completion rates. 5. placement rates. 6. employer satisfaction. It can be genuinely hard to NOT get into a fopro. If a student has a highschool degree or... Continue Reading Posted at 2:14 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
	He Said Non-profits Have Only the Best Bill Belew July 6, 2006 Non-profits are concerned with who is at and who comes to their institutions. Non-profts try to be as selective as possible. 1. They accept students with the highest ACT/SAT/GMAT scores. 2. They hire faculty with the highest qualifications. 3. They... Continue Reading Posted at 12:12 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
Jul 5	She Said the Fopros Teach What the Market Calls For Bill Belew July 5, 2006 What do people need to know now to do their job better? That is what is taught at fopros. The market determines what the hot subjects are. Is more health care needed because the population is getting older? Is more... Continue Reading Posted at 2:11 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
	He Said Non-profits Teach Discipline and the Disciplines Bill Belew July 5, 2006 Non-profits tell students, parents, society what it is a person needs to know. They set up shop and say "here is what you need to know and here we are if you want to learn all about this." What is... Continue Reading Posted at 12:09 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
Jul 4	Due Process at the Fopro Bill Belew July 4, 2006 I read recently about a Dean of a fopro who was quite pleased to have the authority to dismiss a professor/instructor who was accused of inappropriate language, extreme suggestiveness and even making propositions. The man was released and sent packing... Continue Reading Posted at 4:18 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
	She Said Fopros Make People More Productive Bill Belew July 4, 2006 What good is it to know something if you do not know what to do with it? Fopros also offer general education courses, but they are primarily interested in the application of what is learned. Fopros provide lessons in skill... Continue Reading Posted at 2:08 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
	He Said Non-profits Make People Smarter Bill Belew July 4, 2006 Universities are committed to the generation and dissemination of knowledge as well as the advancement of the sciences, technology and so on. They do this by 1. research 2. lab work 3. discovery This is at the heart of the... Continue Reading Posted at 12:07 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
Jul 3	New MACs/PCs for New Students Bill Belew July 3, 2006 So, which PC is best for new students? New MAC hardware based on Intel processors have erased the gap between them and HPs, Dells and others. MACs can now run Windows programs if making that transition is an obstacle. Windows... Continue Reading Posted at 4:05 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
	She Said the Faculty Need to Teach More Bill Belew July 3, 2006 Faculty members in fopros teach more. They may teach four to five to six classes x four hours per class each week, meaning they can have as much as 24 contact hours per week with the students. Faculty members are... Continue Reading Posted at 1:50 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
	He said the Faculty need to do More Research Bill Belew July 3, 2006 Faculty cost more schools more money regularly than any other expenditure. If there is no one in front of the students, then nobody is learning and the business of school is not being done. However, at traditional universities faculty are... Continue Reading Posted at 12:49 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
Jul 2	She Said Fopros have to Make a Profit Bill Belew July 2, 2006 Fopros want to be liked as well. However, when push comes to shove, they prefer to make money. In the fopro world, no one likes a school that is consistently in the red. Fopros have taken the traditional model of... Continue Reading Posted at 3:47 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
	He Said Traditional Universities Have Prestige Bill Belew July 2, 2006 Colleges and universities love to compare themselves to one another. They also want to climb the rankings in the annual reports of whatever ranking system. It doesn't matter that the methodology of the rankings is legitimate or not. In the... Continue Reading Posted at 1:46 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Giving Back to Xavier High School Bill Belew July 2, 2006 When I was growing up, we hated Xavier High School. They used to beat my high school in swimming and wrestling. Now, one of their alumni has beaten me in making money and giving back. Mike Fernandez graduated from Xavier... Continue Reading Posted at 12:24 AM \| Permalink \| Comments

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