University World News fom West

FRANCE: Academics strike over job status
Jane Marshall
Universities throughout France are set to close tomorrow, Monday 2 February, with lecturers starting an unlimited strike unless the government withdraws proposals to change their statute of employment. President Nicolas Sarkozy enraged researchers further by describing the national system of research as "disastrous".

CANADA: $2 billion puts new coat of paint on universities
Philip Fine
Canadian universities and their aging infrastructure have received a promised injection of C$2 billion (US$1.65 billion), part of a five-year $85 billion stimulus package announced by the federal government last week. Universities in Canada are not alone in calling for more government spending to improve their buildings and facilities; their counterparts elsewhere have made the same demand, asking their governments to spend their way out of the economic crisis, most notably in the US, UK, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa.

UK: Lessons from the Antipodes
Diane Spencer
Britain should emulate Australia by adopting a coordinated approach to international education says a new report by million, a think-tank set up by 28 universities that are mostly former polytechnics. Pam Tatlow, the organisation's chief executive, said that compared with Australia the UK still lacked a comprehensive approach to international higher education.

GREECE: Government seeks consensus on education
Makki Marseilles
Unlike his predecessor, Greece's new Education Secretary Aris Spiliotopoulos appears extremely conciliatory and is striving to give the impression a real change of policy has been brought about in his ministry after a government reshuffle. Spiliotopoulos has indicated he is even prepared to make significant concessions during a forthcoming dialogue on education.

FINLAND: Bridging the gender divide?
Ian R Dobson*
Finland's university sector is preparing for its biggest shake up in decades, including a number of university mergers that could alter the gender divide. A merger between Helsinki University of Technology (HUT), Helsinki School of Economics and the University of Art and Design is to be Finland's tilt at establishing a 'world class university'. The new institution will receive more state funding than other Finnish universities and have a different governance structure.

GERMANY: Science boost for development
Michael Gardner
The German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) has launched two new programmes focusing on development cooperation. Universities identified as having the best concepts to address problems in developing countries will receive special funding from the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development. And, via the Foreign Office's Aktion Afrika programme, Centres of excellence for teaching and research are being established to train future leaders in Sub-Saharan Africa.

UK: New funds for sector
Diane Spencer
Universities and colleges in England have been invited to participate in a £50 million ($71 million) scheme to help individuals and businesses through the recession. The Higher Education Funding Council for England launched the Economic Challenge Investment Fund (ECIF) to enable the sector to respond rapidly to the needs of employers and individuals during the economic downturn.

Professor Accused of Genocide
Goucher suspends faculty member in French who is being sought by Interpol for charges that he was directly involved in the 1994 massacres in Rwanda -- charges that some experts doubt.

Managing Aid, and Rethinking How Families Pay
Many worry about the financial crisis's effect on private college enrollments, and the demand for aid. At meeting of Catholic colleges, advice on bracing for this fall, and beyond.

It's Culture, Not Morality
What if academics have been fighting the wrong war against plagiarism? What if it's not even a war? In new book, anthropologist doesn't argue for you to drop standards, but she challenges longstanding strategies.

Using Foucault to Deconstruct Rankings
Law school officials reveal to sociologists how U.S. News influences their decision making -- not necessarily for the better.

New Initiatives for Disabled Vets
Rochester Institute of Technology announces program for those with hearing loss, while Michigan State starts new financial aid program for disabled veterans.

Funding for universities and colleges in 2009-10
Thursday, January 29, 2009, 11:50:00 AM
HEFCE has set out a summary of the Board's decisions relating to the recent grant letter from the Secretary of State.

HEFCE welcomes new campaign to promote science
HEFCE is supporting a new government campaign launched today to highlight the vital role science plays in the wellbeing and prosperity of Britain.

Universities to respond rapidly to recession
The new Economic Challenge Investment Fund will enable higher education to respond quickly to the fallout from the economic downturn.

Progress in reducing accountability burden on universities
The costs of accountability for universities and colleges have continued to fall according to a report published today.

Grant announcement for higher education 2009-10
The Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills has set out the funding for higher education in 2009-10 in the annual grant letter to HEFCE.

Well, what do you know?
As the academy looks beyond the traditional roles played in assessment by essays and timed exams, new techniques are helping to turn students into active partners in their own learning. Rebecca Attwood reports

Pulling all the bits together
Academic computing has come a long way from the first lumbering leviathans. Now, says John Gilbey, we need to work on making everything accessible everywhere, every time