SEC Academic Consortium Officially Opens Fayetteville Headquarters
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Provosts from nine Southeastern Conference universities will join University of Arkansas Chancellor John A. White and SEC Commissioner Mike Slive to formally dedicate the Fayetteville headquarters of the Southeastern Conference Academic Consortium. An open house and reception will be held from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m., Wednesday, April 23 at the consortium office at 91 N. Razorback Road, the former Razorback athletics ticket office.

Distinguished guests for the dedication and open house include Mike Slive, SEC Commissioner; University of Arkansas Chancellor John White; Provost Bob Smith; Mark Becker, chair of the SEC Academic Consortium and provost of the University of South Carolina; SEC provosts from the University of Kentucky, University of Tennessee, University of Alabama, University of Mississippi, Louisiana State University, Vanderbilt University and Mississippi State University. The event is open to the public and refreshments will be served. The Southeastern Conference Academic Consortium is a voluntary consortium of the 12 Southeastern Conference universities. It was established to share resources and coordinate efforts by the universities to bolster teaching, research, public service and other educational activities.

The consortium was incorporated as a 501 (c) (3) non-profit organization in 2005. It is directed by the provosts of the 12 SEC universities. The University of Arkansas was chosen to host the consortium headquarters following a competitive bidding process open to all of the SEC universities. The headquarters office has been open since Oct. 1, 2007. More information about the consortium can be found at www.secac.uark.edu.


Comcast Supports Campus and Community Engagement
Lansing — The Comcast Foundation awarded the Volunteer Centers of Michigan (VCM) and Michigan Campus Compact (MCC) $50,000 to focus local communities, Volunteer Centers and MCC member institutions of higher education to work together to impact mentoring, literacy and support and grow the innovative work of the LEAGUE in Michigan. $25,000 will be sub-granted to five community collaboratives across the state of Michigan in grants of $5,000 each. The sub-grant awards are detailed below. The additional $25,000 will support two LEAGUE training events in the summer of 2008. More information on the LEAGUE can be found at www.leagueworldwide.org.

Macomb Community College ($5,000)Macomb Community College is collaborating with Michigan State University Extension (MSUE) and local school districts to provide one-on-one and small group mentoring and life skills training to youth at risk. This partnership will strive to develop the next generation of engaged citizens through educational programs, field trips, individual tutoring, and mentor reflection meetings.

Grand Rapids Community College ($5,000)The Making the Mentoring Connection Project is a partnership of the Grand Rapids Community College Academic Service-Learning Center, the Kent County Mentoring Collaborative, and the Aquinas College Community Leadership Program with support from The Heart of West Michigan United Way Volunteer Center and the Schools of Hope Program. This project will work to increase college student civic engagement to address community needs around youth mentoring.Michigan State University ($5,000)In response to the educational barriers facing youth in foster care and transition out of care, Michigan State University (MSU) and partners are proposing a planning initiative that would prepare and support youth in obtaining their post-secondary educational goals. This program will provide a tailored mentoring experience that will address the unique and individual needs of the foster-care alumni mentees, through the combined the use of faculty, graduate students and community professionals as mentors.

Partners include The Capital Area United Way Volunteer Center and St. Vincent Catholic Charities.Northern Michigan University ($5,000)Northern Michigan University (NMU) and Teaching Family Homes of Upper Michigan are supporting a new initiative that will provide youth in residential foster care at Teaching Family Homes with mentors from NMU. Major components of this program include combing a mentoring relationship along with increased opportunities and encouragement for physical activities that will allow the youth in residence to learn the positive social and interaction-based skills that are derived from team and individual athletic accomplishments. The ultimate goal of this program is to teach the youth involved about healthy lifestyles and hopefully resulting in the youth having a more positive outlook on their future.Volunteer Center of S.W. Michigan ($5,000)

The Volunteer Center of South West Michigan in partnership with the South West Michigan Mentoring Collaborative, and Andrew University will conduct a survey that will identify other community mentoring programs, barriers to working collaboratively, and areas of promising collaborative work. Results from the survey will be incorporated into a larger community mapping project, which will establish mentoring as an important sector of services. This collaborative project aims to see that children have mentors who are supported by strong, effective mentoring organizations. For more information on the grant or individual project, please contact Allison Treppa at 517.492.2426.Michigan Campus Compact is a state-level non-profit organization that promotes the education and commitment of Michigan college students to be civically engaged citizens, through creating and expanding academic, co-curricular and campus-wide opportunities for community service, service- learning and civic engagement. More information about Michigan Campus Compact can be found at: www.micampuscompact.org.

 

Lorna Peterson, longtime head of Five Colleges, Inc., to retire
AMHERST—After a career spanning nearly three decades at one of the nation’s most successful higher education consortia, Lorna Peterson, executive director of Five Colleges, Inc., will retire in June, 2009. Nearly half the history of the 43-year-old consortium—comprising Amherst, Hampshire, Mount Holyoke and Smith colleges and the University of Massachusetts Amherst—has been spent with Dr. Peterson at the helm.

Starting at Five Colleges in 1980 in a grant-funded position, Peterson became the consortium’s first development officer, and in 1990 assumed leadership of the 36-person organization, which is directed by the presidents of the five institutions. By every standard of measure, her 18 years as executive director have been a period of growth for the consortium. The budget has tripled, a dozen multi-campus certificate programs (akin to a degree minor) have been established and the number of joint faculty appointments has nearly doubled.  Some 5,000 student course exchanges take place every year.

“It is hard to speak of cooperation in higher education without invoking Lorna,” said Smith College President Carol T. Christ, president of the Five Colleges, Inc., board of directors. “Her leadership has created a dynamic, innovative, synergistic partnership among five distinctive institutions that is the envy of university systems and consortia across the country and abroad.”

Highlights of the consortium’s accomplishments during Peterson’s tenure include the creation of a Five College film studies major and establishment of the Five College Astronomy Fellows program. In addition, multi-campus student performances have flourished over the past decade, with such annual events as PoetryFest, the Five College Student FilmFest and Five College Multicultural Theater’s WORD!. “For me, a highlight of my time here has been working with faculty when they get excited about developing a new area of the curriculum or new center for study,” said Peterson, “such as when we created the Center for the Study of World Languages and the Women’s Studies Research Center.”

Peterson also spurred the establishment of such resource-sharing positions as recycling manager and risk manager that serve multiple institutions. A major accomplishment has been completion of a 54-mile fiber optic network. Not only do member campuses now have high speed Internet access, but the seven municipalities through which the network runs may use it at no charge; establishing Five Colleges as a force in bringing broadband Internet to western Massachusetts. President Christ is assembling a search committee with representatives of each of the five colleges to conduct a national search for Peterson’s replacement. In the meantime, Peterson sees plenty of work in the coming year for her and her staff, including further developing the joint faculty appointments program and promoting the campuses as an employment opportunity to an ethnically and economically diverse population. “We also plan to build on the Five College network as a resource, not only for our campuses and their towns, but for the region.”

Contact: Kevin Kennedy
Communications Director
Five Colleges, Inc.
413-256-8316


Asia-Pacific Academic Consortium for Public Health
World Health Day, on 7 April, marks the founding of the World Health Organization and is an opportunity to draw worldwide attention to a subject of major importance to global health each year. In 2008, World Health Day focuses on the need to protect health from the adverse effects of climate change.

On this day, a Symposium took place in Melbourne and was co-organised by APACPH member, Monash University.  The Department of Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine co-organised with the Burnet Institute the AMREP World Health Day Symposium as partners of AMREP (Alfred Medical Research and Education Precinct).  This symposium created the opportunity to bring together students, academics, health practitioners, researchers and policy makers interested in global health.  Over 200 participants were present and while most of them were from Melbourne, we also had a few from interstate and countries such as PNG, Malaysia, Fiji, New Zealand and South Africa. There was also representation from various NGOs such as World Vision, Save the Children Australia and Oxfam as well as members of various government agencies such as AusAID.  It was a diverse group that provided insights from various perspectives on global health issues. The keynote session was delivered by Prof David Karoly, a renowned climate scientist from the University of Melbourne on the theme for this year’s World Health Day, ‘Protecting Health from Climate Change’

In addition there were other presentations in the two main streams – Sexual and Reproductive Health & Addressing non-communicable diseases and healthy ageing which contributed to the overarching theme for the day, ‘Research supporting policy and practice in low- and middle-income countries’.  Members from Monash University were involved in delivering or chairing these presentations.  The Hon Mr Bob McMullan, Parliamentary Secretary for International Development Assistance was also present to give a talk on Health in Australia’s aid program.

Besides faculty from Monash University, we also invited another APACPH member, Prof K R Thankappan from the Achutha Menon Centre for Health Science Studies in India to present in the non-communicable disease stream.  His talk covered 'Hypertension control by trained volunteers in a rural community in India'. For APACPH, it created a good opportunity to introduce  APACPH to a wider global health community.

 

Midwestern Higher Education Compact
Nationwide safety survey provides snapshot of campus reactions to Virginia Tech tragedy 
Nearly nine out of 10 respondents to a recent survey indicated that their college or university had conducted a comprehensive review of campus safety and security in the wake of the mass shootings at Virginia Tech in April of last year, and a similar proportion indicated that changes had been made to policies, procedures or security systems as a result of the tragedy, according to the Midwestern Higher Education Compact (MHEC).

The nationwide survey of student life officers and campus safety directors provides a snapshot of how colleges and universities responded to the tragic events at Virginia Tech and the changes that have resulted from safety and security audits conducted both internally and externally at institutions across the country. The survey included questions about emergency notification systems, security and monitoring systems, communications and training, changes to administrative structure, and policies related to student behavior and mental health.  The project is supported by AIG Higher Education Solutionssm and Lexington Insurance Company.

Preliminary results of a full report due to be released in mid May show 87 percent of survey respondents indicating that their college or university had conducted a campus safety and security audit after the Virginia Tech tragedy. Of the institutions that conducted audits 95 percent included a review of emergency notification and broadcast alert systems; 89 percent included a review of policies related to securing campus facilities in the event of an emergency; 88 percent included a general review of the campus police or other security department operations; and 71 percent included a review of policies related to student mental health.

“Campus leaders throughout the country are very concerned about improving campus safety and security,” commented Chancellor Thomas George of the University of Missouri-St. Louis. He added, “This report will be helpful to my campus and will provide others with further ideas for action and review on their campuses.”

Based on the survey, the biggest change underway on college campuses appears to be the expansion of emergency alert systems to include students’ cell phones and other mobile communications devices.  Emergency notification was an area where officials at Virginia Tech were criticized for a perceived failure to warn members of the campus community in a timely manner about the murders in a residence hall that were followed by a mass shooting in a classroom building.

Less than 5 percent of respondents to the MHEC survey reported that mobile phones were included in their institutions’ emergency notification system prior to the events at Virginia Tech.  Of the remaining 95 percent of survey respondents, 75 percent indicated that they planned to acquire the technology or had already implemented systems since April of last year allowing for the inclusion of mobile phones in emergency alerts.  Similarly, only 14 percent of respondents indicated that campus buildings were linked to a public address system prior to the Virginia Tech tragedy.  Of the remaining 86 percent of respondents, 34 percent indicated that plans were underway to change that while another 27 percent indicated that the issue had been discussed but no decision had been made. 

“The survey indicates that many campuses are being proactive about making changes to ensure better campus safety and security,” commented Missouri State Senator Charlie Shields, chair of the MHEC Commission. He added that campuses must remain diligent about continually reviewing their procedures.

Campus officials were asked about a number of security enhancement and mitigation strategies that theoretically could help prevent or minimize the impact of a shooter or events of a similar type and scale including: remote locking of classroom buildings; closed-circuit security cameras; training for faculty and staff and general awareness campaigns to recognize disturbing and potentially threatening behavior of students; and revised language in student handbooks related to this type of behavior.

Survey respondents were widely distributed across the country with an equal proportion hailing from the Midwest and the South (32 percent), 23 percent from the Northeast, and 13 percent from the West.  Nearly 40 percent described the location of their institution as rural, a quarter said they were suburban, and a third indicated that they were in an urban setting.  Nearly half the respondents were from schools enrolling less than 2,500 students, while 37 percent were from institutions of 2,500 to 10,000 students and 15 percent enrolled more than 10,000 students. 

ABOUT MHEC
The Midwestern Higher Education Compact is an interstate compact agency that promotes cooperation and resource sharing in higher education. Since its formation in 1991, MHEC has been committed to cost-savings programs, student access and policy research and analysis. The Compact’s member states include Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota and Wisconsin. For more details contact the MHEC office at 612-626-8288 or view the website at www.mhec.org.


Governor Awards $102,040 Wagner-Peyser Grant to support Texas Campus Compact,
Austin Community College Partnership
Austin, Texas — The Office of The Governor honors Texas Campus Compact (The Compact) and Austin Community College (ACC) with a $102,040 Wagner-Peyser Grant for the development of a new educational model, the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math Community Impact program (STEM in Action CI) beginning April 1, 2008. Wagner Peyser grants are intended for workforce training projects. The Compact & ACC's premier training project, the STEM in Action CI program, will incorporate civic engagement and service learning into STEM curriculum at the high school, community college, and university levels, assisting our state in "Closing the Gaps," particularly among students pursuing careers within the STEM workforce.

According to State Representative Dawnna Dukes, "The implementation of the STEM in Action CI program model will positively increase retention rates of students enrolled in Texas institutions of higher education, ultimately, benefiting our state and workforce community. I commend Texas Campus Compact and Austin Community College for the creation of this innovative project and look forward to their replicating it on a statewide level."
Studies show that students who are more civically engaged, particularly first-generation college students and students of color are more apt to graduate from college. The STEM in Action CI program will impact 7,500 students throughout the greater Austin area. For more details about the STEM program visit www.TexasCampusCompact.org

 

Great Plains Interactive Distance Education Alliance - Family Financial Planning Masters and Certificate Programs Registration Renewed by CFP Board
The Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards Inc. (CFP Board) has renewed registration of the financial planning curriculum offered by the Great Plains IDEA Masters Degree and Certificate Programs. The registration is in effect for the seven participating institutions including, Iowa State, Kansas State, Montana State, University of Nebraska, North Dakota State, Oklahoma State, and South Dakota State Universities. The registration period is for five years ending May 31, 2011 and is contingent upon compliance with annual renewals, as requested and continued compliance with requirements for CFP Board registration.

The renewed registration means that students who successfully complete either of the registered programs will have met the education requirement for the CFP® certification. In addition to this requirement, passing the CFP® Certification Examination plus fulfilling experience and ethics requirements can lead to certification by the CFP Board, granting the individual the right to use the CFP®, CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ and CFP (with flame logo)® certification marks.


New Consortium Program Allows Colleges and Universities to Purchase e2Campus Multi-Modal Alert System at Group Rates
Smaller institutions within a consortium will get better pricing than buying alone
LEESBURG, VA – April 3, 2008 – Omnilert™, LLC, maker of the leading emergency notification system for higher education called e2Campus™, today announced the new e2Campus Consortium Program. The new program allows higher education institutions that are members of a consortium to collectively purchase e2Campus services at a group rate. The e2Campus Consortium Program will help smaller institutions purchase e2Campus at a lower price.

“This program makes a lot of sense,” said Dr. Lawrence Dotolo, President of the Virginia Tidewater Consortium for Higher Education. “Institutions can come together and leverage their resources to get a better price. Every school is going to need an alert system like e2Campus, and this program provides a great opportunity to get onboard.”

How it Works
Rather than purchase e2Campus services independently, consortium members can initiate service as a group and take advantage of a lower per-user pricing level. The more schools from the consortium that sign up, the more each school will all save. For example, if five schools each with 5,000 users participate in the e2Campus Consortium Program, each school will receive the pricing at the 25,000 user level.

To learn more and get started, visit: www.e2Campus.com/consortium
About e2CampusEndorsed by Security On Campus Inc. and used by more than 400 schools around the country, e2Campus is the Web-based emergency notification system that enables school officials to self-administer and send time-sensitive messages for a fraction of the cost and complexity of existing notification solutions. There is no traditional software to install, no hardware to buy and no additional phone lines needed. A school can set up a secure notification system in minutes to send routine, urgent or emergency notifications to their entire campus community or smaller groups, such as multiple campuses, residence halls, staff-only or sports news. e2Campus instantly and simultaneously sends multi-modal emergency alerts to a subscriber's mobile phone (via SMS text message), e-mail accounts, RSS reader, and handset phone (via voice message), plus all campus loudspeakers, digital signage, alert beacons, and relevant Web pages. To learn more, visit http://www.e2Campus.com.

About OmnilertOmnilert, LLC is leading the way in multi-modal mass communications for sending time-sensitive information to large groups of people. The self-service, Web-based system enables a single person to communicate timely information to thousands of people anywhere, anytime, on any device. It is ideal for announcing school closings, game cancellations, weather warnings, terrorist alerts, and marketing promotions. The system is built around a reliable SMS text messaging system that sends content directly to a mobile phone, traditional phone, e-mail address, Web page, RSS reader, digital sign, alert beacon, or loudspeaker. Omnilert solutions are sold under the names e2Campus, Amerilert, RainedOut and through resellers. The privately held company is headquartered in Leesburg, Va., and at http://www.omnilert.com online.

Media Contacts:
Bryan Crum, bcrum@omnilert.com, 800-936-3525 x703
Online Press Release:
http://www.e2campus.com/PR080403-e2Campus_Consortium_Program.htm

Bryan Crum
Omnilert, LLC800-936-3525 x703
703-568-5500 mobile
206-338-5680 fax
bcrum@omnilert.com
www.omnilert.com

 

Boston Library Consortium Partners with Open Content Alliance
The Boston Library Consortium, Inc. (BLC) has announced a major partnership with the Open Content Alliance (OCA) to "build a freely accessible library of digital materials from all 19 member institutions." With the move, the BLC becomes the first large-scale consortium to embark on such a self-funded digitization project with the OCA. The effort will draw on the vast collective resources of the BLC members to make "high-resolution, downloadable, reusable files of public domain materials," using Internet Archive technology, for roughly ten cents a page.

The scanning center for the BLC/OCA partnership is located at the Boston Public Library (BPL).
The announcement comes shortly after OCA founder Brewster Kahle told Library Journal that Boston Public Library officials had chosen not to pursue the chance to participate in commercial projects, choosing instead to work with OCA. "Revolutions aren't started by majorities," Kahle said. "They come from leaders who see things that need to be done. Boston Public Library, for example, has been courted by Google, but it has said it is going to remain open." The OCA has been making steady, if quiet progress in comparison to its commercial counterparts. It now counts 40 members and regional scanning centers in six cities scanning up to 12,000 books a month, over four million pages. Unlike with commercial scan plans, there are no restrictions on public domain books scanned by OCA members. Users are not forced to use proprietary interfaces, and OCA scans are not hidden from rival search engines. Books scanned under the BLC initiative will be hosted by the Internet Archive and available to "be indexed by any search engine following the BLC and OCA's philosophy of open access to digitized content," Kahle said.

BLC members include: Boston College, Boston Public Library, Boston University, Brandeis University, Brown University, the Marine Biological Laboratory & Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Northeastern University, the State Library of Massachusetts, Tufts University, University of Connecticut, University of Massachusetts Amherst, University of Massachusetts Boston, University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, University of Massachusetts Lowell, University of Massachusetts Medical Center, University of New Hampshire, Wellesley College, and Williams College.


New Competitively Awarded Contracts Extend E&I’s Library Furniture Portfolio
Members Save on Palmieri, Worden and Gaylord Furniture Products
JERICHO, N.Y. — Higher education institutions now can save on more of their preferred library furniture needs with three competitively solicited contracts from E&I Cooperative Purchasing. As the nation’s largest buying cooperative for higher education, E&I offers a variety of products from leading national suppliers. Now, E&I members can take advantage of significant savings through Palmieri Furniture, The Worden Company and Gaylord Brothers – the newest contracts in its library furniture portfolio. The demands of today’s library facilities require furniture that is durable, flexible and easy to maintain. Each of these industry-leading suppliers offers superior savings, quality and reliability.

Palmieri – Through this agreement, members will have access to premium materials, 21st century technology and quality workmanship that combined create an exceptional collection of library furnishings. Palmieri’s ever-growing collection offers a diverse range of designs – from refined to contemporary – to maintain the stylistic integrity of any environment. All Palmieri products are safety-tested and certified by Underwriter Laboratories Inc. to ensure that they meet or exceed stringent standards set forth in the Office Furnishings category. Additionally, all Palmieri furniture has been Chain of Custody (COC) certified and LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) approved.

Worden –Worden specializes in the design, production and marketing of furniture and services that make library environments work better. Worden is known for its love of wood and attention to craftsmanship, collaborating with renowned designers and offering exceptional customer support. In addition to a full spectrum of furniture collections – including tables, carrels, workstations, desks, shelving and seating, Worden also can provide members highly customized furniture solutions. With a commitment to maintaining high environmental standards, several of Worden’s product line components contain post-industrial and post-consumer recycled materials. Additionally, the company uses red oak, cherry and hard maple grown in forests managed for sustainable yields.

Gaylord – With a reputation for quality materials, solid design and exquisite beauty, the Gaylord brand has been a respected name in the library furniture market for more than 100 years. Gaylord offers E&I members its full line (excluding library security systems)of distinctive modular furniture, book carts and steel shelving, as well as archival and other ancillary products which provide versatility, style and lasting value. 

From accommodating ADA requirements, to offering superior wire management for networking needs, Gaylord furniture provides the functionality to make the workday more comfortable and efficient. Members also will have access to the E&I Electronic catalog available at www.gaylord.com, as well as Gaylord’s Furniture Design Team, which has the experience and know-how to assist in laying out a unique space. “These competitively awarded contracts not only offer outstanding library furniture design options and significant savings, but these three premier suppliers are committed to maintaining high environmental standards and supporting the sustainable efforts of our members,” said Tom Fitzgerald, CEO of E&I Cooperative.

About E&I
As the nation’s largest buying cooperative for higher education, E&I Cooperative Purchasing uses the combined purchasing power of more than 1,500 colleges, universities, prep schools, K-12 schools and other educationally focused institutions to deliver lower costs on a wide range of competitively solicited and negotiated contracts from national and regional suppliers across the U.S. Established in 1934 by members of the National Association of Educational Procurement (NAEP), E&I meets the needs of its members by continually pursuing high-quality supplier contracts and developing new initiatives in the areas of strategic sourcing, compliance, e-commerce, supplier diversity and competitive bidding. E&I’s competitive RFP process is validated by the National Institute of Governmental Purchasing (NIGP) as meeting generally accepted procurement standards across the nation. For more information, please go to: www.eandi.org.