How to contribute:

1. PayPal – send donations in any amount (even $1 helps!) through PayPal to SHSArtsImpact@gmail.com.

Please be sure to include your full name and current address as a comment or message when you contribute so that we can send you a Thank you letter and a tax deductible receipt.

2. Donation checks are welcome at any time and in any amount.

All checks should be made payable to Sandusky Board of Education with “Ronald Albert and Kenneth McFarlan Arts Impact Scholarship Award” in the memo line.

Send all checks to Mrs. Julie Bittinger’s attention at

Sandusky Bd of Ed
407 Decatur St.
Sandusky OH 44870.

The Sandusky BoE will then send each donor a
thank you letter which can be used as a tax deductible receipt if desired.

3. We now have a website you can use to donate:
http://www.giveforward.org/shsartsimpact

This site will send a check directly to the BoE at the end of the collection period, which is April 1st, 2010.

The Ronald Albert and Kenneth McFarlan Arts Impact Award

This annual scholarship in the amount of $1000.00 is intended for a Sandusky High School senior who has excelled in arts or music in their time at Sandusky High.

The purpose of this award is to commemorate the careers of Mr. Ron Albert and Mr. Ken McFarlan, who spent their teaching years helping students understand the importance and beauty of music as a part of the high school experience. It is our hope that with this award, the winning student will use the money to fund his or her higher education toward a degree where the student’s talents will lead to a rewarding career.

The greater impact of this award will be both reminding society of the importance of artistic endeavors and encouraging creative people to be involved with their community in creative ways.

The U.S. Secretary of Education, Arne Duncan, stated in August 2009 that only 57% of 8th graders have the opportunity to study music, while only 47% have access to studying art. These numbers are saddening, so we feel it is vital to offer financial encouragement to a young SHS grad who is creative, successful and immersed in arts or music.

The student who receives the scholarship each year will be selected by the SHS Scholarship Committee and must meet the following criteria:

1. Selected student will have a GPA of at least 3.2 overall

2. Selected student must be involved in any of the following: Choir, Band, Orchestra, Fine Arts, Graphic Arts, Photography, Commercial Arts, or any other artistic for-credit courses, whether general or vocational, that may be added to Sandusky High School’s curriculum in the future.

3. Selected student will not receive funds until he or she can prove acceptance to an accredited institution of higher learning. The student will have 6 months from the time of selection to prove acceptance and receive funds.

4. Although not required, involvement in extracurricular activities like the annual musical, art club, jazz band, drama club and other creative non-credit outlets available at SHS will be considered in high regard at time of selection.

Welcome to the Sandusky High School Ronald Albert and Kenneth McFarlan Arts Impact Award blog site.  Here, we will keep you informed about the big retirement celebration to be held for these great music teachers this coming spring as well as any and all information about the new Ronald Albert and Kenneth McFarlan Arts Impact Award scholarship.

For more information about the scholarship, please see the post titled “Scholarship Information.”

Thanks for stopping by, and feel free to comment or email us at SHSArtsImpact@gmail.com.

Deadline: 25th January 2010

Source: www.city.ac. uk/jobs
Research Studentships at City University, UK – Centre for Law, Justice and Journalism

City University London’s success in the 2008 Research Assessment Exercise (RAE) confirmed a major step-change in our research profile. World-class activity was recognised in many areas, leading to an increase of over 50% in our quality research funding. Based on that success, we have recently concluded a major review of research and knowledge transfer, which has allowed us to redefine our research as an all-inclusive set of activities comprising basic and applied research, policy- and practice-focused research, knowledge and technology transfer, entrepreneurship and consultancy. As we prepare for the future, our attention is focused on demonstrating the societal value of our research and the impact it makes on business, industry, government policies and the professions.

Our research and enterprise activities are more exciting and diverse than ever, with subjects ranging across business, social sciences, engineering and mathematics, informatics, law, music, journalism, cultural policy and a wide range of areas in the health-related domains.

The Centre for Law, Justice and Journalism is the first major interdisciplinary centre in the UK to develop a broad yet focused interface between law, justice and journalism in society. The Centre is offering 5 three-year, full-time doctoral studentships, available to both home and overseas fee-paying students.

Applications are invited to undertake interdisciplinary doctoral research in a topic relevant to the five main themes of the Centre:

• Legal Restraints on the Media
• Transformations in Media Policy
• Journalism and Human Rights
• Media, Security and Justice
• Communicating Forensic Evidence

For entry in October 2010 or earlier if possible, the studentships will attract a bursary of £12,000 per annum in addition to payment of the tuition fees. Successful candidates will usually be expected to undertake some teaching support activity in their second and third years, by agreement with the School concerned.

Informal enquiries can be made to the co-directors of the Centre:

Professor Howard Tumber, Graduate School of Journalism – School of Arts (h.tumber@city. ac.uk)

Professor Lorna Woods, City Law School (lorna.woods. 1@city.ac. uk)

Professor Eugene McLaughlin, Criminology – School of Social Sciences (e.mclaughlin@ city.ac.uk)

Closing date for applications: Monday 25 January 2010

Please visit www.city.ac. uk/jobs ref: ‘University Research Studentships’ to view other studentship opportunities being offered.

City University London,

Northampton Square,

London,

EC1V 0HB

Hamburg International Graduate School for the Study of Regional Powers Fundamental shifts within the global and regional architecture of power are expected in the coming decades. However, the new global and regional configurations of the twenty-first century are currently only partially understood. The newly established Hamburg International Graduate School for the Study of Regional Powers analyzes the emerging power shifts among non-European regions and states, related conflicts with respect to regional leadership within these regions as well as competition for spheres of influence, and the global formation of governance structures among new regional powers and the “old” powers of the OECD world. Within the school, applications are being invited for

8 Ph.D. scholarships

starting 1 April 2010, for a duration of three years. The programme is open to young academics in the fields of international relations/international political economy and comparative area studies. Applicants must have an excellent M.A. or equivalent degree in hand by the time of appointment. We strongly encourage young candidates from abroad to apply.

Interested persons should send a letter of interest, their CV, an abstract and the table of contents of their M.A. thesis or diploma, a longer (max. 10 pages) outline of their planned Ph.D. project, copies of all relevant academic certificates (M.A., B.A., etc.), and two letters of recommendation to the following address: Regional Powers, GIGA German Institute of Global and Area Studies, Neuer Jungfernstieg 21, 20354 Hamburg

The GIGA promotes gender equality and actively encourages applications from women. Among equally qualified applicants, women will receive preferential consideration in those areas in which they are underrepresented.

Further particulars can be found at http://www.giga-hamburg.de/index.php?file=jobs.html&folder=jobs.

For informal inquiries, please contact PD Dr. Dirk Nabers (nabers@giga-hamburg.de), Head of Research Programme 4: Power, Norms and Governance in International Relations

Screening of applications will begin on 03 January 2010.

AU: Akerlind, G.
TI: Academic growth and development—How do university academics experience it?
SO: Higher Education; 2005, 50, 1, 1-32
CN: LB2300 HE
Available at Central Library

AU: Allitt, P.
TI: I’m the teacher, you’re the student: A semester in the university classroom
IM: Philadelphia, PA: University of Pennsylvania Press, 2005
CN: E175.8 All 2005
Available at Central Library

AU: Balasubrarnanya, M. K., et. al.
TI: Creating a distributed physics department
SO: American Journal of Physics; 2004, 72, 3, 359-363
CN: QC1 AMJ
Available at Central Library

AU: Barnett, R. (Ed.).
TI: Reshaping the university: New relationships between research, scholarship and teaching
IM: Maidenhead: Open University Press, 2005
CN: LB2322.2 Res 2005
Available at Central Library

AU: Becker, W. E., & Andrews, M. L. (Eds.).
TI: The scholarship of teaching and learning in higher education: Contributions of research universities
IM: Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 2004
CN: LB2326.3 Sch 2004
Available at Central Library

AU: Boden, R., Epstein, D., & Kenway, J.
TI: Academic’s support kit
IM: London: Sage, 2005
CN: LB1778 Bod 2005
Available at Central Library

AU: Colander, D. C.
TI: The lost art of economics: Essays on economics and the economics profession
IM: Cheltenham, UK: E. Elgar Pub, 2001
CN: HB74.5 Col
Available at Central Library

AU: Cowan, J., George, J. W., & Pinheiro-Torres, A.
TI: Alignment of developments in higher education
SO: Higher Education; 2004, 48, 4, 439-459
CN: LB2300 HE
Available at Central Library

AU: Cox. M. D., & Richlin, L. (Eds.).
TI: Building faculty learning communities
IM: San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass, 2004
CN: LB1025.2 Ndt 97 2004
Available at Central Library

AU: Cranton. P.
TI: Becoming an authentic teacher in higher education
IM: Malabar, FL: Krieger Pub. Co., 2001
CN: LB1738 Car
Available at Central Library

AU: Darley, J. M., Zanna, M. P., & Roediger, H. L. (Eds.).
TI: The compleat academic: A career guide, 2nd ed
IM: Washington, DC: American Psychological Association, 2004
CN: H62 Com 2004
Available at Central Library

AU: Dominowski, R. L.
TI: Teaching undergraduates
IM: Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum, 2001
CN: LB2331 Dom
Available at Central Library

AU: Gill, N.
TI: New lecturers’ constructions of learning, teaching and research in higher education
SO: Studies in Higher Education; 2005, 30, 5, 611-625
CN: LB2300 SHE
Available at Central Library

AU: Glatthorn, A. A.
TI: Publish or perish—The educator’s imperative: Strategies for writing effectively for your profession and school
IM: Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press, 2002
CN: PN146 Gla 2002
Available at Central Library

AU: Hall, D. E.
TI: The academic self: An owner’s manual
IM: Columbus: Ohio State University Press, 2002
CN: LB2331 Hal 2002
Available at Central Library

AU: Hostetler, K. D., Sawyer, R. M., & Prichard, K. W. (Eds.).
TI: The art and politics of college teaching: A practical guide for the beginning professor, 2nd ed
IM: New York: Peter Lang, 2001
CN: LB2331 Art
Available at Central Library

AU: Huber, M. T.
TI: Balancing acts: The scholarship of teaching and learning in academic careers
IM: Washington, DC: American Association for Higher Education, 2004
CN: LB2331 Hue 2004
Available at Central Library

AU: Lucas, C. J., & Murry, J. W., Jr.
TI: New faculty: A practical guide for academic beginners
IM: New York: Palgrave, 2002
CN: LB1778.2 Luc 2002
Available at Central Library

AU: Lyons, R. E., Kysilka M. L., & Pawlas, G. E.
TI: The adjunct professor’s guide to success: Surviving and thriving in the college classroom
IM: Boston, MA: Allyn & Bacon, 1999
CN: LB1778.2 Lyo
Available at Central Library, Hon Sui Sen Memorial Library

AU: Martin, E., & Lueckenhausen, G.
TI: How university teaching changes teachers: Affective as well as cognitive challenges
SO: Higher Education; 2005, 49, 3, 389-412
CN: LB2300 HE
Available at Central Library

AU: Martin, R. (Ed.).
TI: Chalk lines: The politics of work in the managed university
IM: Durham, NC: Duke University Press, 1998
CN: LB2331.72 Cha
Available at Central Library

AU: Middaugh, M. F.
TI: Understanding faculty productivity: Standards and benchmarks for colleges and universities
IM: San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass, 2001
CN: LB2331.72 Mid
Available at Central Library

AU: Morss, K., & Murray, R.
TI: Teaching at university: A guide for postgraduates and researchers
IM: London: Sage, 2005
CN: LB2331 Mor 2005
Available at Central Library

AU: Nadler, P. S.
TI: Reflecting on a life as a teacher
SO: Secured Lender; 2006, 62, 6, 110-118
Available online.

AU: Outram, S.
TI: 53 interesting ways in which colleagues resist change
SO: Educational Developments; 2004, 5, 2, 1-4
CN: LA637 ED
Available at Central Library

AU: Parini, J.
TI: The art of teaching
IM: Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2005
CN: LA2317 Par.Pa 2005
Available at Central Library

AU: Partington, P.
TI: Managing staff development
IM: Philadelphia, PA: Open University Press, 2003
CN: LB2331.685 Gre.P 2003
Available at Hon Sui Sen Memorial Library

AU: Pickering, S. F.
TI: Letters to a teacher
IM: New York: Atlantis Monthly Press, 2004
CN: LB1775 Pic 2004
Available at Central Library

AU: Robertson J., & Bond, C.
TI: The research/teaching relation: A view from the ‘edge’
SO: Higher Education; 2005, 50, 3, 509-535
CN: LB2300 HE
Available at Central Library

AU: Rowland, S.
TI: The enquiring university teacher
IM: Philadelphia, PA: Open University Press, 2000
CN: LB2331 Row
Available at Central Library

AU: Silverman, F. H.
TI: Teaching for tenure and beyond: Strategies for maximizing your student ratings
IM: Westport, CT: Bergin & Garvey, 2001
CN: LB2335.7 Sil
Available at Central Library

AU: Welch, A. R. (Ed.).
TI: The professoriate: Profile of a profession
IM: Dordrecht: Springer, 2005
CN: LB2331 Prf 2005
Available at Central Library

AU: Wenniger, M. D., & Conroy, M. H.
TI: Gender equity or bust!: On the road to campus leadership with women in higher education
IM: San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass, 2001
CN: LB2332.32 Gen
Available at Central Library

AU: Wright, M., Assar, N., Kain, E., Kramar L., Howery, C. B., McKinney, K., Glass, B., & Atkinson, M.
TI: Greedy institutions: The importance of institutional context for teaching in higher education
SO: Teaching Sociology; 2004, 32, 2, 144-159
CN: HM45 TS
Available at Central Library

AU: Wulff, D. H., & Austin, A. E..
TI: Paths to the professoriate: Strategies for enriching the preparation of future faculty
IM: San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass, 2004
CN: LB2331 Pat 2004
Available at Central Library

Over 100 Scholarships Available to Area College-Bound Students*

An online directory of scholarships that are available to college-bound students in the 29-town Greater Hartford region is now available from the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving.

The directory includes more than 100 scholarships, available from the Hartford Foundation as well as other organizations.  Most are for graduating high school students, but scholarships for graduate students and adult learners are available as well.

The Hartford Foundation expects to award approximately $1 million to more than 580 students from the region next year.  These scholarships, some of which are renewable, are awarded through 85 funds created by individuals, families and organizations.

“If a student has worked hard throughout high school and wants to go to college, we want to help make that dream a reality,” said Linda J. Kelly, president of the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving.  “Scholarships from the Foundation are sizeable, and can help students each of the four years they’re in college.  I encourage students to apply for as many as they are eligible.”

Students can access the directory online at www.hfpg.org/scholarships.

Hartford Foundation for Public Giving is the community foundation for the 29-town Greater Hartford region, dedicated to improving the quality of life for area residents.  The Foundation receives gifts from thousands of generous individuals and families, and last year, awarded grants of more than $27 million to a broad range of area nonprofit organizations.  For more information about the Hartford Foundation, visit www.hfpg.org or call 860-548-1888.

*Article obtained from the HFPG website: http://bit.ly/6fLDtn

We would like to invite academically excellent Masters students/graduates to apply to the PHD Program in the areas of Accounting and Auditing at ESSEC Business School Paris.

ABOUT ESSEC BUSINESS SCHOOL AND THE ACCOUNTING GROUP

ESSEC is one of the leading European Business Schools. It has campuses in Paris and Singapore, offering mostly graduate level training in business administration (MBA, Exec MBA, specialized masters, PhD). It became the first AASCB accredited business

school outside the United States and Canada in 1997. It is also accredited by EQUIS. ESSEC has developed a strategic alliance with Université Panthéon-Assas, the University of Mannheim in Germany, Keio Business School and many academic partnerships with leading institutions worldwide (Kellogg, Chicago, Berkeley, Tuck, Instituto de Empresa, IIM Ahmedabad, Tsinghua, etc.). The MBA program was ranked number seven in the 2007 Wall Street Journal world ranking. In addition to its regular research activities, our department hosts a company sponsored chair, the KPMG Chair in Financial Reporting.

ABOUT THE PHD PROGRAM IN ACCOUNTING AND AUDITING

Students can specialize in one of the following subfields:

* Empirical financial accounting
* International financial reporting
* Auditing
* Financial statement analysis
* Organizational and social aspects of accounting

The ESSEC PhD program in accounting and auditing is devoted to training doctoral candidates to conduct research at the highest level on questions dealing with the role of accounting information in an ever changing economic environment. The PhD program in accounting and auditing is broadly based and offers interdisciplinary training in order to apply basic knowledge from the various fields of business studies to address a variety of accounting and auditing issues.

ABOUT THE FINANCIAL AID:

Ph.D. students may be eligible for financial aid according to need and merit:

* Tuition fees waiver;
* Tuition fees waiver plus a living allowance (currently 15,000 euros for a full year of study).

These financial aids are available during the four years of study.They are conditional upon students’ progress and performance, which are reviewed annually.

* External aid (e.g. French Government scholarships for foreigners, foreign government scholarships, CIFRE agreements).
* Bank loans.

APPLICATIONS/FURTHER INFORMATION:

To find out more, please visit our web pages at: http://www.essec.edu/phd or CONTACT:

ESSEC BUSINESS SCHOOL PARIS

Ph.D. Program

Avenue Bernard Hirsch – BP 50105

95021 Cergy Pontoise Cedex

France

Tel:+ 33 (0)1 34 43 30 85 / 32 50

Fax:+ 33 (0)1 34 43 30 01

Email: phd@essec.fr

Candidates wishing to be considered for our PhD program in Accounting and Auditing are strongly encouraged to apply or enquire before 15th February 2010 (1st round) or at the latest 15th May (2nd round).

Professor Chrystelle Richard, Accounting & Auditing PhD coordinator: richard@essec.fr

See: http://www.ncu.edu.tw/~ncu7020/english/International/student_admission.php

taken from http://english.education.edu.tw/ct.asp?xItem=6798&CtNode=1860&mp=12

I. Purpose

Since 2004, four government agencies of the Republic of China ( Taiwan ) — Ministry of Education (MOE), Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA), Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA), and National Science Council of the Executive Yuan (NSC) —have jointly established the Scholarship Program of Taiwan to encourage outstanding international students to undertake degree programs in Taiwan . While providing study opportunities for a wide range of disciplines, at Taiwan ’s universities and colleges, this program also aims to:

a. Promote knowledge, understanding and friendship between Taiwan and countries around the world.

b. Explore opportunities to increase academic and educational links with international institutions of higher learning.

c. Develop outstanding professionals and experts to meet the needs from Taiwan ’s business and industry sectors.

II. Types of Scholarships

In terms of recipients’ nationalities and study programs, there are four participating agencies funding this program, each with a different focus:

a. MOFA Scholarship :

* Recipients from countries with diplomatic relations with the R.O.C. ( Taiwan ), or from those specified as diplomatically favorable by MOFA.
* Undergraduate or postgraduate programs. Pre-degree Mandarin Language Enrichment Program (LEP) is to be included as recipients’ choice for improving their language abilities.

b. MOE Scholarship :

* Recipients from countries other than those specified in the MOFA Scholarship.
* Undergraduate or postgraduate programs. LEP is to be included as recipients’ choice for improving their language abilities.

c. NSC Scholarship :

* Recipients from countries other than those specified in the MOFA Scholarship.
* Postgraduate programs.

d. MOEA Scholarship :

* Recipients from countries other than those specified in the MOFA Scholarship.
* Postgraduate programs, only for the areas involving scientific technology (such as physics, chemistry, mathematics, engineering, medicine and agriculture to name a few)

III. Value

Scholarship offerings vary from agency to agency as outlined below:

a. MOFA Scholarship:

* International airfare for economy-class, direct-route and roundtrip flights, plus a monthly stipend of NT$30,000 (approximately US$950).

b. MOE Scholarship:

* A monthly stipend of NT$25,000 (approximately US$790) for undergraduate or LEP study, and NT$30,000 for a postgraduate program.

c. NSC Scholarship:

* A monthly stipend of NT$30, 000.

d. MOEA Scholarship:

* A monthly stipend of NT$30, 000.

IV. Duration

The award period for each study program varies as follows:

a. Undergraduate program: maximum 4 years.

b. Master’s program: maximum 2 years.

c. Doctoral program: maximum 3 years.

d. LEP program: maximum 1 year.

For any combination of these study programs, the length of the total award for each recipient is a maximum of five years . LEP study must be undertaken in the first year, if it is to be included in the total award period of the recipient’s choosing.

Annual award periods are from September 1 st through August 31 st . If recipients fail to arrive in Taiwan to study during this period, their award status will be cancelled and cannot be extended for another year. If recipients begin studies after the semester/term/quarter starts, their award period will become effective from the month they arrive in Taiwan to matriculate at their individual universities/colleges/Mandarin training centers. Whether beginning in September or later, the LEP award period ends in August although its length may be less than the specified maximum of one year.

In terms of the actual award period for one study program, it will begin from the month that recipients arrive in Taiwan to matriculate at their intended educational institutions. All awards will end the month their specified award period is completed. However, if recipients graduate, drop out, are expelled from their institutions, or their scholarships are revoked, whichever comes first, the award will be terminated.

V. Eligibility

An applicant must meet all of the following criteria:

a. Possess prior excellent academic performance and be of good moral character.

b. Does not hold the Republic of China ( Taiwan ) nationality.

c. Does not have the status of an overseas Chinese student.

d. Is not currently enrolled at an educational institution in Taiwan , for the same study program that he/she intends to take for a SPOT scholarship.

e. Is not an exchange student in accordance with a cooperation agreement between an international university/college and an educational institute in Taiwan , at the time of receiving a SPOT scholarship.

f. Is not applying for a study program leading to the same-level degree as previously undertaken under the SPOT Program.

g. Has not received SPOT scholarships for a total of 5 or more years.

h. Has not previously had an award revoked either under the SPOT program or the program “Ministry of Education Huayu Enrichment Scholarship.”

i. Is not a current recipient of a scholarship or subsidy being offered by any one of government or educational institutions in Taiwan .

Those who are undertaking degree programs at international universities/colleges may be eligible to apply for SPOT awards, if those degree programs are comparative with the same level of degree programs in Taiwan .

VI. Application and Selection Process

For application receipt, review and selection, applicants must send their completed documents to the Taiwan representative office, closest to their home countries’ permanent residence . In principle, the application period is from February 1 st through March 31 st of each year, unless individual Taiwan ’s representative offices specify otherwise. For application guidelines and forms, scholarship types and quotas, as well as information about the selection process and outcome announcement, applicants may directly contact the relevant representative offices at the end of January.

A complete application includes the following materials:

a. A completed application form.

b. Photocopy of passport or other nationality certificates.

c. Photocopy of the highest-level diploma and a complete grade transcript.

d. Supporting admission application material (e.g. photocopy of application form).

e. Photocopy of a certificate of the acceptable levels of English or Chinese language proficiency, depending on whichever language will be used for instruction in class.

f. Additional documents, if any, to be specified by individual representative offices.

In principle, selection priority will be given to those who intend to undertake a degree program and have successfully secured admission to a university/college.

VII. Re-Applying

Upon completion of a degree program , recipients may re-apply for a SPOT Scholarship to undertake another degree program , by following the rules of the application process as specified above . Each recipient’s total award period cannot exceed 5 years.

only a LEP scholarship may be granted the next-stage award period for a degree program , through the universities/colleges they will be attending , upon completion of their LEP study. For this processing, the required documents are a photocopy of admission to a university/college and that of an acceptable English or Chinese language certificate attesting to proficiency for their degree studies. >

VIII. Renewal

To review recipients’ award qualifications for the next academic year, individual universities/colleges will conduct an evaluation process for the SPOT scholarship renewal by February 28 th ofeach year.

Each educational institution may set grading criteria for the minimum academic average for a semester, or may take the common criteria— 60 out of 100 for undergraduates and 70 for postgraduates. For recipients in grade 3 of their doctoral programs, this evaluation should be done by the way as specified by individual institutions, since systems vary from discipline to discipline, in terms of requirements for session credits and scheduling of dissertation writing.

Recipients will be permanently disqualified from receiving any SPOT awards, effective September of the new academic year, if they fail to achieve a specified minimum academic average for two single consecutive semesters of study.

VIIII. Suspension and Revocation

(I) Suspension

A. Degree Programs:

If a recipient fails to achieve a specified minimum academic average for a semester, stipends for one month will be suspended in the following semester.

B. LEP Program:

a. Attendance Records:
With the exception of a serious illness or accident, if a recipient is absent from his/her required Language sessions for 12 or more hours within a single month, stipends for the following month will be suspended.

b. Academic Performance:
Beginning from the second study term/quarter in Taiwan , if a recipient’s academic average for a study term/quarter is less than 80 out of 100, stipends for one month will be suspended in the following term/quarter.

c. TOP Mandarin Proficiency Rating ( http://www.sc-top.org.tw/ ) :

(a) A one-month-stipend suspension will be imposed if a recipient fails to submit to his/her individual Mandarin training center, a photocopy of a TOP (Test of Proficiency—Huayu) certificate with results rated at the basic level or above, by July 31 st , one month before his/her LEP award period is due. Registration fees for this TOP test are the full responsibility of the recipient.

(b) However, if the recipient succeeds in this TOP test during his/her next-stage award period for a degree program, the suspended one-month stipends as stated above will be reimbursed, by his/her application with the university/college that he/she will be attending.

(II) Revocation:

A recipient may be permanently disqualified from receiving a SPOT scholarship and the remaining stipends will be cancelled, if one of the following situations arises:

A. Degree Programs :

a. Failure to submit at the time of matriculation for each semester, an Alien Resident Certificate (ARC) with the reason “Study,” on the deadlines as specified by his/her university/college.

b. Failure at the evaluation for annual renewal of his/her SPOT scholarship.

c. Failure to submit a photocopy of an acceptable English /Chinese language proficiency certificate, if he/she transfers to a new program of study, for which the other language is to be used for instruction.

d. Dropping out or being expelled from school.

e. In receipt of another scholarship or subsidy, offered by one of Taiwan ’s government or educational institutions.

B. LEP Program:

a. Failure to submit at the time of matriculation for each study term/quarter, an Alien Resident Certificate (ARC) with the reason “Study,” on the deadlines as specified by his/her Mandarin training center.

b. Failure to achieve an academic average of 80 or above out of 100 for two single consecutive terms/quarters of study, beginning from the second term/quarter after studying in Taiwan .

c. Absence from exams as a result of missing a score for a study term/quarter, with the exception of a serious illness or accident.

d. Dropping out or being expelled from school.

e. In receipt of another scholarship or subsidy, offered by one of Taiwan ’s government or educational institutions.

X. Transfer

After studying for a semester/term/quarter at a university/college/Mandarin training center, a recipient may be allowed to transfer once during the course of a degree/LEP program, only if the pertinent educational institutions approve this request.

A recipient, who undertakes degree study, must submit the new institution a photocopy of an acceptable English/Chinese language proficiency certificate, if he/she transfers to a new program of study, for which the other language is to be used for instruction.

XI. Scholarship Granting

In principle, stipends are granted before the 5 th day of each month, through the universities/colleges/Mandarin training centers which the recipients attend, and by a method as specified by the individual institutions.

It is mandatory that recipients participate in the National Health Insurance Plan and purchase the policies of the Student Accident Insurance during the period of their residence and study in Taiwan . The recipients’ educational institutions will deduct fees for these insurance plans from the recipients’ stipends, before the processing of the fund granting to them.

“Physics is like sex: sure, it may give some practical results, but that’s not why we do it.” – Richard Feynman

With this quote, Anthropology professor Jerry Moore concluded his keynote speech at the 17th annual Southern California Conference on Undergraduate Research (SCCUR), held this year at CSU Dominguez Hills. Moore’s point, in an address titled “Undergraduate Research in Difficult Times,” is that there is something wonderfully satisfying and pleasurable about university research that cannot be replaced by trade schools and technical training programs. People may see academic pursuits as a luxury in this slumping economy, but Moore argues that there must always be a place where people can learn, wonder, and discover. Research, as Moore puts it, is the best way to learn.

This weekend, Lillian (of Scientific Lillian) and I joined 400+ participants at SCCUR 2009 in embracing and celebrating the necessity and beauty of research, particularly at the undergraduate level. I got to sit in on two oral presentation sessions (including my own) as well as spend some time looking at posters during a poster session. I was impressed by the seriousness and dedication of the presenters as well as the creativity and range of the questions and approaches that they took. From 1950s Hollywood censorship to vanity sizing in women’s jeans, the presentations definitely ran a gamut of research topics.

During my own panel, the presenters spoke on Islamophobia in the US media and Renaissance rhetorical practices in Shakespeare’s Antony and Cleopatra. Presenting last, I talked about collaborative authorship in Renaissance theatre, particularly focusing on Henry VIII and The Two Noble Kinsmen. I wasn’t especially nervous as I had already given a preliminary version of this presentation at a previous conference. But at the same time, there is always a certain amount of insecurity about how your ideas will be received.

I think academic conferences are important for this very reason. Research can be lonely, but it is so so important to find your own tribe to share your ideas with and get feedback from. In my honors research colloquia, we’re always talking about inserting ourselves into the scholarly conversation and showing our awareness of previous scholarship. Oftentimes in undergraduate literary research, this means responding to journal articles and critical theories. But at some point, we hopefully begin to engage in real life debates with the people we used to cite in our papers. We will struggle to meet their challenges and questions and eventually we will emerge the better for it. Fancy ideas are just fancy ideas until you test them against an audience and persuade them to see things your way.

Personally, I also find conferences to be a great source of motivation to get cracking on my own research project in the same way that Googling grad school CVs already makes me worry about getting published. You’re filled with a nervous energy, but its the good kind that inspires your ambition and excites the spirit. Going to a conference with 400+ presenters really hits home the fact that a lot of people are doing exactly what you’re doing so you better work harder than ever if you want a shot at the whole professor thing.

“Knowledge drives innovation; innovation drives productivity; productivity drives our economic growth. That’s all there is to it.”
William R. Brody, U.S. Competitiveness: The Innovation Challenge, Testimony to the House Committee on Science, July 21, 2005.

Knowledge is information, skill, education and experience relating to a specific subject. Each generation adds to the collective and passes it on to the next generation. Innovation, the act of creating something new, is based on knowledge. The fields of medical science, engineering, agriculture, computing and energy have led to a higher standard of living for humans. Technological improvements are founded in knowledge and innovation.
How is knowledge and education beneficial to our regional economy? Education is the foundation for knowledge. Knowledge drives innovation, which in turn drives productivity. Productivity drives our economic growth. Although the connection might not be as self-evident as potatoes come from seeds, the Apollo program is an example of the education multiplier. The national drive to put man on the moon, led to the scientific innovation that has touched every aspect of our life.
We are fortunate to have Montana State University (MSU) as the cornerstone to our southwest Montana community. From the graduating class of each spring to the Bobcat football games most everyone in our community has a connection on some level. The future of MSU is secure, yet the opportunity exists to excel in the field of energy production, energy conservation and related technologies. These three areas have an unlimited potential for growth. As the United States increases in population and the existing global population strives to live at the standard of we enjoy there will be an ever-increasing amount of need for energy and energy efficiency.
For MSU to become a regional and national powerhouse in energy we need to focus on the students of tomorrow. The fifth grade children of today will be university juniors in a decade. By getting them excited in energy – be it coal, natural gas, oil, conservation, efficiency, thermal, wind or biomass we have the opportunity to start today. What motivates people, young or old? Incentive.
If MSU were to create an “Energy Scholarship” aimed at high school juniors and seniors we could be assured of attracting the best and brightest minds. Hear me out: each year MSU will award two full-ride undergraduate scholarships based on merit. The students will participate in a science project that is based quite simply on energy. Faculty and industry experts would judge students from our region on projects that they have invented. Be it a low cost solar water heater, efficiency designs for lawn mowers, insulation techniques for housing, outreach programs; any concept that targets energy and has the promise of innovation would be rewarded. These budding inventors would be students at MSU. Their ideas would lead to innovation and the sharing of knowledge. Within a ten-year time frame the students in this program will be nationally recognized for their contributions. Our goal of energy independent and becoming experts in the field of energy would be one step closer.
Imagine 400 hundred of our state’s brightest young students competing on a project that will benefit our nation and in turn our planet. This program, albeit ambitious, would be a tremendous benefit to our regional economy. We would be known throughout the world as the hotbed for energy innovation.
For the United States to continue its lead in the field of science we need to support education throughout the academic spectrum. From preschool to the post doctorate education is a sound investment in our economic wellbeing. It is possible and it’s at our fingertips.

Looking for an opportunity to study with an award-winning, multi-platinum lyricist?

Hal Gaba & Marty Panzer

The UCLA Extension Entertainment Studies program is pleased to announce that students enrolled in the class, Writing Lyrics That Succeed and Endure: Master Class with Marty Panzer have a chance to win the Hal Gaba Songwriting Scholarship!

In honor of the man who envisioned and established this scholarship, Marty Panzer and Concord Records are offering to reward excellence in the art and craft of lyric writing. The six highest achieving students enrolled in the course Writing Lyrics That Succeed and Endure, taught by award-winning, multi-platinum lyricist Marty Panzer, each receive four additional, advanced Master Class sessions with Mr. Panzer, as well as individual consultation, as required.

Below is a photo of 5 of the 2009 recipients, as well as 5 previous scholarship winners:

From left to right: Lyndsey Kyle, Gregg Dormani, Richard Poliak, Debra Gussin, Marvin Kaplan, Aaron Beaumont, Evelyn Halus, Chad Doreck, Dale Effren, Bob Saltzburg

Many scholarship programs are available for students especially those who have shown remarkable talents during their high school years. These programs aim to provide financial aid to deserving students who are experiencing financial hardships and challenges in pursuing their college degree. (Read More)

By: Allan Tan | 22/11/2009

I recently read an article by Andrew Abbott, “The Traditional Future: A Computational Theory of Library Research,” (Nov. 2008 College and Research Libraries), which is too good to not pass on.

The heart of the article is a presentation of a model of what library research is, in contrast to “standard social scientific research (SSSR).” According to Abbott, there has been very little writing on “library-based scholarship,” so Abbott uses the first few pages of the article to explain the gap he’s filling. He then provides a very useful summary of the SSSR research model and proceeds to contrasts library-research point by point with the SSSR model. Since no one has really theorized library-based research, Abbott sees himself as presenting a normative and descriptive model, i.e., when library research is a “best version of itself” (527).

Here is a summary of the SSSR:

The sources of standard research works lie most often in actively elicted data, which is often standardized or concatenated in the process of being collected. The practices of standard research begin with the application of measure and terminologies that are standardized, widely shared (or, at least in principle, sharable), and usually fairly rigid and specified. They then continue with the application of routine methodological recipes that evaluate the conjectures of researchers by comparing them to the state of the real world. The recipes either accept or reject conjectures. The larger structures of this standard research world comprise first the enormous collection of used data, which is not particularly systematized or ordered. They comproise second the qualities of sequentiality and divisioni of labor. And they comprise third an overall organization of research around the search for a true state of affairs, which is taken to be “out there” in the real world, but possibily very difficult to find. (529)

Now fully understanding this summary probably requires reading the article, as this is a concluding summary following the detailed exposition of every element contained therein. Taking the SSSR as a standard of contrast, Abbott shows how library research is on major points the opposite of the SSSR, and he explores the implications of these differences for how one conceptualizes the ideal research tools and environments for library research.

Summarizing Abbott’s theory of library research would be tedious, so I’m simply going to note things I found particularly interesting. Two key components of library research are “reading and browing,” which Abbott conceptualizes as algorithms:

Reading and browsing – the two are simply different levels of the same thing – thus belong to a different family of algorithms than does measurement. They are associative algorithms, in which input is taken from text and combined with reader-internal data to produce an output. They are thus inherently nonreplicable because of their dependence on data internal to the reader or browser.

Abbott compares this to internet browsing and hyperlinks; hyperlinks are givens, independent of the browser’s internal data; in “book-reader technology, hyperlinks are generated dynamically in the act of reading. They arise by the conjunction of knowledge in the mind of the reader with the potential meanings in the body of the text. Such a system is obviously intensely dependent on the richness of prior knowledge in the minds of readers.” (532, emphasis mine)

Abbott makes much of this, here and in other papers he has written on library research, and I regard it as one of the most obvious, when stated, yet fecund elements of this article. It explains a lot of what we do as library-researchers. For example, I have a bias towards certain scholars and their judgments based on what I know they know; I am confident, for example, the Frederick Beiser has carefully studied more texts relevant to understanding German philosophy from the eighteenth to the late nineteenth century than anyone else I read. I also know Beiser does not have the focusing bias of a personal constructive position, which other goods scholars do (Pippin, Ameriks, et al.), and is thus in a better position to tell me what thinkers in this period said and meant. So I generally privilege Beiser over other scholars, and I think this is a very rational thing to do. Indeed, as I understand Abbott, only a “neophyte” does not develop these kinds of biases.

Abbott mentions in passing the problem of stuffing graduate students with the requisite knowledge to make them good researchers, but he does not discuss this in detail (I hope he does elsewhere, or perhaps he will in the future). This questions goes to the heart of disciplines and what constitutes them, and it also touches on what Evan calls “local canons,” which one could view as the requisite background for a certain type of pattern and problem recognition that allows one to join a local scholarly community. Bruce McCormack provides a good example of the differences this can make; in the introduction to his recent collection of essays on Barth (Orthodox and Modern), he notes his bemusement when he emerged from research in Germany to discover that we had entered “postmodernity.”

McCormack’s experience highlights the following point that Abbott emphasizes: “the role of internal knowledge in reading and browsing implies a crucial difference from the measurement that is their equivalent in standard methodology; they are not replicable” (emphasis added). Studying Barth and modernity in a doctoral seminar in Germany (among other things) produced a non-replicable body of research and outlook from McCormack; and the reception of his book on Barth’s development makes an important related point, which Abbott assumes: the non-replicability of library research does not imply that some interactions between reader and text are not qualitively better (in some sense) than others. As with Beiser’s work, McCormack’s work on Barth accredits his opinions, especially on Barth’s theological development, in a way others are not accredited.

This by no means exhausts the riches of Abbott’s article; it was merely a selective overview. I think it would be salutary if we paid more attention to the question of reader internal-data as a requirement for good research. I know doctoral committes and graduate schools must be discussing these things (Abbott mentions in passing PhD qualifying exams).

Does anyone have any thoughts on this?

taken from http://www.ritsumei.ac.jp/eng/international_programs/grad_programs/scholarship_info/application.shtml

Ritsumeikan University takes great pride in its track record as a leader among Japanese private universities in the acceptance of overseas students. With a history of positive evaluation from government affiliated agencies such as the the Japanese Ministry of Education, Science, Sports and Culture (MONBUKAGAKUSHO), World Bank and Asian Development Bank, Ritsumeikan University, as a host university, has established agreements and worked collaboratively with these agencies in recruiting the best students.

Now, Ritsumeikan University will carry out recruitment procedures for each of the following three Host University Recommendation Scholarships:

1. MONBUKAGAKUSHO Scholarship
2. Joint Japan/World Bank Graduate Scholarship Program (JJ/WBGS Program)
3. Asian Development Bank – Japan Scholarship Program (ADB-Japan SP)

for further information: http://www.ritsumei.ac.jp/eng/international_programs/grad_programs/scholarship_info/application.shtml