15 universities have received subpoenas as part of an ongoing investigation into conflicts of interest between colleges and study abroad providers being conducted by the office of Andrew Cuomo, the New York attorney general, the New York Times reported on Monday. Harvard University, Brown College, Columbia University and Cornell University are among the institutions that received subpoenas. A lawyer speaking for Cuomo's office told The New York Times that the investigators suspect that the schools have "affiliation agreements" with the providers, which often result in higher prices for study abroad programs. The main purpose of the investigation is to create a code of conduct that will regulate the programs and ensure that they directly benefit students.
The high concentration of adjunct and part-time professors on U.S. college campuses is the direct result of a surplus of doctoral titles awarded to graduate students, according to a recent report conducted by a 30 member commission in the state of New York, according to the Associated Press. 45,600 Ph.D titles awarded in 2005-2006 represent a 5.1 percent increase compared to previous years. There is, however, only a limited amount of full-time academic posts available, and an increasing number of recent Ph.D graduates are being hired as part-time professors. This policy is both cheaper and more convenient for many institutions but provides a lower level of academic education, the AP reported.
The Department of Health and Human Services released an audit on Friday charging that the National Institute of Health has, at times, violated federal rules concerning conflicts of interest in its allocation of grants to researchers in academic biomedical research, according to Inside Higher Ed. NIH, the nation's largest provider of research grants, will now be required to send detailed reports on the nature of possible conflicts of interest and possible resolutions in an effort to increase the institute's regulation of grants. NIH called the shift of responsibility for managing financial conflict resolutions from grantee institutions to the federal government "a mistake."
