Since the American University in Cairo resumed classes on Feb. 6, several faculty members have contacted administrators to inquire about the establishment of new security measures such as evacuation plans and airport transportation, University President Lisa Anderson said in an e-mail that the University believes there are no longer "significant security issues," according to The Chronicle of Higher Education. Anderson announced it would be assumed that professors who failed to return or communicate their intent to resume teaching had resigned, according to The Chronicle. Since the University reopened, several faculty members expressed safety concerns and anger that financial considerations may have influenced the University's decision to continue teaching, according to The Chronicle. Although the departure of approximately 350 study-abroad students has harmed the University's financial situation, the University reopened so that it is able to continue fulfilling its educational mission and not due to monetary concerns, Anderson said in an interview with The Chronicle.
The number of applications to Ursinus College for the fall semester was deliberately decreased by about a third by a total of 1,700 applicants compared to last year's figures, Ursinus Vice President Richard DiFeliciantonio said in an interview with The New York Times. Unlike other schools that are seeking to attract an increased number of applicants each year, Ursinus consciously made it more difficult for students to apply in an attempt to raise its yield rate, according to The Times. From 2005 to 2010, Ursinus employed direct marketing firm Royall & Company to help increase class sizes. After waiving the application fee and essay requirement, applications nearly tripled. The Ursinus' yield, however, steadily declined from approximately 30 percent in 2005 to 13.5 percent in 2010. By discontinuing its contract with the firm and reinstituting the essay portion of its application, Ursinus officials hope its yield will rise to 16 or 17 percent, The Times reported.
Despite public perceptions that graduates who earn their master's degree in anthropology often leave the field shortly after commencement, over 60 percent of those graduates surveyed in a recent study identify themselves as professional anthropologists, Inside Higher Ed reported. One in five respondents work in academia and approximately 75 percent of those surveyed cite their anthropological degree as a major factor in their career satisfaction, according to the study commissioned by the American Anthropological Association. Because respondents were contacted through anthropological and other relevant interest groups, the sample may overrepresent those who strongly identify with the field, Inside Higher Ed reported.
