The University of Michigan Board of Regents passed a new policy on Thursday extending the "maximum allowable pre-tenure probationary period" for professors from eight to 10 years, Insider Higher Ed reported. The Senate Assembly the faculty's governing body voted 54-1 against the plan at a meeting in January and expressed concern that the extension would lead to increased tenure requirements. The Board, however, voted to extend the probationary timeline because faculty members often require a longer time to accumulate a body of research as academia becomes increasingly interdisciplinary, University of Michigan Provost Phil Hanlon said in an interview with Inside Higher Ed. Hanlon also cited decreasing grant funding and shifting demographics among faculty members as reasons for the new policy. Although all schools will be allowed to extend the probationary period, the governing body of each institution will determine whether or not to change its current policy, Inside Higher Ed reported.
In an attempt to diversify its foreign language offerings amid state budget cuts, the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education will offer online Arabic courses at its 14 colleges and universities, Inside Higher Ed reported. The newly-created Arabic major will consist of 30 credits, 18 of which will be earned online, John Cencich, dean of graduate studies and research at California University of Pennsylvania, said in an interview with Inside Higher Ed. The remaining 12 credits will be earned through study-abroad programs or internships that promote immersion. Critics of the proposal have argued that language degrees should not be awarded for predominantly online programs since language education requires face-to-face interaction, Inside Higher Ed reported.
The Aspen Institute named the 120 community colleges eligible to receive part of its first $1 million prize on Monday, The Chronicle of Higher Education reported. President Barack Obama announced the creation of the Aspen Institute Prize for Community College Excellence which recognizes two-year educational institutions that demonstrate excellent student-completion rates and work-force success among graduates at the White House Summit on Community Colleges in October 2010. The Aspen Institute hopes the chosen colleges will serve as models for improving two-year education across the United States, Joshua Wyner, the executive director of the College Excellence Program, said in an interview with The Chronicle. The institute will announce the final prize winner, which will receive $700,000, and two to three runners-up, which will split the remainder of the prize money, in December, The Chronicle reported.
