Robert Siegel, former Dartmouth English professor and award-winning author and poet, died on Dec. 21 at the age of 73. During his time at the College, Siegel could often be found working in Sanborn Library and was "much loved by students and faculty" for his passion and dedication, according to Jay Parini, a former College English professor and Siegel's colleague. Siegel came to Dartmouth in 1967, where he taught literature and creative writing until 1975, according to Lenaye Marsten, Siegel's daughter. After leaving Dartmouth, Siegel taught at the University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, where he was eventually named professor emeritus, according to an obituary written by his children. During his lifetime, Siegel wrote 10 books of poetry and fiction, most notably the children's series "The Whalesong Trilogy." His works have been awarded fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts and the Illinois Council for the Arts. Siegel is survived by his wife of 51 years, three daughters and four grandchildren. A memorial service will take place at Trinity Anglican Church in Rochester, N.H. on April 6, 2013.
A study by job-portal site CareerCast, which concluded that university professors have the least stressful job in America, elicited outrage from many in academia, Inside Higher Ed reported. The study ranked university professors first on the list of "The 10 Least Stressful Jobs in 2013," and considered a variety of factors, ranging from risks of physical danger on the job to the number of deadlines and amount of competition within the profession, according to Inside Higher Ed. Professors criticized the study for failing to include the significant stress that comes from publishing expectations, minimal personal time and budget cut threats. Other surveys of both public and private institutions have shown that faculty members report high stress levels, according to Inside Higher Ed.
A growing number of veterans are using the GI bill to attend elite colleges rather than taking the traditional route of enrolling at community colleges and online institutions, according to The Chronicle of Higher Education. In the past, veterans often felt unwelcome at private college campuses because of the schools' perceived anti-military sentiment. The change is due both to veterans' own initiative and private colleges' improvements in reaching out to talented students from different backgrounds. For example, all Ivy League schools and many elite liberal arts colleges now collaborate with the Marine Corps Leadership Scholar Program, which assists Marines in gaining admission to American universities. Dartmouth was ranked fourth in the Ivy League for veteran enrollment for 2009-2010 and 2012-2013, according to The Chronicle.
