June 20, 2006
INSIDE HIGHER ED AND THE CHRONICLE OF HIGHER EDUCATION: ADMISSIONS REVOLUTION
Earlham's Doug Bennett joined presidents of Amherst, Barnard, Bates, Grinnell, Pitzer, Reed, Swarthmore and Williams Colleges and Drew University in New York City on June 15 to discuss revolutionary changes in the college admissions process proposed by Lloyd Thacker, author and founder of the Education Conservancy. "I think this is the right initiative at the right time," said Bennett in Inside Higher Ed. "A lot of us feel like we are in a little bit of a swamp in the admissions world right now and we're trying to get to a place where there are ethical practices guiding admissions." Regarding the same conference, an article in the June 20 edition of The Chronicle of Higher Education (subscription site) mentions that many of the leaders at the conference expressed concern over acting collectively to change the culture of admissions due to antitrust laws that have limited college collaboration in the past. "The threat of antitrust has had a chilling effect on the possibility of discussions like the one we had in New York," said Bennett. "I think our meeting shows a willingness on the part of some colleges to see if there are ways we can work on changing that." Officials from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, the Christian A. Johnson Foundation, and the Spencer Foundation also were involved in the dialogue.
June 12, 2006
Statesman Journal: Parents Inspired by Late Daughter’s Work in Zambia
As reported by Joseph de Avila of the Statesman Journal (Salem, Ore.), Linda and Gerald Bowers are carrying on the “vision” of their daughter Elizabeth Bowers ‘01 after she lost her life in 2002 to a head injury sustained in a bicycle accident. At the time of her death, Elizabeth was “working to improve life in poverty-stricken Zambia” as a volunteer in the Peace Corps. Elizabeth’s parents, who see themselves as “the stewards for her legacy,” created the Elizabeth Bowers Zambia Education Fund, which provides scholarships for young women in Lumwana West, the village where Elizabeth volunteered. The fund has provided scholarships for 63 women in grades eight through 12 since its inception, and the Bowers will travel to Lumwana West in August for the opening of the village’s first library, dedicated to Elizabeth’s memory. For more information on the Elizabeth Bowers Zambia Education Fund, visit www.bethsgirls.org.
June 07, 2006
Mr. Joya Goes to Washington
Third-year student Jawad Joya ‘08, from Kabul, Afghanistan, will serve as a Capitol intern this summer in the office of U.S. Senator Evan Bayh (D-Ind.) — just weeks after meeting in Kabul with advisers to Afghan President Hamid Karzai.
June 01, 2006
Senior Selected for Oldest Student Cultural Exchange
Risa Abe ‘07 will be part of an intense, month-long examination of the future of the U.S.-Japan relationship “in a global framework” during the 58th annual Japan-America Student Conference (JASC). Held in alternate years at various locations in the U.S. and Japan, the conference is the world’s oldest bilateral, student-run cultural exchange.