On Campus Blog

The Pioneer Press and Star Tribune are reporting the University of Minnesota Board of Regents Chairwoman Linda Cohen has confirmed that basketball coach Tubby Smith has been fired. She told them she’d received an 8 a.m. voice message from President Eric Kaler. Stories are here and here. I’ve had a call out to her, so…
I’ve been trying to get confirmation of whether University of Minnesota basketball coach Tubby Smith has been fired — even word on whether the athletics department will hold a press conference. But the media relations folks at the athletic department are letting all calls go to voicemail. And the guy answering the communication department’s main…
CBS says UMN head basketball coach Tubby Smith fired
The crux, as written up by CBS: Smith, who has spent the past six seasons with the Gophers, was fired on Monday afternoon, sources told CBSSports.com. His tenure ends with a 124-81 overall mark and a 46-62 record in Big Ten play. Read the full story here
Colleges’ Latest Offer: Deals More liberal-arts colleges are supplementing their traditional glossy brochures with more pecuniary pitches: Buy seven semesters, get one free. Apply today, get $2,500 cash back. (The Wall Street Journal) AP good for high school, bad for college? I complained recently that college professors too often wrongly dismiss high school teachers as being unsuited to teach…
Just got this press release from the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees on the U’s interim spending report to the legislature. As I expected, they see the U as top heavy. Here’s the full release: Today the University of Minnesota will present the report it commissioned on its management structure to the…
Former Minnesota Gov. Arne Carlson writes in his blog about exploding University of Minnesota executive salaries — and how they compare to those of their state and federal counterparts (if you could call them that). The info isn’t all that new, but the comparisons are striking — and may bear repeating: For instance, when I…
Here’s the final copy of the U’s interim report on its administrative structure and spending, as requested by the legislature. And it has days to spare till its deadline. U officials are scheduled to make a presentation on this at today’s 3 p.m. hearing of the Senate’s higher-ed committee. (It’s in Room 123 at the…
Here’s the slide presentation that University of Minnesota President Eric Kaler made to the House higher-education committee. It’s pretty general. I’ll have the final copy of his detailed report to the legislature in my next post.
In Job Hunt, B-Schools Play Matchmaker After relying for years on assembly line-like interview schedules, career-services offices at some top schools are taking a personalized approach to the student job hunt. (The Wall Street Journal) Harvard Offers Explanation for Search of E-Mail Accounts The university offered a qualified apology for keeping the searches, which refocused attention on…
What's wrong with grading on a curve?
A while back, I interviewed University of Minnesota Ph.D. student Trent Kays to get his opinion on massive open online courses, or MOOCs. His voice is back — in USA Today, this time on his dislike of the grading curve: “… The grading curve is symptomatic of insignificant pedagogical training. In the 21st century, the…