VaHigherEd.com

The Charlottesville Daily Progress has an interesting story today about an engineering professor at the University of Virginia who is using Web 2.0 technology in his teaching and has been awarded a half-million-dollar grant to continue his work.

[UVA engineering professor Ed]Berger’s experiments with Web 2.0 technologies - meaning blogs, podcasts, wikis, video, RSS feeds and more - may be the future of higher education. His efforts have been awarded a three-year $500,000 grant from the National Science Foundation to continue exploring the effectiveness of interactive Web-based technology in the college classroom.

Just like the laptop computers being issued to students in middle school, technology seems to be up-ending the teaching process.  Nostalgia makes that scary for parents and grandparents.  But one of Berger’s fellow instructors says shaking up the process may be a good thing:

“The exciting thing is that developments in technology can act as an agent of change for teaching and learning,” said [Walter]Heinecke.  “Traditionally we have not spent much time examining the processes of teaching that can occur in post-secondary institutions. We have simply accepted a 19th-century transmission model.”

It will be fascinating to see where these technological tools take education.

Posted by Jeff Kraus

First District Congressional Race

Governor Tim Kaine has set a special election for Tuesday, December 11 for the voters in the First Congressional District to select a successor to the late U. S. Rep. Jo Ann Davis. Republicans have indicated that they will nominate a candidate at a convention which will be held on November 17 at Gloucester High School. No Democrat has yet announced his or her intention to seek the Congressional seat.

Because voting machines will not be available so soon after the November general election, voters will cast old-fashioned paper ballots on December 11. The First Congressional District includes all or a portion of 18 counties (Caroline, Essex, Fauquier, Gloucester, James City, King and Queen, King George, King William, Lancaster, Mathews, Middlesex, Northumberland, Prince William, Richmond, Spotsylvania, Stafford, Westmoreland, and York) and all or a portion of five cities (Fredericksburg, Hampton, Newport News, Poquoson, and Williamsburg).

Chuck Davis, the widower of the late Congresswoman, has announced his intent to run for the seat. Other Republicans include former Del. Richard H. Black (formerly of Loudoun County) and Del. Robert Wittman, of Westmoreland.

U. S. Senate Seat

Congressman Thomas M. Davis, III announced this week that he will not seek election for the U. S. Senate seat being vacated by Senator John Warner. Warner announced on August 31 that he would not seek re-election, and his retirement will be effective January 9, 2009. Former Governor Mark R. Warner announced his candidacy for the Senate seat on September 13.

Likely facing former Governor Warner for the Senate seat will be former Governor James S. Gilmore, III. Gilmore has not formally announced his candidacy, but is expected to do so after the November 6 election. For more information on the upcoming battle of the former governors, see today’s Times-Dispatch article.

Posted by Ellen Davenport

Blue Ridge Community College has received some innovative and unlikely national publicity — on the back of a Kellogg’s Corn Flakes cereal box (shown, left). A sponsor of the national SIFE organization, Kellogg’s is featuring the BRCC team and its national award on the back of its cereal boxes.

Earlier this year, Blue Ridge’s SIFE team - Students In Free Enterprise -received the 2007 National Championship award from the SIFE organization in its two-year college division. 

They are national winners for their service projects to improve the environment and encourage entrepreneurship. You can read about some of their current projects in the Staunton News Leader.

Students in this award-winning club are changing lives, and changing the world.  Just ask everyone eating their corn flakes this morning.

Posted by Susan Hayden

Throughout this blog, we try to post items that demonstrate what a difference higher education is making for both individuals and communities.  With that in mind, this posting is perfect for a Friday.

A story in today’s edition of USA Today explores a survey that counts how many people believe in things like ghosts, UFOs and people who promise, “the check’s in the mail.”  (Okay, I made up that last one.)

But what popped out at us at VaHighedEd.com was this poll result:

Those who find credibility in ESP are more likely to be better educated — 51% of college graduates compared to 37% with a high school diploma or less.

Overall, the 48% who accept ESP is less than the 66% who gave that answer to a similar 1996 Newsweek question.

So, if you have a college degree, you are more likely to believe in ESP?  I have no idea what that means, even though I have ESPN.  

If you have ESP, could you kindly email me the winning numbers to the next drawing of the Virginia Lottery?  Thanks.

Posted by Jeff Kraus

Wow.  Who would have thought after my last blog, “Wine country … on the east coast?” Virginia would have made national news today on cnn.com for its increasingly popular wine industry.

Virginia is the fifth in the nation in the number of wineries.  It’s also among the fastest-growing wine-producing states, according to tax figures from the U.S. Department of Treasury.

We as a state over the past three years have put a much greater emphasis on wine,” said Tamra Talmadge-Anderson, a Virginia tourism spokeswoman.  Visitors who include a Virginia winery on their trips spend twice as much per person than the average traveler, $299 vs. $129, according to a state toursim department study.

Piedmont Virginia Community College’s Viticulture and Enology program is gaining international attention.  Valerie Palamountain, Dean of Workforce Development at PVCC said,

We have students not only from Virginia, but from other states and countries.  In 2006, we had a class of students from South Africa.  This year, we have a student from Germany.  Our Viticulture and Enology program attracts students who are interested in starting a career in wine, as well as students who want to learn more about wine.  The best part about our program is that the students get to meet vineyard owners, managers and winemakers who have experience in the industry.  It’s a wonderful opportunity for our students to meet experts in the field.”

Click here for more information about PVCC’s Viticulture and Enology program.   

The Daily Press of Newport News has written another story on the true tuition and fees at Virginia’s Community Colleges and the erroneous numbers published by the College Board.

This is a follow up to the Daily Press’s original story.   

The stories, which claim that Virginia community college tuition is up 8% and the commonwealth’s four-year institutions have increased tuition by 7%, are all based on this press release from the nonprofit College Board.  The release is based on the College Board’s Annual Survey, which includes this disclaimer on page 15:

Data on individual states should be interpreted with caution because of the possible impact of reporting errors and missing data.

That’s a helpful disclaimer because the numbers they report for tution and fees at Virginia’s Community Colleges are inaccurate.  Those rates are established by the State Board for Community Colleges and were last set in March.

Further, the State Council for Higher Education in Virginia (SCHEV) is required by state law to accurately report the tuition of all of Virginia’s public colleges and universities.  They did that over the summer.  You can read their news release, or actually read the entire report, which includes this in it’s key findings:

The average (mean) increase for in-state undergraduate tuition and mandatory E&G fees from 2006-07 to 2007-08 is 6.4% at four-year institutions, 5.3% at two-year institutions (6.0% at the VCCS) and 6.3% at all institution levels.

Posted by Jeff Kraus

Usually, when you hear about “wine country,” people are referring to Napa or Sonoma Valley in California. However, more and more wineries on the east coast, specifically in Virginia, are gaining in popularity and reputation.

Did you know that Virginia was the first place in North America where English settlers deliberately set out to produce wine? Neither did I.

In 1979, Virginia had only six wineries

Virginia can tout more than 100 wineries, along with national and international awards, including a “Best of Show” in a California competition.

More than 500,000 people visit Virginia’s Wine Country, annually. My personal favorites include Kluge and Veritas, located in the central region of Virginia.

In May 2007, Piedmont Virginia Community College’s Division of Workforce Training’s Wine Industry program helped facilitate a wine tasting round at White Hall Vineyards to determine which wines would represent Virginia at a historic wine tasting in London, England. More than 88 wines from 33 Virginia wineries were submitted with 65 high-quality wines selected for the London event. The theme at the Virginia Wine Experience in London was “Virginia, First in Wine” – a reference to both the history and quality of Virginia’s wine.

Piedmont Virginia Community College offers certificate programs in viticulture and enology. Click here for more information about their programs.

Posted by Heather Millar

A story in today’s edition of the Virginian Pilot tells how you can make a free video conference call to a family member serving in Iraq from Tidewater Community College:

TCC’s Chesapeake campus and the Freedom Calls Foundation will provide military families with Internet and satellite video-conferencing services between Hampton Roads and American military bases in Iraq.

For more information, e-mail TCC at freedomcalls@tcc.edu or call (757) 822-1122.

The article doesn’t say, but a good place to begin the process of signing up for a call may be this link.  You can also learn more about the process by reading TCC’s press release announcing the calls.

Posted by Jeff Kraus 

Rock star?  Political activist?  I guess your first thought when someone says Bono’s name reveals something about you- especially your age.

But if you want to rock out Bono’s sense of fashion, you have only to go to Tidewater Community College’s bookstore, according to an article in today’s Virginian Pilot.

Tidewater Community College [has] partnered with Barnes & Noble and edun LIVE, a company founded by U2 superstar Bono and his wife, Ali Hewson, to offer T-shirts made from cotton produced in sub-saharan Africa. Bono and Hewson started edun LIVE earlier this year to create jobs in Africa. Barnes & Noble is selling the T-shirts in 650 college bookstores, including its NSU and TCC stores in Hampton Roads. The colleges imprint the shirts with their logos.

How popular will the organically-grown cotton T-shirts be?  Time will tell.  But it seems like the “millenials” - the trendy word for the current generation of college-age students - are willing to make social causes a priority when making fashion choices.

Rykia Lovick, 21, is a Tidewater Community College student. “I feel like we don’t help Africa like we help other countries. We’re always willing to help someone else, so these shirts are good.”

If you want to learn more about the edun LIVE company, you can check out their website.

Posted by Jeff Kraus

Over the last few days, members of the Senate Finance Committee and the House Appropriations Committee have come to Richmond to be briefed on the September revenue report and receive an overview of the Governor’s budget reduction plan.  During the House Appropriations Committee meeting on Oct. 15, a spirited exchange occurred over the Governor’s  plans to close the $641 million budget shortfall in the current biennium with $300.3 million in budget reductions and other measures including up to $303 million from the Revenue Stabilization or “Rainy Day Fund.”

Any use of the “Rainy Day Fund” must be approved by the General Assembly.  Speaker of the House William Howell and House Appropriations Committee Chair Vincent Callahan had issued a joint press release last week regarding a letter written by Callahan to the Governor and a memorandum from Appropriations staff director Robert Vaughn to Appropriations Committee members.  The correspondence  questioned why $170 million in carry forward dollars had not been used to balance the budget shortfall, and suggested that it could be used to reduce potential reliance on the “Rainy Day Fund.”  Coverage of the meetings is contained in stories from the Times-Dispatch, Daily Press, and Washington Post.

The $170 million carryforward list includes projects and commitments by many of Virginia’s higher education institutions, as legally allowed under the higher education restructuring act which passed the General Assembly in 2005. 

The Senate Finance Committee met today and Senate members had few questions about the Governor’s budget reductions and the September revenue report. 

Reconciling the budget shortfall will be done via the Governor’s “caboose” bill for 2006-2008, which will be released at the same time as the Governor’s biennial budget for 2008-2010, on December 17.  State agencies and higher education institutions are currently completing budget submissions for the next biennium.  Meanwhile, the Governor’s Advisory Board of Economists will be meeting this month to put together the economic forecast upon which 2008-2010 biennial budget revenues will be based.

Posted by Ellen Davenport