U.S. Public and Private Higher Education
News releases, reports, statements and associated documents from public, private and community colleges in the U.S.
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University of Memphis School of Public Health Offering Dual Enrollment to High School Students to Address Today's Public Health Challenges
MEMPHIS, Tennessee, Sept. 30 -- The University of Memphis issued the following news release on Sept. 29, 2023:
The School of Public Health at the University of Memphis recently launched an initiative to empower high school students in the Memphis community and beyond to solve public health challenges facing communities today.
The initiative is among the first of its kind in the country
Following the 2022 rollout of its pilot project REAIM, which serves as a model for public health education in high schools, this semester the School of Public Health introduced a public health dual-enrollment
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MEMPHIS, Tennessee, Sept. 30 -- The University of Memphis issued the following news release on Sept. 29, 2023:
The School of Public Health at the University of Memphis recently launched an initiative to empower high school students in the Memphis community and beyond to solve public health challenges facing communities today.
The initiative is among the first of its kind in the country
Following the 2022 rollout of its pilot project REAIM, which serves as a model for public health education in high schools, this semester the School of Public Health introduced a public health dual-enrollmentopportunity for high school juniors and seniors. The initiative is among the first of its kind in the country.
"This profession is for every student interested in how public health significantly shapes our daily lives and how they can be part of the next generation of leaders in this rapidly growing field to improve the health and well-being of others," said Dr. Ashish Joshi, dean of the School of Public Health.
The field of public health is vital to educate the next generation of interdisciplinary public health leaders who can influence population health around the world. Fulfilling that societal need, this dual-enrollment program allows high school students to take college courses at the School of Public Health. Students who later attend the University of Memphis and declare their undergraduate major within the School of Public Health will have the option to apply the credits earned from these courses toward their bachelor's degree.
High school students participating in the public health dual-enrollment program can complete classes in Environmental and Climate Health; Social Determinants and Health Disparities; Health Data Analytics and Informatics; Global Health Crises and Milestones; and Public Health in Action.
This fall an inaugural cohort of nearly 80 high school students across three schools have been enrolled in the public health dual-enrollment program.
Under the REAIM initiative, Joshi plans to establish a Public Health Club for high school students. (REAIM stands for Research, Entrepreneurship, Analytics, Informatics and Management.)
Joshi emphasized that this ground-breaking initiative aims to instill leadership and educational advancement among students to solve public-health challenges of the 21st century in local, regional and global settings.
"Dual enrollment and student clubs both offer a tremendously exciting opportunity to engage more high school students in pressing public health matters," said UM Provost David Russomanno. "Such engagement will not only provide a means to attract more students to professions in public health through baccalaureate degree completion, but also provide relevant education and experiences for students to immediately contribute to the public health workforce. It is wonderful to see the School of Public Health at the University Memphis as a national leader in this area of need."
In addition to the dual-enrollment program, high school students can participate in the Interdisciplinary Public Health Certificate program, allowing them to explore the field of public health, further their education and have the option to transfer earned credits towards a bachelor's degree. The Interdisciplinary Public Health Certificate program is fully online and interactive, delivering experiential learning to high school and undergraduate students around the world.
This dual-enrollment model can cultivate opportunities for public health-oriented partnerships between high schools and universities, prepare young adults for the public-health pipeline and ultimately reduce health inequities in our highest-need communities.
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Original text here: https://www.memphis.edu/mediaroom/releases/2023/september/public-health-offering-dual-enrollment.php
Traditional Undergraduate and Graduate Enrollment Strong at Fresno Pacific University
FRESNO, California, Sept. 30 -- Fresno Pacific University issued the following news:
A healthy increase in traditional undergraduate students for 2023-24 is a heartening sign for Fresno Pacific University.
Success among traditional undergraduates (TUG)--generally those 18-22 years of age coming to FPU straight out of high school or transferring from community college--and graduate students lessen the impact of a decline in bachelor's degree completion students (DC).
The TUG figure is historic. "This significant enrollment increase marks the end of a 10-year decline in traditional undergraduate
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FRESNO, California, Sept. 30 -- Fresno Pacific University issued the following news:
A healthy increase in traditional undergraduate students for 2023-24 is a heartening sign for Fresno Pacific University.
Success among traditional undergraduates (TUG)--generally those 18-22 years of age coming to FPU straight out of high school or transferring from community college--and graduate students lessen the impact of a decline in bachelor's degree completion students (DC).
The TUG figure is historic. "This significant enrollment increase marks the end of a 10-year decline in traditional undergraduateenrollment--a milestone to celebrate!" said Brad Camilleri, vice president of enrollment management.
TUG enrollment is up 10% for a total of 827 in 2023, and the number of graduate students, FPU's largest population, is up 1% to 1,305 (of whom 110 are enrolled at Fresno Pacific Biblical Seminary). Of those TUG students, 786 are full time and 24 are part time. DC decreased 21% to 787 students. Overall enrollment for the fall of 2023-24 is 2,919, 4% below the same time in 2022-23, when total enrollment was 3,029: 749 TUG, 992 DC and 1,288 grad (111 seminary).
Students in TUG and seminary programs study at the main FPU campus at 1717 S. Chestnut Ave., Fresno. DC and non-seminary grad students attend class at one of four regional campuses in Merced, North Fresno, Visalia and Bakersfield.
Looking toward improvement ahead
A look at how many credits each student is taking (known as full time equivalency or FTE) also provide cause for optimism. "This creates a more accurate comparison year to year," Camilleri said.
Over the past two years, in the fall of 2022 and 2021, FTE at FPU decreased by 16% and 18% from the prior year, respectively. For 2023, however, FTE is only 1% below last year (the equivalent of only 25 fewer students).
"This means we have succeeded in stopping the rapid FTE decline we have experienced since 2020," he said. "We should celebrate this reality and build upon it. We need to continue this momentum in the coming year to see enrollment growth in the spring and fall of 2024." Headcounts over this time parallel this trend.
Strategies for future success
FPU admission staffs have plans for further growth. "In the traditional undergraduate area, our best opportunity is to improve our service to incoming transfer students. We believe we can improve our transfer-friendliness this year," Camilleri said.
Degree completion has seen the most significant decline since 2019, thanks in large part to enrollment declines at community colleges, which are the source of most DC students. "We must renew our programs and the accompanying student services to create a coherent and clear path of study for the adult students of the Central Valley," he said. "This is our greatest opportunity to meet the needs of our incredible adult students."
While graduate and seminary enrollment grew in FTE as well as in headcount, there is always room for improvement. Currently leading the way are programs in business and education, including school psychology and school counseling, but "FPU has other programs that present opportunities for growth if we can streamline our processes, services and offerings," Camilleri said. The M.A. in Marriage and Family Therapy (MFT) program continues to lead seminary enrollment.
Fresno Pacific University remains committed to creating academic and cocurricular programs, policies and services that serve the students of the Central Valley. "We are uniquely positioned to advance the Kingdom of God in Bakersfield, Visalia, Fresno and Merced and all the communities in the Valley and beyond," Camilleri said.
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Original text here: https://news.fresno.edu/article/09/29/2023/traditional-undergraduate-and-graduate-enrollment-strong-fresno-pacific
Roosevelt University: The 2023 American Dream Reconsidered Conference Will Focus on Reproductive Rights and Classroom Curricula
CHICAGO, Illinois, Sept. 30 -- Roosevelt University issued the following news:
Reproductive rights, classroom curricula and black female activism will be some of the topics discussed at the 2023 American Dream Reconsidered Conference, held on October 16-18. Hosted on the Roosevelt University Loop Campus and adjoining Auditorium Theatre, the three-day event will bring scholars, activists and artists together to address the persistent inequities facing many Americans. The public is invited to attend panels, documentary screenings and photography exhibitions.
"Mind, Body and the American Dream"
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CHICAGO, Illinois, Sept. 30 -- Roosevelt University issued the following news:
Reproductive rights, classroom curricula and black female activism will be some of the topics discussed at the 2023 American Dream Reconsidered Conference, held on October 16-18. Hosted on the Roosevelt University Loop Campus and adjoining Auditorium Theatre, the three-day event will bring scholars, activists and artists together to address the persistent inequities facing many Americans. The public is invited to attend panels, documentary screenings and photography exhibitions.
"Mind, Body and the American Dream"is the theme for this year's conference, and the emphasis will be on how bodily autonomy and expression are under threat in the spheres of healthcare, education and athletics.
"We're an academic institution that is nominally focused on enriching the mind, but the human body and the politics that dictate the ownership and expression of it are very rich topics to discuss and are fundamental to what we consider the 'American Dream,'" says conference organizer and Roosevelt history professor Margaret Rung. "This year will be an excellent mix of academics and artists."
This year's panels will be "The State and the Body: Reproductive Justice and the American Dream,"--which will focus on the threats towards reproductive health after Rove v. Wade was overturned by the U.S. Supreme Court in 2022--and "Carrying the Light: Mary McLeod Bethune and Black Women's Activism." Bethune was a womanist and civil rights advocate in the 1930s who served as an advisor to First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt and President Franklin Roosevelt. A virtual panel titled "Curriculum Wars: The Battle to Control our Schools" will explore how polarization in American politics has impacted what is taught in public schools.
Other conference events will include an exhibition of pictures from New Deal-era photographer Arthur Rothstein, a multidisciplinary CCPA performance titled "The Embodied Performer" and a screening of The Loyola Project documentary. Followed by a filmmaker discussion moderated by Roosevelt men's basketball coach Dee Brown, the documentary mixed-race 1963 Loyola Ramblers basketball team facing segregation during the height of the Civil Rights Era.
The conference is free and open to the public. View the entire schedule here (https://americandreamconference.com/conference-schedule/).
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Original text here: https://www.roosevelt.edu/stories/news/2023-american-dream-reconsidered-conference-will-focus-reproductive-rights-and
NDSU President Cook Emphasizes Success, Goals During State of the University Address
FARGO, North Dakota, Sept. 30 -- North Dakota State University issued the following news:
NDSU President David Cook outlined the work completed on his top priorities and discussed university goals for the future during his annual State of the University Address on Friday, Sept. 29, in Festival Concert Hall.
Cook, who became NDSU's 15th president last year, opened by sharing his gratitude to faculty, staff, students and alumni for helping him along the way.
"I'll say something I say quite a bit, I'm genuinely, deeply honored and privileged and proud to be the president of North Dakota State University.
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FARGO, North Dakota, Sept. 30 -- North Dakota State University issued the following news:
NDSU President David Cook outlined the work completed on his top priorities and discussed university goals for the future during his annual State of the University Address on Friday, Sept. 29, in Festival Concert Hall.
Cook, who became NDSU's 15th president last year, opened by sharing his gratitude to faculty, staff, students and alumni for helping him along the way.
"I'll say something I say quite a bit, I'm genuinely, deeply honored and privileged and proud to be the president of North Dakota State University.It's probably the hardest job I've ever done and the most rewarding job I've ever done."
Cook highlighted the ongoing work within his first year on the five key areas that allign with NDSU's strategic plan. They include:
* Enhancing enrollment, retention and student success
* Prioritizing NDSU's R-1 Carnegie classification
* Investing in the well-being of the people across the NDSU community
* Building a stronger culture of diversity, inclusion and respect
* Embracing NDSU's critical role as a land-grant university
Moving forward, Cook wants to focus on three investment priorities that include:
* Investing in the student experience
* Investing in faculty
* Investing in partnerships for research
"We did a ton of hard work last year. Part of this is you kind of have to grind, you have to dig, you have to dig a little deeper and sometimes you have take a step back or two to really transform where we need to go in five and 10 and 15 years, and that's really hard. But I think if we can come together we have an awesome plan to get there," Cook said.
Cook also announced Norma Peltier, the wife of Joe Peltier, a 1951 NDSU graduate with bachelor's degrees in education administration and mathematics, will receive an honorary doctorate during the winter commencement ceremony on Friday, Dec. 15, at the Sanford Health Athletic Complex.
The Peltier family has long supported NDSU through philanthropy, including the establishment of the Peltier Innovation in Teaching Award and several student scholarships.
"People know this, but the Peltier name is synonymous with NDSU," Cook said. "You've got a bunch of family members that are all graduates of NDSU and a long list of ways in which the Peltier family has impacted this institution, impacted our students."
NDSU's agricultural products development center currently under construction will be named the Peltier Complex. The complex will be NDSU's largest academic facility and honors one of the region's most long standing supporters of teaching, research and extension in agriculture.
The Peltier family made philanthropic gifts to support the private fundraising portion of the project, which partnered with the North Dakota Legislature to complete the overall financing package.
Cook recognized NDSU alumni John R. Klai II, who died on Sept. 2. Klai, a native of Osnabrock, North Dakota, earned his bachelor's degree in architectural studies from NDSU in 1977, and Bachelor of Architecture in 1978.
After graduation, Klai moved to Las Vegas where he started his career expanding Caesars Palace and its signature brand. In 1995, Klai and fellow NDSU alumnus, Dan Juba, founded their firm, Klai Juba Architects, now Klai Juba Wald architecture + interiors, and led the design, development and expansion of many Las Vegas icons, including Mandalay Bay, MGM Grand, Luxor, Hard Rock, Planet Hollywood and the LINQ, as well as projects that expanded economies of communities across the country.
In 2007, one of NDSU's downtown Fargo buildings was named Klai Hall. Klai received an Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters, NDSU's highest honor, in 2018.
"He's been an amazing person to our students, to our faculty being a philanthropist, caring deeply about this institution," Cook said. "We're very proud of all that he's done for us, so we will miss you, John."
Watch Cook's full address on the President's website (https://www.ndsu.edu/president/communication/).
As a student-focused, land-grant, research university, we serve our citizens.
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Original text here: https://www.ndsu.edu/news/ndsu-president-cook-emphasizes-success-goals-during-state-university-address
MU's Fall Convocation Provides Personal Look Into Diversity, Equity, Inclusion
FAYETTEVILLE, North Carolina, Sept. 30 -- Methodist University issued the following news release on Sept. 29, 2023:
As Methodist University dives into its 67th year of existence, important topics are brought to the spotlight. Today, they were diversity, equity, and inclusion.
Hundreds of students, faculty, and staff filled Huff Concert Hall on Friday morning for the University's Fall Convocation - an annual event that welcomes students while promoting the endeavors of the University.
"We are called by our Methodist University mission to explore virtue, truth, love, and justice," said MU Provost
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FAYETTEVILLE, North Carolina, Sept. 30 -- Methodist University issued the following news release on Sept. 29, 2023:
As Methodist University dives into its 67th year of existence, important topics are brought to the spotlight. Today, they were diversity, equity, and inclusion.
Hundreds of students, faculty, and staff filled Huff Concert Hall on Friday morning for the University's Fall Convocation - an annual event that welcomes students while promoting the endeavors of the University.
"We are called by our Methodist University mission to explore virtue, truth, love, and justice," said MU ProvostDr. Suzanne Blum Malley. "As we're working towards making our campus a place of belonging and inclusivity, we're also working towards understanding ourselves and the people around us. In that vein, it's important that we explore that through the lenses of diversity, equity, and inclusion."
This year's Fall Convocation featured guest speaker Dr. Derek Greenfield, vice president for Inclusive Excellence, Campus Culture, and Academic Engagement at Harris Stowe State University in St. Louis. Greenfield has more than 30 years of experience in higher education. His work has even led him to receive numerous awards and citations, and he also completed a prestigious post as a Kellogg Fellow.
Greenfield's passionate and interactive message centered around promoting diversity and creating inclusive excellence.
"Today is the start of the rest of your life," said Greenfield. "We can begin by building a community here at Methodist University where everyone knows that they belong. When the world's weight is lifted off of your shoulders and you know people accept you for who you are, you can run faster and jump higher. You can be the best version of who you are. That's what we need to do here at Methodist University."
Many of the students, faculty, and staff connected with Greenfield's one-of-a-kind speech that featured poems, in-depth stories, and most of all, active participation from the audience.
On multiple occasions, Greenfield asked the MU community to take part in various activities such as pairing up with someone they have never met to learn more about them, joining a randomly selected student to sing "Lean on Me," and even asking the audience to share their personal stories.
"When people bring different perspectives and different ideas, we're smarter and better together," he said. "There's so much work for us to do, but when we share stories with one another, research shows that our brain waves become similar. Empathy happens when we hear from each other."
Greenfield then asked the MU community to go around, find a couple of people, and tell them how appreciated they are - concluding this year's Fall Convocation with a round of hugs and gratitude.
Methodist University was recently ranked the No. 1 Most Diverse University in North Carolina and has a dedicated Student, Belonging & Inclusion team and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Office.
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Original text here: https://www.methodist.edu/news/mus-fall-convocation-provides-personal-look-into-diversity-equity-inclusion/
Heidelberg University: Did Animal Evolution Begin With a Predatory Lifestyle?
HEIDELBERG, Germany, Sept. 30 (TNSres) -- Heidelberg University issued the following news release:
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New research findings on Aiptasia sea anemones point to early evolutionary events in multicellular organisms
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Were the first animals predators or filter feeders like the sponges living in today's oceans? And what role did symbiosis with algae play, as with reef-building corals? Surprising findings by a research group led by Prof. Dr Thomas W. Holstein of Heidelberg University on the development of sea anemones suggest that a predatory lifestyle moulded their evolution and had a significant
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HEIDELBERG, Germany, Sept. 30 (TNSres) -- Heidelberg University issued the following news release:
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New research findings on Aiptasia sea anemones point to early evolutionary events in multicellular organisms
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Were the first animals predators or filter feeders like the sponges living in today's oceans? And what role did symbiosis with algae play, as with reef-building corals? Surprising findings by a research group led by Prof. Dr Thomas W. Holstein of Heidelberg University on the development of sea anemones suggest that a predatory lifestyle moulded their evolution and had a significantimpact on the origin of their nervous system. The researchers were able to show that the young life stages (larvae) of the small sea anemone Aiptasia actively feed on living prey and are not dependent on algae. To capture its prey, the anemone larvae use specialised stinging cells and a simple neuronal network.
In the early embryonic development of multicellular organisms, gastrulation plays a key role. "In its simplest form, the gastrula develops from a hollow sphere of cells, the blastula, forming a larval stage with gut and mouth; imagine pushing a ball inwards at one side. All animals pass through this gastrula stage, which could also have existed at the beginning of animal evolution," explains Prof. Holstein, a development and evolutionary biologist at the Centre for Organismal Studies (COS) at Ruperto Carola. Ira Magele, a member of his research group, succeeded in proving that already in the late gastrula stage, the larvae of the Aiptasia sea anemone capture prey of suitable size with their stinging cells, ingest them with their mouth and digest them in their primitive gut.
The Aiptasia sea anemone is a model system for research on endosymbiosis in corals and other cnidarians. "Corals live in nutrient-poor waters and as larvae or young polyps, take up symbiotic algae cells. In Aiptasia, however, this process is important for adults but does not lead to growth and settlement of the larvae, suggesting that nutrition is a critical step in closing the life cycle," states Thomas Holstein. Laboratory studies of the nutritional conditions showed that the food for the tiny Aiptasia larvae had to be small enough and alive. Nauplius larvae of Tisbe copepods, 50 to 80 micrometres small, are of similar size to Aiptasia larvae, making them an ideal food.
The larvae increase continually and rapidly in size, followed by settlement on the substrate and metamorphosis into primary polyps. "In this way, we were able to grow mature polyps as well as their descendants for the first time," explains Ira Magele. Dr Elizabeth Hambleton, a participating researcher from the University of Vienna (Austria), stresses: "By thus closing the life cycle of Aiptasia, it will finally be possible to carry out necessary molecular genetic experiments required for functional studies on this key endosymbiotic model organism". Prof. Dr Annika Guse from Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich, also a study co-author, views this experimental approach as a breakthrough for work on this model system.
As Prof. Holstein underscores, the data obtained paint a new picture of the predatory lifestyle as a primary characteristic of the cnidarian gastrula. Evolutionary theorist Ernst Haeckel (1834 to 1919) first posed the "gastrula hypothesis". "But Haeckel's hypothetical gastrula was a particle-filtering life form, like sponges. In contrast, the predatory gastrula of Aiptasia and other cnidarians possess specialised stinging cells used for capturing prey." The predatory lifestyle of gastrula-like forms with extrusive organelles that excrete toxins and are likewise found in single-celled organisms and simple worms, adds the Heidelberg biologist, could have been a critical driver of the early evolution of multicellular organisms and the development of complex, organised nervous systems.
The results of the study were published in the journal PNAS. Funding was provided by the German Research Foundation as part of Heidelberg University's "Mechanisms and Functions of Wnt Signaling" Collaborative Research Centre as well as the ERC Consolidator Grant "SYMCELLS - Resolving the molecular mechanisms of intracellular coral-algal symbiosis" led by Prof. Guse.
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JOURNAL: PNAS https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2311872120
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Original text here: https://www.uni-heidelberg.de/en/newsroom/did-animal-evolution-begin-with-a-predatory-lifestyle
Carnegie Mellon: Cagan Presents Future of AI-Human Teaming at Congressional Briefing
PITTSBURGH, Pennsylvania, Sept. 30 -- Carnegie Mellon University issued the following news:
On Sept. 27, Carnegie Mellon University's Jon Cagan served as the moderator during a congressional briefing entitled, "AI and National STEM Workforce Development Needs," at the Hart Senate Office Building in Washington, D.C.
The panel conversation, organized by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, and the Senate AI Caucus, focused on opportunities and challenges regarding artificial intelligence and machine learning in the workforce, including
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PITTSBURGH, Pennsylvania, Sept. 30 -- Carnegie Mellon University issued the following news:
On Sept. 27, Carnegie Mellon University's Jon Cagan served as the moderator during a congressional briefing entitled, "AI and National STEM Workforce Development Needs," at the Hart Senate Office Building in Washington, D.C.
The panel conversation, organized by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, and the Senate AI Caucus, focused on opportunities and challenges regarding artificial intelligence and machine learning in the workforce, includingtechnology development, training and education.
Cagan, professor and head of CMU's Department of Mechanical Engineering, talked specifically about AI-human collaboration and the impact AI has on team dynamics.
"AI can be a tool, a partner, and a guide for engineering teams," Cagan explained. "For example, we've found that AI-guided teams substantially improve their problem-solving process, resulting in significantly better outcomes. They enable people to think and act more strategically. At the same time, AI has limitations, and engineers need to understand what AI is, how it works, and when it works well."
Cagan was joined on the panel by Diana Gehlhaus, the senior adviser for talent at the U.S. Department of Defense Chief Digital and Artificial Intelligence Office; Karthik Ramani, the Donald W. Feddersen Distinguished Professor of School of Mechanical Engineering at Purdue University; and Yelena Vaynberg, governmental and regulatory affairs executive at IBM.
The session discussed the importance of AI tools for workforce development and resources to advance U.S. competitiveness in AI-enabled technology applications across industries.
Cagan underscored that resources need to be allocated to both training engineers, and research and development in AI engineering. He noted the importance of AI-centric engineering degree and certificate programs like those newly offered by the College of Engineering
"AI is already having an impact in engineering practice and is here to stay," Cagan said.
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Original text here: https://www.cmu.edu/news/stories/archives/2023/september/cagan-presents-future-of-ai-human-teaming-at-congressional-briefing
