http://www.aps.org/careers/employment/index.cfm

http://sites.google.com/site/njitracaselection/home

Please pass this email to any other faculty/staff members who could encourage students to apply.  Thank you!

Karen

Karen Quackenbush

Assistant Director of Residence Life

180 Bleeker Street

Newark, NJ 07103

973-596-3039

973-596-8197 (fax)

quackenbush@adm.njit.edu

www.njit.edu/reslife

The application is currently open online at http://www.fastlane.nsf.gov/grfp/ and deadlines are November 2-12, depending on field of study. For more information concerning benefits, eligibility, and tips on applying, applicants are encouraged to visit www.nsfgrfp.org and www.nsf.gov/grfp/ . Faculty with significant research experience and interaction with graduate students are encouraged to register as panel reviewers for the NSF GRFP at http://panelists.asee.org. If selected, panelists will be invited for a three-day review session that takes place in the Washington, DC, area in early February. The NSF-GRFP Operations Center info@nsfgrfp.org or 1-866-NSF-GRFP) is administered by the American Society for Engineering Education (http://www.asee.org/fellowships). ]]> http://blogs.njit.edu/murraygraduatewomen/2009/11/06/national-science-foundation-graduate-research-fellowship/feed/ http://blogs.njit.edu/murraygraduatewomen/2009/11/04/closing-the-achievement-gap-eighth-annual-conference/ http://blogs.njit.edu/murraygraduatewomen/2009/11/04/closing-the-achievement-gap-eighth-annual-conference/#comments Wed, 04 Nov 2009 16:09:50 +0000 Elizabeth Chalk http://blogs.njit.edu/murraygraduatewomen/2009/11/04/closing-the-achievement-gap-eighth-annual-conference/ January 24-26, 2010

Keynote Speakers

Camille Zubrinsky Charles, Ph.D.
Edmund J. and Louise W. Kahn Term Professor in the Social Sciences and a professor of sociology and education at the University of Pennsylvania

Walter M. Kimbrough, Ph.D
President of Philander Smith College in Little Rock, Ark.

Belle S. Wheelan, Ph.D.
President of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges

Preconference Workshop

Daryl G. Smith, Ph.D.
“How To Develop a Comprehensive Institutional Diversity Plan and Assess the Impact of Your Institution’s Diversity Efforts”

Here’s how previous conference participants described this conference:

“Outstanding! The information and speakers were top notch!”

“The conference helped me realize how much further we need to go!”

“This conference was much needed and beneficial. I hope that it will be continued annually because these issues are real, and they impact the world. Please keep the light burning.”

Bold Ideas. New Solutions.

New strategies are needed to help college and university officials recruit, retain and graduate black students.

Attend the Eighth National Conference on Best Practices in Black Student Achievement to learn what has worked at other schools.  This conference features presentations on programs with a proven record of success and keynote addresses from national leaders.

Launched in 2003 as part of Clemson’s commemoration of the 40th anniversary of its desegregation, this conference consistently attracts many of the country’s top leaders and advocates for black students. This year promises to be the same.

Who Should Attend:

• Academic Affairs Administrators
• College and university presidents and provosts
• Admissions officers
• Student affairs directors
• Chief diversity officers
• Multicultural affairs officers
• Financial aid and scholarship officers
• Anyone who works with black students (from K-12 to graduate school) and wants them to be successful

Register Today

On-line Registration Form available here. Space and accommodations are limited. If you have questions, contact Nina Norris.

Conference Hotel

Conference headquarters will be the Conference Center and Inn at Clemson University, a lakefront continuing education complex featuring the James F. Martin Inn, the Walker Golf Course and other amenities. Contact the Martin Inn at 1-888-654-9020 or see the online reservation form.

Clemson University

Ranked 22nd  among the nation’s top public research universities by U.S.News & World Report, Clemson offers all the advantages of a national research university in an environment that is more typical of a private college. Nearly half of all classes have fewer than 20 students, and the faculty/student ratio is 14:1. Research is important at Clemson, and not just with the faculty and graduate students.  At Clemson, every undergraduate has the opportunity to participate in a creative inquiry or other research project.

Best Practices Conference Resources

http://www.forbes.com/2009/10/20/workplace-sexism-gender-stereotyping-forbes-woman-net-worth-leadership.html

Work and how you are viewed there is personal.  Work is about who you know and your access to mentoring and other intangible resources (where the copier is, don’t eat in the cafeteria things) as well as who can hook you up with the tangible stuff.

Also I do think that women are viewed as “different” in an us vs. them way.  When young men visit the Murray Center for WOMEN in Technology, there are often comments about are males welcome and is there a Men’s Center.   It isn’t women vs. men,

Study: A record 23 leaders made over $1 million, 1 in 4 made at least $500K

By Jim McNight, Associated Press

updated 1:22 a.m. ET, Mon., Nov . 2, 2009 function UpdateTimeStamp(pdt) { var n = document.getElementById(”udtD”); if(pdt != ” && n && window.DateTime) { var dt = new DateTime(); pdt = dt.T2D(pdt); if(dt.GetTZ(pdt)) {n.innerHTML = dt.D2S(pdt,((”.toLowerCase()==’false’)?false:true));} } } UpdateTimeStamp(’633927397793570000′);

The fast-growing group of millionaire private college and university presidents hit a new record in recent years, and it’s likely more college leaders will make seven-figure salaries once the slumping economy rebounds.

A record 23 presidents received more than $1 million in total compensation in fiscal 2008, according to an analysis of the most recently available data published Monday by the Chronicle of Higher Education. A record one in four in the study of 419 colleges’ mandatory IRS filings made at least $500,000.

Topping the list is Shirley Ann Jackson at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, N.Y., whose total compensation the Chronicle pegged at nearly $1.6 million. She was followed by David Sargent at Suffolk University in Boston, who made $1.5 million. However, one-third of his compensation had been reported as deferred compensation last year and counted as salary this year — an example of the difficulty of making straightforward compensation comparisons.

verall, median compensation for the group rose 6.5 percent to $359,000, and 15.5 percent at major private research universities, to $628,000. The figures essentially cover the 2007-2008 academic year.

Those averages have almost certainly flattened or perhaps fallen since then, with numerous presidents — including Jackson — taking voluntary pay cuts this year amid widespread budget-cutting at their institutions.

College boards ‘scramble’ for talent
But experts say the upward trend will almost certainly resume eventually. It may frustrate parents who are paying higher tuition, but experts insist the salaries reflect supply and demand.

“The baby boomers are retiring,” said Ray Cotton, a Washington D.C.-based lawyer and expert on presidential contracts and compensation. “Boards are in a scramble competing against each other for the remaining available talent.”

But the 24-7 nature of the job and the stresses stemming from the recession have made it unappealing to prospective candidates.

“Some people just don’t want anything to do with the job because it keeps them up at night,” said Chronicle editor Jeffrey Selingo. “In order to attract and retain good talent they’re going to have to pay for it. They may take a little break now because of the economy, but these pieces are still in place.”

58 colleges charge more than $50K
Still, colleges will have to absorb the public relations hit that comes with offering seven-figure compensation to an academic leader. The average price of tuition plus room and board at four-year private colleges surpassed $39,000 last year, according to the latest figures from the College Board.

The Chronicle noted that 58 institutions charged more than $50,000 this year, up from just five last year. A number of those schools pay their presidents more than $1 million, including New York University, Columbia and Vanderbilt.

The Chronicle also identified three former presidents who received compensation of more than $1 million in 2007-2008, topped by retired George University president Stephen Trachtenberg, whose benefits package was valued at $3.67 million. It identified 85 colleges paying at least a former president or other high-ranking official at least $200,000, typically in deferred compensation and bonuses.

“You wonder if these colleges are giving away the store when they sign contracts with employees,” said Sen. Charles Grassley, Rep.-Iowa, who has been a longtime critic of pay practices at not-for-profit institutions.

The latest survey does not include presidential salaries at public universities, which have been rising in recent years but are generally lower than at top private institutions. Last year, just one public university president, Ohio State’s Gordon Gee, earned more than $1 million.

Nine private college presidents exceeded the $1 million mark in last year’s survey of the 2006-2007 data.

Jackson, a physicist and former Clinton administration official, has clashed with Rensselaer faculty and been criticized for spending time away from campus to serve on six corporate boards. But she volunteered this year to return 5 percent of her base salary — which the Chronicle reported at just more than $1 million in fiscal 2008 — to be used for student scholarships. All salaries for senior administrators are frozen this year, RPI said.

Click for related content

Jackson received a strong statement of support from the university.

Applications to the school have doubled, research volume has tripled, and $690 million has in new construction and renovations have taken place in Jackson’s decade as president, said William N. Walker, Vice President, strategic communications and external relations, in a statement issued by the school. A request to interview Jackson was denied.

“The value she contributes to the Institute far exceeds the amount she is paid,” Walker said.

BORN to RUN 

Review by Laura SandersBy Christopher McDougall November 7th, 2009; Vol.176 #10 (p. 30)   Born to Run: A Hidden Tribe, Superathletes and the Greatest Race the World Has Never Seen by Christopher McDougallAnyone who laces up expensive running shoes to plod through a few painful miles might be misguided. Humans may have evolved to run hundreds of miles at a time, barefoot, journalist and runner McDougall argues in Born to Run.The impetus for this book came when McDougall’s running-induced foot pain halted his regular jogs. Dismissing doctors who told him to find another pastime because his body wasn’t made to run, McDougall instead delved deep into the art and science of running.Born to Run includes no small dose of admiration for the mechanical marvel of the human foot. McDougall compares the stretching and flexing of interlocked bones, joints, tendons and muscles to “an earthquake-resistant suspension bridge.” Exercise science studies find that modern “aids” for runners may actually throw off the human gait. And interviews with orthopedic surgeons, world-class coaches and elite runners make the case that simple, inexpensive shoes are better than fancy footwear at preventing running injuries.To counter the claim that people weren’t meant to run long distances, McDougall turns to the Tarahumara Indians, a tribe in Mexico’s foreboding and remote Copper Canyon. These people routinely run for hundreds of miles with nothing more on their feet than thin leather straps. The story climaxes as McDougall joins some of the world’s best distance runners, including the Tarahumara, in a 50-mile race over jagged Copper Canyon terrain. McDougall’s writing style —equal parts hilarity, explanation and earnestness — whisks the reader along on a compelling dash to the end, and along the way captures the sheer joy that a brisk run brings. 

Please post widely.

Deadline for applications to participate in the January 2010 program is November 13, 2009.  For information on how to apply, see http://www.provost.vt.edu/future_faculty_announcement.php.

The inaugural program will be held January 10-13, 2010, at Virginia Tech’s Blacksburg campus and will provide participants with the opportunity to hear presentations and have candid discussions with department heads, deans, and current faculty members about faculty life and the range of responsibilities in learning, discovery, and engagement. As part of the experience, participants will be partnered with a relevant Virginia Tech department to tour research facilities, meet with current faculty to gain a greater awareness of research and teaching opportunities, and discuss their career prospects and academic work.  There is no cost to participants and travel funding is available.

Program Objectives:

• Enhance the faculty pipeline by establishing and developing significant meaningful relationships with prospects, especially those from groups underrepresented in the professoriate, such as minorities and women.
• Provide the opportunity for prospects to gain a greater awareness of Virginia Tech, which will enhance their ability to envision themselves as members of our community.
• Develop a network of faculty candidates who could be recruited for future vacancies.

Selection Criteria:  

• Able to meaningfully contribute to the university’s continuing commitment to diversity and inclusive excellence,
• Be within one or two years of seeking a tenure track faculty position at a research intensive institution,
• Demonstrate career goals, research interests, and academic potential that align with Virginia Tech’s mission and programs.

A word to the wise:)

By Patricia Pickett, About.com

Should you be accessing Facebook or Twitter while on the job? Research suggests a good number of workplaces are actually banning employees from visiting social networking sites for any reason while on the job.

In a survey developed by IT recruitment firm Robert Half Technology, more than half (54 percent) of chief information officers interviewed said visiting social networking sites while at work is “completely prohibited” by company policy.

Of the remaining respondents,

• 19 percent allow social networking activities for business purposes only;
• 16 percent said employees are allowed limited personal use of such sites;
• 10 percent said employees can access social networks for any type of personal use;
• 1 percent either didn’t know or provided no answer.

Why the Ban on Social Networks?

One of the biggest concerns is reduced employee productivity. Social media can be addictive, and people have been known to spend hours looking for long-lost friends, updating their status and playing online games on such sites, while the work day slips away.

IT workers are not immune to the distraction problem, since their jobs often require them to switch from one task to another. A study by the School of Information and Computer Sciences at the University of California, which tracked the work patterns of 36 tech workers, found that people in IT positions spend an average of three minutes on a task before they are either distracted by someone else, or drop their task to attend to something else. Work on specific projects lasts a little longer: just over 10 minutes.

If you’re already being constantly interrupted by the need to attend to multiple tasks, adding social media into the mix can certainly increase the number of disruptions in one day.

Several distractions in a day can translated into lost dollars. Another report by business research company Basex found that unnecessary interruptions in the workplace cost U.S. businesses $588 billion a year.

If you’re someone who works at a desk, reading documents and handling large amounts of information, you’re likely to waste more than two hours a day because of non-work-related disruptions, the study claimed.

When Using Social Media at Work is OK

Here are some guidelines to follow if your company allows employees to use Facebook and related sites while at work:

• Be familiar with your company’s policy: If your company has issued an official written social media policy, make sure you read it, understand it and stick to it. If in doubt, discuss with your manager or someone in HR.
• Be careful about what you post and with whom you share: If you don’t want certain information or photos to be viewed by everyone, make sure you know how to use the social networking site’s privacy settings to limit your audience. Also, don’t disclose proprietary or confidential company information, even if you think it’s secure or you’re expressing your personal viewpoint about something.
• Be professional: It’s best to limit your use of social networking sites to connect with others in your field, keep up with industry news or build your company’s brand. Catch up with friends and family outside of work.
• Remember your audience: Even if you’re using social media on your own time, be careful what you post, because your manager, reports or peers may be reading it. Avoid criticizing anything or anyone that is connected to your workplace; it could cost you your job.
• Exercise moderation: Set limits for yourself. For example, you can allow yourself a maximum of five or 10 minutes to update your status, check a profile or send someone a message. But don’t take advantage of a liberal social networking company policy by spending hours on those sites.
• Use social media to advance your career: Use Twitter or a blog to communicate things related to your company or industry. This can help build your reputation as an expert in your field. Remember to be transparent and disclose who you work for.