The board of supervisors for the University of Louisiana voted on new rules that will allow its schools to more easily dismiss faculty members, even those with tenure.

School officials insist the rule will help to determine the state’s annual budget in an unpredictable economy. But professors say the move would erode the protection provided by tenure, make the schools less attractive to job seekers and even cause current faculty to leave.

The new rule will shorten the amount of notice to professors if their jobs are terminated because their program is being shut down. Tenured faculty would get at least two semesters’ notice; tenure-track faculty could be terminated with only three months’ notice; and non-tenure track faculty be terminated with only one month’s notice.

The hits don’t stop there – if a school’s state appropriations are cut by 15% or more next year, tenured faculty would see the length of notice shrink to less than six months.

How does your school handle tenured faculty terminations? Let us know in the comments section, and don’t forget to follow us on Twitter.

An estimated $1,122 a year – per student – is spent on textbooks, a 32% increase from five years ago, says the College Board. But an increase in textbook rental options may change that.

Renting texts saves about 50% over the price of a new copy from online companies like Chegg, Campus Book Rentals and RentScouter. The companies have access to millions of titles, and provide books to students for a semester, after which the student mails the book back.

Students have to agree to standards of care (underlining and highlighting is okay, but serious damage means the renter pays for the replacement costs) and return books on the agreed date.

Hoping to stay competitive, some campus bookstores have started using education companies like Follett Corp’s Rent-a-Text model, or rental companies like Campus Book Rentals, to provide short-term book use for students themselves.

Will this money-saver catch on with students? Share your thoughts in the comments section.

The Princeton Review’s annual list of college rankings has named  the University of Georgia as the nation’s biggest party school, knocking previous leader Penn State University down to #3.

The rankings are based on responses from 100,000 students across the country about their college experiences. In addition to academics and extracurricular activities, social scenes receive attention.

Students pass along info on the frat and sorority scene, drug use, availability of beer and more.

Here’s the full top 10 list:

1. University of Georgia
2. Ohio University
3. Penn State University
4. West Virginia University
5. University of Mississippi
6. University of Texas at Austin
7. University of Florida
8. University of California – Santa Barbara
9. University of Iowa
10. DePauw University, Indiana

Where does your school fall on the party-meter? Let us know in the comments section.

As part of its plan to cut $60 million from its budget, Texas A&M University will no longer stock toilet paper in campus dorms. And cutting the TP budget could save up to $82,000.

Starting August 2011, the university will cut off dorm bathrooms shared by up to four students, and will only stock toilet paper in larger bathrooms, administrative offices and public areas. Campus stores will keep it in stock for purchase, though students will receive a few free rolls at the beginning of the semester.

The TP cutback will affect about 6,000 students on campus, while saving about $13 per person.

But it may lead to problems down the road: Penny-pinching students may swipe TP from areas on campus where it’s still available, rather than pay for it at the student store.

A roundup of compensation among college presidents shows they’re not exactly hurting. This year’s top earner: Georgetown University’s president, John DeGioia who earned a total of $911,613 in 2009, according to tax forms filed by the school. That’s a 42% raise from the previous fiscal year.

DeGioia isn’t the only one seeing a bump in pay. Catholic University’s David O’Connell saw a 37% jump to $521,929.

Other top earners in the Washington, DC area:

• John Casteen, University of Virginia: $773,648
• Alan Merten, George Mason: $624,125
• Dan Mote, University of Maryland: $498,0284

What’s the cause of such drastic pay raises? Rises in total compensation – including salary, benefits and deferred pay – are often the result of accruals that come with staying on the job over the years.

In DeGioia’s case, it was money paid into a retirement annuity. O’Connell’s jump was based on a revaluation of his residence – and as a Catholic University leader, his salary is paid directly to his religious order, making his pay essentially zero.

But with tuition costs rising, students and parents are scrutinizing where their money is going – and they may have questions about why presidential pay is so high.

What do you think? Let us know in the comments section.

A memo from the chancellor pledging to curb underage and binge drinking with heavier enforcement, increased Friday classes and police crackdowns on house parties has outraged University of Wisconsin students.

Forms of student “protest” have included:

• An angry Facebook group attracting over 1,460 members
• Plaintive e-mails to national newspapers, and, of course
• An increase in binges explicitly aimed at defying the chancellor’s strong-arm tactics.

While the chancellor expects the backlash to blow over, it isn’t helping the school change its image as a heavy-drinking college in a heavy-drinking state. It’s a reputation the school is hoping to shed as it transitions into a polytechnic institute with an emphasis on courting high-quality employers.

How have students responded to your school’s alcohol-control efforts? Let us know in the comments section.

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU)  sent UC Santa Cruz officials a letter regarding fines handed to students who allegedly damaged a campus building.

In 2009, Kerr Hall was illegally occupied for three days by a group of students who were allegedly angry about an increase in student fees.

During this time, the building was vandalized, and the damages totaled more than $35,000. Thirty-six students were fined $944 for their alleged involvement.

ACLU cited possible violations of the students’ due process rights, noting they didn’t receive hearings. In addition, it said the university failed to provide students with evidence that linked them to the damage.

In response to ACLU’s letter, Chancellor George Blumenthal refused to drop the fines, but he has agreed that students will be allowed to:

• request hearings for appeal, and
• obtain “access to evidence that may exist against them.”

Have an opinion on this story? Share it in the comments box below.

The 35^th annual word banishment list is the brainchild of Lake Superior University. Remember “detente” and “at this point in time”? They were on the first list back in 1976.

Here are a few of the verboten words for 2010, according to TheCityWire.com:

• Shovel-ready
• In these economic times
• Stimulus
• Toxic assets
• Transparent/transparency
• App
• Teachable moment
• Friend (as a verb)
  

Check out the complete list (along with nomination comments) by clicking here.

Any word you’d like to add to the list? Let us know in the comments section below.

University officials in England say professors at Birmingham Metropolitan College now requires lecturers to don a “business suit; smart jacket and co-ordinating trousers or skirt; smart shirt/top/blouse or smart dress.”

Further, the new policy specifically bans professors from wearing:

• scruffy trousers
• jeans
• visible tattoos
• body piercings other than earrings
• outlandish jewelry, and
• distracting hair styles/colors.

University staff is up in arms, arguing that they know what is — and isn’t — appropriate attire to wear during a lecture.

College officials are adamant that staff has a “responsibility” to dress in a professional manner that upholds the university’s values.

University and College Union (UCU) members insist the new policy “harks back to Victorian times.” The UCU argues that the policy may be discriminatory. Members are insisting that the school withdraw the new dress code policy.

Should universities be allowed to implement dress codes for professors? Share your thoughts in our comments section below.

• At least 25 head football coaches are earning $2 million or more — more than twice the number from two years ago.
• Head coaches in the NCAA’s top-level Football Bowl Subdivision of 120 schools are earning 46% more than three years ago — averaging $1.3 million.
• Many assistant coaches earn close to — or more than — college presidents. Most assistant coaches earn more than full professors.
• More than 65 assistant coaches earn $300,000 or more.

To see the full study, click here.

Do the salaries make sense to you — or are they over the top? Let us know what you think in the comments section below.

The answer is 23, according to The Chronicle of Higher Education annual executive compensation survey.

Here are some highlights: (Click here to check out the complete survey)

• Shirley Ann Jackson, president of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, earned the most of any executive at a private university with a salary totaling $1,598,247
• The second-highest paid president was David J. Sargent of Boston’s Suffolk University, earning $1,496,593
• 110 private college presidents each brought in more than $500,000
• The median pay for presidents at private research universities came to $627,750
• At the 419 private colleges in the survey, the median pay was $358,746
• Salaries were lower for presidents of small liberal arts colleges. John A. Fry, president of Franklin & Marshall College, was the only exec in this category to make more than $1 million.

Are college presidents overpaid? Let us know what you think in the comments section below.

For the most part, the response went according to plan, say school officials.  Nevertheless, they’re searching for ways to make students feel more secure.

Here are three areas of concern that were raised after the shooting  — and the steps  school officials and local law enforcement plan to take to tighten campus security:

1. Notifying students. Most students received this text message alert: Active shooter at Skyline. Take safe cover immediately. Classes closed for the rest of the day. But some students reported concerns about delayed text notification. The fix: A public-address (PA) system is installed in most of the newer campus buildings, and school officials are considering the cost-effectiveness of expanding the PA system to the older buildings.
2. Communicating “details” to law enforcement. Responders reported that it would’ve been helpful to know who was in charge of various campus buildings. This information would have allowed for faster student evacuations. The fix: The local police department is considering a lockdown drill schedule.  Responders say they can never have too much training to prepare for such incidents.
3. Arranging for transportation. Many students and staff were stranded after the shooting, because vehicles were sequestered in the crime scene. The fix: School officials will look at options for potential transportation challenges during emergencies.

College trustees voted late last week to place Brian Keith Johnson on administrative leave with pay — effective immediately.

They also voted not to renew his contract.

With 60,000 students, Montgomery College is Maryland’s largest community college and one of the most highly regarded in the mid-Atlantic. Johnson has headed the college since February 2007.

The school’s trustees met for four hours before reaching an “overwhelming” vote to remove Johnson, according to The Washington Post.

Some of the charges against Johnson include:

• $4,051 spent on a hotel in Delhi
• $780 for a Boston limo service
• $302 at Borders bookstore
• Several hundred dollars for flowers

From July 2007 to this past April, Johnson racked up $58,165 on his corporate credit card, according to expense reports obtained by faculty members.

Johnson had an explanation for many of the expenses, such as saying the limo tab included several college representatives. He also said his credit card had been “compromised,” and there may have been fraudulent charges put on it, The Washington Post reported.

Official action against Johnson began early last week when 200 faculty members gave him a vote of no-confidence.

Did the trustees make the right move? Let us know what you think in the comments section below.