Survey shows higher salaries this year
@brieftext: According to a new survey from the College and University Professional Association for Human Resources (CUP-AHR), faculty salaries rose by 3.2 percent this year - a significantly marked increase from last year's 2.1 percent.
Such a large salary increase was attributed mostly to growing salaries in public institutions. The 3.1 percent increase in salary at the public institutions more than doubled the 1.4 percent increase noted in last year's survey.
The average college and university faculty member earned $66,407 this year. Law professors had the highest salary according to the survey, at an average of $111,909 a year. English, visual and performing arts, and recreation studies posted some of the lowest average salaries, each averaging less than $57,000 annually.<$>
New Harvard aid policy increases economic diversity
A new financial aid program introduced this academic year at Harvard University gives students whose families earn less than $40,000 per year the opportunity to attend the institution and not need to contribute financially to their education.
According to the Chronicle of Higher Education, this new policy has brought a record number of undergraduate applications to the University as well as what looks to be the most economically diverse freshman class to date.
Almost 360 of the more than 2,000 students admitted to Harvard are expected to qualify for the program, based on the number of fee waivers requested, the number of students who requested financial aid, and information provided in the students' application.
Although this academic year is the first that this program is available, students already enrolled in the University can take advantage of the new program as well.
"What we're trying to do is stimulate the pipeline," William Fitzsimmons, Dean of Admissions and Financial Aid at Harvard, told the Chronicle.<$>
Columbia professors acquitted of accusations of anti-Semetic comments
A Columbia University faculty committee found no evidence that professors had made anti-Semitic comments during lectures.
The committee's report came on the heels of a slew of complaints that professors in the Middle Eastern Studies department at the university had intimidated pro-Israel Jewish students.
The David Project, a Pro-Israel group, produced a short film called "Columbia Unbecoming," in which students at Columbia and Barnard College criticized professors for intimidating and harrassing them, according to the Chronicle of Higher Education.
The report did find, however, a case where Middle Eastern Studies Professor Joseph Massad stepped over the limits in class when he publicly criticized a student he felt was in support of Israel's treatment of Palestinians, according to the Chronicle.
The report noted a general lack of civility on the campus and tensions in classrooms between pro-Israel students and opposing sides. The university's failure to quickly deal with the tensions and problems was resulting in a lack of trust between faculty and students, according to the Chronicle.
Massad criticized the committee, calling it illegitimate and unfair.
--Compiled by Brian McPartland from the Chronicle of Higher Education
