Merger to create new university for Scotland

Scotland is a step nearer having a new university following ministerial approval to merge an existing higher education institution and further education college.

Unless any Scottish MPs lodge an official objection to the plan in the next 21 days, which is thought unlikely, then the proposal to join Paisley University with Bell College to create a new university will go ahead on August 1.

The merger will for the first time bring a university to Lanarkshire in the west of Scotland and create the largest school of health, nursing and midwifery in Scotland. A name for the new higher education institution has yet to be decided but there is already a proposal on the table to call it the University of the West of Scotland.

Alex MacLennan, the principal of Bell College and vice-principal designate of the merged institution, said: "Having a university presence in Lanarkshire is hugely important for the area and this announcement brings us one step closer to making this a reality.

"[The] merger will reap tremendous benefits for us, opening up higher education opportunities for many more thousands of people across the west of Scotland. It will give us the opportunity to offer a wide choice of high quality, career-focused programmes from a new and distinctive regional university with strong international links."

His enthusiasm for the new university was shared by the principal designate of the merged institution, Seamus McDaid, currently principal and vice-chancellor of the University of Paisley.

He said: "We aim to have a transformational influence on the economic, social and cultural development of the west of Scotland through the provision of high quality, inclusive higher education and innovative applied research.

"The merger is good news for both the University of Paisley and Bell College as it will permit us to engage in developments of a scale that we could not have done as independent organisations."

Sony Provides UK University With 3D Stereoscopic Technology

Sony Computer Entertainment has teamed up with the University of Central Lancashire in the UK to provide 3D stereoscopic rendering as part of a final year game development course.

Three graduates at the university worked closely with Sony's PlayStation 3D technology experts to incorporate the technology into their final year projects, including research into methods for making 3D stereoscopic games run faster.

Another 40 students at the university were also involved in an SCEE trial that looked into whether stereoscopic 3D users have a competitive advantage in gaming over those who do not.

The company is planning to present its findings at the 3D Entertainment Summit in Los Angeles this week.

Simon Benson, senior development manager at SCEE, commented, "I've been extremely impressed with the graduates' work and it shows what potential they have going into the gaming industry."

"It's been great working with UCLan because the staff are keen to move with developments and have taken on board a vision of 3D gaming. They are providing their students with industry informed skills that are very much needed in the future of gaming."


NEWS BY: http://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/37369/Sony_Provides_UK_University_With_3D_Stereoscopic_Technology.php

UK university applications in 'steepest fall for 30 years'

The proportion of UK students applying to start degrees in the autumn will drop by 10% this year, a university leader has predicted – the steepest fall for 30 years.

Professor David Green, vice-chancellor of the University of Worcester, based his forecast on more than 25 years' involvement in university applications, nine of them as the head of an institution.

His prediction comes ahead of the publication on Monday morning of figures that will show how many students have applied to start university this autumn – when fees rise to up to £9,000 a year.

The figures, published by the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (Ucas), will give the number of applications institutions received by 15 January – the official deadline.

The final application figures will be announced in the autumn because some students apply for courses between now and the end of June, outside the official route.

Professor Green predicts that, by this summer, there will be an estimated 70,000 fewer applications from UK-born students than there were last summer – a 10% drop. He said this would be the biggest fall in the proportion of UK students since the 1970s.

However, he said about 140,000 students would still be rejected by universities this summer because institutions were restricted by the number of places they could offer. Last year, almost 210,000 – one in three applicants – failed to get a place.

Professor Green said the reasons for the expected drop in applications were multifold and include the fact that the maximum fee has almost trebled to £9,000.

He said teenagers may have been deterred from applying by mistakenly thinking they may have to pay for their fees when they register at university. Students pay their fees with a student loan, which they start repaying when they graduate and earn more than £21,000.

Some young people now wrongly thought their employment prospects would be enhanced by skipping university and starting paid work on leaving school, Green said.

"There has been much talking up of apprenticeships and learning a trade when opportunities for both of these are limited," he said. "In the short term, some young people who would have gone to university will end up on benefits, in the long term, we will have a workforce that is less skilled."

Earlier this month, the latest statistics from Ucas showed UK applications for this autumn had slumped by almost 8%.

Some 283,680 people had applied from within the UK, compared with 306,908 at the same point last year.

The fall has been partly blamed on the fee hike, but is also thought to be due to a glut of applications in 2010 in anticipation of the fees rise. Demographic factors could also be behind the slump. The number of 18-year-olds in the UK is projected to decline over the rest of the decade by 11%.

The figures on Monday will show whether 18-year-olds from low-income families have been particularly deterred. Ucas has classified parts of the UK into five groups according to their level of participation in higher education.

NEWS BY:http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2012/jan/30/uk-univeristy-applications-fall?newsfeed=true

UK: £11m distributed to cut university emissions

Nearly £11 million (US$17 million) in interest-free loans has been distributed to fund projects that will reduce universities' carbon emissions, writes David Matthews for Times Higher Education.

Four major projects and 24 smaller schemes will receive money in the second round of the Revolving Green Fund, distributed by the Higher Education Funding Council for England. The fund is 'revolving' because money saved by the institutions in energy bills is then recycled into new projects. The University of Exeter is one of four institutions to receive money to carry out major work, while a further two dozen institutions will be funded for smaller projects.

Full report on the Times Higher Education site

NEWS BY:http://www.universityworldnews.com/article.php?story=20120113194341333

University students protest higher tuition

TALLAHASSEE -- Some students protested tuition increases. Some lamented cuts to the Bright Futures scholarship program. And some said they were only after the extra credit.

But when the 200 or so university students cheered, chanted and booed on the Capitol steps Thursday, they all seemed to have one common goal.

“Being a student means you’ve sometimes got to speak truth to power, and let them know where you stand,” Rep. Darryl Rouson, D-St. Petersburg, said in preacher’s cadence, drawing wild cheers from the crowd.

Many of the students were en route to Tallahassee before dawn, on buses from the state’s 11 universities. Nearly three dozen attended from the University of South Florida.

The rally came at a time when tuition has hiked 60 percent in four years, said Michael Long, chairman of the Florida Student Association.

The proposed House budget would bump tuition another 8 percent. Most universities also expect to seek an additional “differential” tuition of up to 7 percent. The Senate’s budget proposals are not out.

“We don’t mind contributing to our education, as long as it’s reasonable,” Long said.

The Florida Student Association, which organized the rally, handed out pamphlets with three legislative goals.

•  Maintain the current level of state funding.

•  Increase money for Bright Futures but strengthen qualification requirements.

•  Reject proposals pending in the Legislature that would allow the governor to appoint the student member on the Board of Governors. Traditionally, Florida Student Association members elect the position.

Senate President Mike Haridopolos, R-Merritt Island, in his speech, promised to protect Bright Futures and criticized former legislatures for misspending money that could have gone toward education.

“For those who don’t know, Florida has the fifth-lowest tuition in the United States today,” he said.

“Keep it that way!” a student shouted.

NEWS BY:http://www.miamiherald.com/2012/01/27/2610838/university-students-protest-higher.html

Final 3 Compete On ‘X Factor’; Simon Cowell Thinks He Knows Who Should Win

LOS ANGELES, CALIF. -- “The X Factor” and its $5 million recording contract is in America’s hands to decide.

Josh Krajcik, Chris Rene and the lone lady left standing, Melanie Amaro, took the stage for one last set of competition performances, and based on the judges’ comments, one contender may be in the lead. But who is it? Read on to find out…

Here’s how Round 1 went:

Josh, a burrito maker from Ohio, hit the stage with “Uninvited,” joined by Alanis Morissette. A little thrown off by the superstar power on stage, Josh was strong in his singing, but had a moment or two of insecurity standing next to the Grammy winner – and Simon Cowell noticed.

“Alanis — amazing, looks cute, by the way. Josh — I thought you were a little bit intimidated in the beginning,” Simon told the singer following his performance. “Then, as the song got into gear, I heard the old Josh back… It was an 8 out of 10.”

Chris dueted with Avril Lavigne on her song, “Complicated,” which featured one of the Santa Cruz performer’s own rap verses, something Josh’s mentor, Nicole Scherzinger, complimented.

“It was a little shaky in the takeoff… but your energy and the light around you is so flippin’ contagious,” she said. “You shined up there.”

Looking like the cat who got the cream, Simon introduced his contestant, Melanie, who sang “I Believe I Can Fly” alongside R. Kelly. Performing the tune in R. Kelly’s key signature made it less of a show piece for the powerhouse vocalist, according to Chris’ mentor, L.A. Reid.

“I felt you got a little bit over shadowed,” L.A. said.

Simon, however, praised his contender.

“You didn’t look like someone in a talent competition… It was a fantastic version of the song,” the Brit chimed in.

AH Nation Poll: Now that they’ve performed in the final, who should win “The X Factor”?

With no clear frontrunner in Round 1, Round 2 was anyone’s game as the contenders performed without superstar help and in Josh’s case, without any help at all. Just a lone man on stage, the Ohioan took out his guitar and gave a soulful rendition of “At Last.”

“This is what we call the $5 million song,” Simon said. “This is the song that’s gonna determine your fate… and what I liked about it was it was all about you, what we liked about it in the first place. This is gonna be a very, very close call tonight, I can feel that.”

Chris tugged at heart strings when he performed the song he did at his audition – his own composition – “Young Homie.”

Giving his all on stage alongside dancers and spruced up musical accompaniment, the young man was in his element and he was moved to tears by the end.

“You are magic!” Paula Abdul screamed. “You are the consummate singer/songwriter, performer… You make everyone fall in love with you.”

Melanie, then took to the stage for her final number – Beyonce’s “Listen,” complete with a choir and vocal runs that showed her true musical prowess.

“That is the Melanie I love,” L.A. said. “That wasn’t a $5 million performance, that was a $50 million performance.”

Simon, however, went one step further, telling Melanie she was the reason he imported his foreign reality competition stateside, and, perhaps, putting her in the lead.

“I brought this show to America because some of the greatest singers in this world are from this country, and you just proved that,” he said. “You, based on that performance tonight, you should be the winner of ‘The X Factor,’ because you’re gonna represent this country all over the world.”

“The X Factor” crowns a winner on Thursday night at 8 PM ET/PT on FOX.


Source:


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