What makes a terrorist?

According to most things I've read, including this article, and contrary to most received wisdom, it isn't poverty or lack of education that causes people to become terrorists. As with revolutionaries more generally, they tend to be at least middle class and also fairly well educated types who feel that something significant has been taken away from them, whether that be wealth, status, prestige, or whatever.

http://www.american.com/archive/2007/november-december-magazine-contents/what-makes-a-terrorist

The first annual USA Today survey of NSSE results

Here's an interesting attempt to bypass the U.S. News ratings.

http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2007/11/07/nsse

http://www.usatoday.com/news/education/2007-11-04-nsse-how-to_N.htm

Finding employees who "fit"?

Some interesting approaches here, though I'm not quite sure what to use in my role as the person who signs off on hiring faculty members.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20071105/ap_on_bi_ge/hiring_for_congeniality;_ylt=AoI.mLACeFH6DrOX_7pgl7Ks0NUE

Misleading national health care statistics?

Came across this while doing some reading for my MBA classes. It helped me understand a bit better the true nature of our health care situation in America.

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/04/business/04view.html?_r=3&ref=business&oref=slogin&oref=slogin&oref=slogin

Entrepreneurs can help reform education?

Here's another article decrying the public education stranglehold, and looking instead toward entrepreneurs to help reform education in America.

http://www.american.com/archive/2007/october-10-07/school-reform-that-can-work

What "works" in undergraduate education according to "NSSE"

In case you haven't already seen the recent NSSE report on what "works" in undergraduate education, here it is.

http://chronicle.com/weekly/v54/i11/11a00104.htm

The quick version is . . .

1) Helicopter parents are "good"
2) Freshmen "learning communities" are generally helpful
3) Study abroad is great, especially those with host families
4) Research projects should be more than just collecting data
5) Field placements are probably the best type of senior projects

Faculty satisfaction rates

Here's an interesting survey from TIAA-CREF. Basically, faculty are very satisfied with their jobs, though they'd like more money (no surprise), and they (X-Gen in particular) wish they didn't have so many administrative responsibilities. Sounds similar to some of our JBU conversations.

http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2007/11/01/faculty