New briefs

09 October 2002 |

Graduation rates higher for UC minority students
The University of California is far surpassing national averages across the nation in the number of underrepresented minority students who graduate. This finding comes in the wake of a recent American Council on Education study showing that graduation rates for underrepresented students nationwide remained relatively low in the 1990s compared with other demographic groups.

The council found that at NCAA Division I colleges and universities nationwide, 38 percent of African American and American Indian students and 46 percent of Hispanic students entering in the fall of 1994 had graduated by 2000. Rates at
UC were higher for all ethnic groups, with freshman graduation rates of 56 percent for African American students, 64.3 percent for Chicano students, 68.8 percent for Latino students, and 65.7 percent for American Indian students.

Overall, 63.3 percent of UC underrepresented minority students (African American, Latino/Chicano, and American Indian) entering in the fall of 1994 had graduated by 2000. The graduation rate for underrepresented minority students at UC rose to 67.5 percent by 2001.

Tune in to newest ‘Bear in Mind’ edition
Wonder why football coach Jeff Tedford uses a checkerboard instead of a chalkboard for teaching plays? Want to meet the man who founded the campus’s AmeriCorps program? How are Berkeley students “making a difference”? What’s on the chancellor’s mind this week? To find out, tune in online to the second audio installment of “Bear in Mind: Conversations with the Chancellor.”

The radio-style talk show, which can be accessed online
at www.berkeley.edu/news/chancellor/bim/aug.html, continues to seek input from the campus community on inter-viewees for future episodes.

Middle East diplomacy expert to speak
Former U.S. Special Envoy Dennis Ross will speak at 7 p.m., Tuesday, Oct. 15, in Wheeler Auditorium, on the theme “Broken Promises, Lasting Hopes: Seeking Israeli-Palestinian Peace.” Ross, a contributing analyst to the Fox News Channel, is currently affiliated with the Washington Institute for Near East Policy. His government experience includes high-level posts in the Reagan, George H.W. Bush, and Clinton administrations.

To reserve tickets to this free event, sponsored by Berkeley Hillel, the chancellor’s office, and the Jewish Community Federation of the Greater East Bay, see www.berkeleyhillel.org.

Grants for aging research available
The NIH-National Institute on Aging recently awarded a five-year grant to create new opportunities in bio-gerontological research and training on the Berkeley campus. Small “starter” grants are also available, for new and ongoing projects in aging research. Funds may also support the purchase of equipment necessary for collaborative research in aging, the hiring of temporary technical staff, and coverage of appropriate consultant expenses. In addition, the NIA grant will provide limited research or travel awards for undergraduate and graduate students.

For information, contact Professor Emerita Paola Timiras, timiras@uclink4.berkeley.edu or 643-5049.

Campus ‘Writing Well’ classes under way
Employee Development & Training offers campus employees a series of classes to help strengthen their professional writing skills. The upcoming classes include:

• Grammar and Punctuation Challenges; Oct. 17, 1:30-4 p.m.

• Intermediate ESL: Writing Challenges for ESL Employees, Oct. 16, 1:30-4 p.m.

• Beginning ESL: Writing Challenges for ESL Employees, Oct. 22, 1:30-4 p.m.

All classes are held in 24 University Hall; there is a $5 materials fee for each class, and enrollment is required.

For information and to enroll online, visit hrweb.berkeley.edu/ice/home or call 642-8134.

TLtC planning-grant proposals due Oct. 28
TLtC Intercampus Collaborative Grants aim at furthering innovative and appropriate uses of technology in teaching and learning through partnerships across the campuses. The UC Office of the President has earmarked approximately $600,000 for 2003-04 to support these endeavors.

Feasibility/Planning Grants are small grants (up to $5,000) awarded to three or more faculty from at least two UC campuses. Grant proposals are due by Oct. 28.

For information, see www.uctltc.org/funding/2003/rfp_small.html.

Teachers for Africa seeks participants
The International Foundation for Education and Self-Help is seeking applications from college and university professors, grad students and recent retirees with teaching experience, and schoolteachers and administrators. Participants spend one academic year helping to improve the quality of education in Ghana, Benin, Malawi, Ethiopia, Guinea, and Namibia. For information, see www.ifesh.org/teachers_for_africa.htm.

For the record
The “Celebration of the African Elephant,” to be held at Lawrence Hall of Science on Saturday, Oct. 12 (Berkeleyan, Oct. 3), begins at 10 a.m. rather than noon, as originally scheduled.