Short courses

New England Journal of Higher Education, The, Fall 2003 by Harney, John O

Grazie!

After years of lobbying by Italian groups ranging from the Sons of Italy to the government in Rome, the College Board has agreed to offer Advanced Placement (AP) courses and exams in Italian language, beginning in the fall of 2005.

The College Board's AP programs allow students to take college-level courses while they are in high school. AP programs are currently offered in French, German, Spanish and Latin.

Enrollment in Italian courses at U.S. high schools is small but growing, according to data from the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages. Between 1994 and 2000, enrollment in Italian courses grew by 46 percent to about 64,000. By contrast, enrollment in Spanish courses grew by 26 percent (to more than 4 million) while French and German enrollment declined.

Comings and Goings

Former Cambridge College Provost Mahesh Sharma became president of the college focused on working adults, succeeding Eileen Moran Brown, who was named to the new position of chancellor/founder. ... Former Dean College Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer Linda Edmonds Turner was named president of Urban College of Boston, the two-year college associated with Action for Boston Community Development, Boston's official antipoverty agency. ... Lynn Alan Brooks, former Connecticut College senior vice president and independent higher consultant, became president of Briarwood College, after serving several months as provost.

Snippets

The Everyday Story of a College Town

"Lose yourself in the society of upstate Massachusetts' venerable Clare College, as you accompany 'Hi' and 'Tig' through the hallowed halls and professors' homes to uncover the murderer of the stunning, enigmatic and notoriously unfaithful wife of archeologist Cornelius Vanderlyn."

-Publicity pitch for "Grave Circle," a novel by Massachusetts College of Art historian David D. Nolta. The "first of the 'Ivory Tower Mysteries' featuring the brother and sister team of Hiawatha and Antigone Musing," was published in September 2003 by Quality Words in Print Books.

Strong-Armed

"SUPPORT OUR TROOPS. SUPPORT OUR PROFESSORS."

-Banners carried by University of Massachusetts Boston students and faculty protesting the alleged assault by campus police on African-American professor Tony Van Der Meer who had intervened in a campus dispute between National Guard recruiters and students.

Talk to Us

CONNECTION welcomes letters to the editor. Please address letters to: Editor, CONNECTION, 45 Temple Place, Boston, MA 02111, or email to jharney@nebhe.org.