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. EDUCATION: COLLEGE : COUNTRIES: GERMANY: Germany's Mediocre Universities: On Shaky Foundations Germany's Mediocre Universities: On Shaky Foundations Jun 25th 2009 | FRANKFURT From The Economist print edition <http://www.economist.com/world/europe/ displaystory.cfm?story_id=13914669> A shorter URL for the above link: <http://tinyurl.com/lmjrgd> The effort to improve German universities still has a long way to go <snip> Thousands of less coddled students recently staged protests across Germany against their conditions. "Back education, not banks", demanded protesters fed up with overcrowded lecture halls, crumbling campuses, tuition fees and a chaotic conversion from the traditional diploma to a European two-tier degree system. German universities are underfunded by international standards (see chart). Professors juggle scores of students; at top American universities they nurture a handful. In switching to the bachelors-masters degrees prescribed by Europe's standardising "Bologna process", many universities tried to cram bachelors degrees into just six terms. Only six German universities are among the top 100 in the Shanghai rankings (Munich is highest, at 55th). Just 21% of each age cohort gets a degree; the OECD average is 37%. A high-wage country with few natural resources cannot afford sub-par universities, as Chancellor Angela Merkel often says. On June 4th the federal and state governments approved an 18 billion plan to create more university places, boost funding for research and cultivate a small group of elite institutions. It is "a signal that research and education are being taken seriously," says Margret Wintermantel, head of the German Rectors' Conference. In the past, universities were interchangeable, and most students chose one close to home. But since the early 1990s budget cuts have encouraged them to compete and specialise. Their state paymasters began to link cash to professors' publications and their ability to attract outside money. The government's new "excellence initiative" goads them to differentiate still more, showering 1.9 billion on research programmes and nine "top universities" with promising "future concepts". --------------------------------------- The complete article may be read at the URL above. Sincerely, David Dillard Temple University (215) 204 - 4584 [hidden email] <http://daviddillard.businesscard2.com> Net-Gold <http://groups.yahoo.com/group/net-gold> Index: <http://tinyurl.com/myxb4w> <http://listserv.temple.edu/archives/net-gold.html> <http://groups.google.com/group/net-gold?hl=en> <http://net-gold.jiglu.com/> General Internet & Print Resources <http://guides.temple.edu/general-internet> COUNTRIES <http://guides.temple.edu/general-country-info> EMPLOYMENT <http://guides.temple.edu/EMPLOYMENT> TOURISM <http://guides.temple.edu/tourism> DISABILITIES http://guides.temple.edu/DISABILITIES INDOOR GARDENING <http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/IndoorGardeningUrban/> Educator-Gold <http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Educator-Gold/> K12ADMINLIFE <http://groups.yahoo.com/group/K12AdminLIFE/> Nina Dillard's Photographs on Net-Gold <http://tinyurl.com/36qd2o> Net-Gold Membership Required to View Photos Twitter: davidpdillard Bushell, R. & Sheldon, P. (eds), Wellness and Tourism: Mind, Body, Spirit, Place, New York: Cognizant Communication Books. Wellness Tourism: Bibliographic and Webliographic Essay David P. Dillard <http://tinyurl.com/p63whl> <http://tinyurl.com/ou53aw> INDOOR GARDENING Improve Your Chances for Indoor Gardening Success http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/IndoorGardeningUrban/ http://groups.google.com/group/indoor-gardening-and-urban-gardening http://indoorgardening.jiglu.com/ . |
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