Diversity

Preparing students to work in a global economy is no small feat, but it is a skill employers are requesting. According to "Raising the Bar," a 2009 survey released by the American Association of Colleges and Universities, 67 percent of employers believe colleges should place an emphasis on providing students "the ability to understand the global context of situations and decisions," and 57 percent want students to have a better understanding of cultural diversity.

Election years always tend to revive the debate surrounding immigration policy. What is often forgotten is that many people with a foreign accent arrived here through proper channels. Community colleges are working to help integrate them in their new homes.

"Everyone has heard of the immigrant doctor who is driving a taxi," says Teresita Wisell, associate dean of the Gateway Center at Westchester Community College (N.Y.). "We want to help them navigate the process to help them use their education."

In 2006, Northeastern University enrolled students from 42 countries, representing 4 percent of the freshman class. By 2009, the university had increased those numbers to 61 countries and 11 percent, along the way adding 932 new high schools sending students to Boston.

Year-end statements for pensions, 403(b) accounts, and mutual funds aren't as frightening to open as they were this time last year. University endowment managers usually wait until their fiscal year ends in June before they really look at their statements, but interim surveys indicate that performance has improved.

Which is better, a movie or a painting?

The question is confounding: Each has its unique qualities and characteristics and stands on its own, but an innovative new exhibit at The Williams College Museum of Art boldly places paintings alongside early films to show how artists and audiences of the late 1800s-early 1900s bounced back and forth between the two media, according to Nancy Mowll Mathews, the Eug?nie Prendergast Senior Curator of 19th and 20th Century Art at the Williamstown, MA-based museum (www.wcma.org).

A YEAR AGO THIS SPRING, AS we dedicated the new Julia Thompson Smith Chapel on our campus, one of the highlights was the multifaith blessing. It was an exciting occasion, the completion of the first freestanding chapel in the 120-year history of Agnes Scott College (Ga.). I reflected on months of watching from my office window as it went from nothing more than a hole in the ground to the beautiful building it is today.

What does analyzing crime scene DNA, racing in a cardboard boat regatta, and practicing healthcare in Tanzania have in common? First off, these scientific learning moments are more fun and engaging than gazing endlessly at traditional textbooks, test tubes, and microscopes.