In Washington, where short-term political gain often morphs into long-term political pain, the breakthrough victories of President Obama and the Democrats in 2008 are coming back to haunt them in 2010.
In Mr. Obama's home state of Illinois, where Republican Rep. Mark Steven Kirk is in a dead heat with Democrat Alexi Giannoulias, the Illinois state treasurer.
The Illinois race seemed unlikely two years ago after Mr. Obama resigned his seat to move to the White House. Filling it in such a heavily Democrats state with a Democratic governor seemed to be a mere formality.
Kent Redfield, a political science professor at the University of Illinois at Springfield, said that if Mr. Obama still held the Senate seat, "he would essentially just be cruising toward re-election" and that Mr. Kirk likely would not have run.
"The Senate seat would not be in play," Mr. Redfield said.
Redfield's comments were featured in a September 30, 2010, article in the Washington Times.
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Thursday, September 30, 2010
Celebrating excellence in online education
In November the Sloan Consortium will present its 2010 awards, which recognize 'excellence in online teaching and learning.'
Earlier this year, the Sloan Consortium released its annual report on the state of online education in the U.S. The report showed that in fall 2008, over 25% of students were enrolled in at least one online course. That's an increase of more than 100% since fall 2002, when only 9.6% of college students took any courses online.
These growth patterns have continued through the recession at many institutions. For example, the University of Illinois Springfield (UIS) set new records for online and 'blended' student enrollment for the past 36 terms. (Blended students take a mix of online and on-campus courses. Blended courses are those that have both online and on-campus components.) Currently over half of the students at UIS take at least one course online, and more than 5,000 students are enrolled in online degree programs offered by the school.
Raymond Schroeder, director of the UIS Center for Online Learning and winner of the 2010 Sloan-C award for leadership, notes that the economic downturn has led many students to try finishing degree programs as quickly as possible. Online learning is popular among these students because it offers them the scheduling flexibility they need for accelerated learning.
UIS was featured in a September 27, 2010, report by Education-Portal.com.
Download a PDF of the article
Earlier this year, the Sloan Consortium released its annual report on the state of online education in the U.S. The report showed that in fall 2008, over 25% of students were enrolled in at least one online course. That's an increase of more than 100% since fall 2002, when only 9.6% of college students took any courses online.
These growth patterns have continued through the recession at many institutions. For example, the University of Illinois Springfield (UIS) set new records for online and 'blended' student enrollment for the past 36 terms. (Blended students take a mix of online and on-campus courses. Blended courses are those that have both online and on-campus components.) Currently over half of the students at UIS take at least one course online, and more than 5,000 students are enrolled in online degree programs offered by the school.
Raymond Schroeder, director of the UIS Center for Online Learning and winner of the 2010 Sloan-C award for leadership, notes that the economic downturn has led many students to try finishing degree programs as quickly as possible. Online learning is popular among these students because it offers them the scheduling flexibility they need for accelerated learning.
UIS was featured in a September 27, 2010, report by Education-Portal.com.
Download a PDF of the article
College drinking a tough battle to fight
Officials and staff from college towns, the colleges, and state government are getting together to try to figure out the next ways to combat underage drinking. The Illinois Liquor Control Commission is hosting the second annual College Town Summit at the governor's mansion in Springfield.
Judy Shipp, executive director of the counseling center and student support services at the University of Illinois at Springfield, says too many college students believe they're just drinking the same amount of alcohol and as often as other college students, when the reports indicate that the averages are less and less often.
Shipp's comments were featured in a September 28, 2010, report by the Illinois Radio Network.
Download a PDF of the article
Judy Shipp, executive director of the counseling center and student support services at the University of Illinois at Springfield, says too many college students believe they're just drinking the same amount of alcohol and as often as other college students, when the reports indicate that the averages are less and less often.
Shipp's comments were featured in a September 28, 2010, report by the Illinois Radio Network.
Download a PDF of the article
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