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The Law Professors Blogs Network is looking for faculty to launch an education law blog.  If you would like more information about what this entails, please email Paul Caron at paul.caron@uc.edu

Event: SHRM Garden State Council Annual Expo - A call for papers

Dear Jim, Set your compass to join us on November 3rd and 4th for the Garden State Council-SHRM 17th Annual Conference and Exposition at the Ocean Place Resort & Spa in Long Branch, NJ.  Our theme this year is: "HR: Today's Challenges, Tomorrow's Opportunities."    We invite you to submit your proposal to speak at this year's conference.

You have the opportunity to be one of over 40 on-point sessions, presented by industry leaders, recognized practitioners, and subject matter experts.  In addition, there will be networking opportunities with nearly 500 HR professionals and over 50 HR-related vendors offering both traditional and state-of-the-art products and services.   You can contribute to the knowledge, experience, and connections needed to navigate today's challenges while positioning your audience to take advantage of tomorrow's opportunities.   We are seeking presentations that support the following four tracks:   Ø Compensation & Benefits Ø Employee Relations Ø Organizational Development Ø Workforce Planning   The deadline to submit proposals is June 4, 2008.

Click here to launch the 2008 Speaker RFP form.    The conference website is being finalized and will be a useful resource where you will find further information about this year's conference theme as well as keynote speakers and more.  Please check the website often for updates.   If after following the link, you have any questions, please contact either of us via this email address - programs@gscshrm.org.   Thank you and we look forward to reviewing your proposal! Nichole M. Brownlee, SPHR Program Committee Chair   Rob Orr, SPHR Programs Committee Co-Chair

Law: Affirmative action foe dealt series of setbacks

It has been a rough week for Timothy P. Asher, executive director of a campaign to get Missouri voters to ban the use of affirmative-action preferences by public colleges and other state and local agencies.

On Sunday, Mr. Asher’s campaign organization missed a deadline for gathering enough signatures to get its measure on the November ballot.

On Tuesday, the Missouri Court of Appeals for the Western District handed him more bad news. It upheld a lower court’s ruling against him in his lawsuit against North Central Missouri College, which he had accused of firing him from his job as admissions director in 2004 because he complained that one of its scholarship programs discriminated against white students.Read the story here.

Trends: Italian bookfair may cause a riot

ROME -- When the prestigious annual Turin Book Fair opens today, it will be amid a cavalcade of fanfare that organizers could not possibly have wanted.

Riot police will guard the event. Rival demonstrators will make their stand. Boycotts, diplomatic incidents and mutually recriminating outrage swirl in the background.Read the whole story here.

Law: For ABA, out of the frying pan and into the fire?

The U.S. Department of Education has postponed its review of the authority vested in the American Bar Association to accredit law schools in order to pursue an investigation into allegations against the association, according to a letter it sent to the association last month.

The bar association has attracted scrutiny over its requirements that law schools prove they are taking concrete steps to diversify their pools of students and faculty members, and that their graduates meet certain passage rates on bar examinations. Critics say that those requirements are ambiguous, and that the diversity mandate could conflict with bans on affirmative action that have been enacted in some states.Read the rest of the story here.

Law: Agency disburses millions for stem cell research in California

Pioneers of stem-cell research in California struck a mother lode on Wednesday when a state agency handed out a total of $271-million to 12 academic institutions to construct laboratories for the work.

The state money is the largest single chunk yet distributed from the $3-billion in bond revenue authorized by California voters in 2004 to help make the state the world's leader in stem-cell research.Read the rest of the story here.

Read the awards letter and recipients list here.Download 05-07-08.pdf

Event: NAFSA seeks registrars for workshops

Dear 2008 NAFSA Preconference Workshop Chairs and Participants:

 

Greetings!  My name is Michelle Grant and I am the 2008 NAFSA Preconference Workshop Liaison of the Local Arrangements Team (LAT).  With less than 3 weeks before the NAFSA conference, I only have Registrars for 17 of the 52 workshops.  I recently received the participant lists for all of the workshops, so I am writing to request volunteers to be Registrars.  The Registrars will provide on-site support before and during each of the Preconference workshops.  Please carefully review the instructions regarding responsibilities of the Preconference Workshop Registrar:

 

(1) Stop by the Workshop Information Table one hour prior to the start of the workshop to pick up the workshop Roster. The Roster will provide a list of all pre-registered workshop participants.

 

(2) Be seated at the table near the entrance to the workshop at least 45 minutes prior to the start of the workshop. Check off the names of workshop participants on the Roster as they arrive.

 

(3) How to mark-up the roster:

a. If a participant has a registration ticket but his/her name is not on the roster, please clearly write his/her name, institution, and e-mail address on the roster.

b. If the person is not on the roster and does not have a registration ticket, please send him/her to the Workshop Information Table located near Conference Registration.

c. Please ask the participants to confirm that their e-mail address is correct; this is especially important as workshop evaluations are handled electronically.

 

(4) You may be asked to distribute workshop materials by the workshop trainers.

 

(5) You must return the marked-up workshop Roster to NAFSA staff at the Workshop Information Table directly following your Workshop.

 

Please note:  **You will only receive the $80 refund for serving as Registrar if you return the roster.** 

 

Besides attending the actual workshop, the additional benefit of being a Registrar is an $80.00 refund off the Preconference workshop registration costs.   If you are interested in being a Registrar for the Preconference workshop for which you are registered, please send me an e-mail as soon as possible with the date, Workshop title and number. I have attached the list for your quick reference.  I will be taking volunteers on a first-come, first-served basis until all the remaining slots have been filled.  I will also follow up with a confirmation e-mail. By close of business next Wednesday, 5/13/08, I will send out another e-mail to let you know if any more Registrars are needed, so I will not be able to respond to individual requests for general updates. Please keep in mind that this e-mail is being sent to all the participants (several hundred), plus the Chairs, attending preconference workshops where Registrars are still needed, so I implore your patience during this process. 

 

I understand that the Preconference Workshop Chairs will receive final rosters of those participating in their respective sessions soon, so be on the lookout for this information.  I do not have the most up-to-date lists, so I recommend waiting for the final roster.   

 

Many thanks, in advance, for your time and attention to this urgent call. 

 

Regards,

Michelle Grant

Senior Program Officer

Foreign Fulbright Student Program

Northeast Student Services Annex

Institute

of

International

Education (IIE)

1400 K Street, N.W.,   Suite 650

Washington

,

DC

 

20005

Tel:  202/326-7881

Fax:  202/326-7809

E-mail:  mgrant@iie.org

Web:  www.iie.org

Publication: A report from the EU on the 10th anniversary

To mark the tenth anniversary of EU Economic and Monetary Union (EMU), the European Commission today issued a report that shows that the EU's "euro" currency has been a resounding success that has brought economic stability and generated trade and growth among its members. However, to reap the full benefits of the single currency, countries should work more closely together on economic policy and speak with one voice in the global arena.

"EMU is a solid construction and a remarkable achievement," said Joaquín Almunia, European Commissioner for Economic and Monetary Affairs. "But the experience of its first decade shows that economic policy decisions in one country may have important effects on others. Therefore we need to keep improving the economic governance of the euro area through strong and binding political commitments."

The European Commission today also gave the green light for Slovakia's adoption of the euro on January 1, 2009. Currently 15 members of the European Union are using the euro.

MORE

Event: A webnar on webpage redesigns

 Just a Reminder About A Free and Important Webcast You Won't Want To Miss!            

As one of the most important communication vehicles in your overall integrated marketing strategy, your institutional website must be relevant, dynamic, engaging and meet the needs of your audience. Inherent in that strategy is knowing when your site needs more than just regular maintenance — it's recognizing the signs that a major redesign is in order.

   Because your website requires a substantial commitment to human and financial resources, the decision to redesign it shouldn't be taken lightly. During this session, we'll discuss:

When a full site redesign is appropriate Some wrong reasons for a redesign (and if not a redesign, then what?) The guidelines for making an informed decision about this important brand touch-point

           

To learn more about the strategic reasons for site redesign, please join Lynsey Struthers, director of interactive marketing at The Lawlor Group, and Lance Merker, president and CEO of OmniUpdate, Inc., for this free 30 minute webcast on:

           

Date:  Wednesday, May 14, 2008

Time:  2:00 PM Eastern

           

This webcast is designed for anyone in higher education interested in undertaking changes to their institution's web presence. It is ideal for college and university administrators, marketers, webmasters, web developers and decision-makers who have a voice in the future of their college or university website.

           

Register Now

           

Interested but won't be able to attend? Email marketing@omniupdate.com to receive a web link to the recorded version of the webcast, or call OmniUpdate at (800) 362-2605 x206.

                                       

Events: NACUA seeks affinity groups

Dear NACUA Members:

NACUA is pleased to announce the availability of space during the 2008 Annual Conference in New York City for various NACUA Affinity Groups to gather and network. As many of you know, NACUA Affinity Groups are self-organized and self-governing groups that gather informally based on a commonality of regional, institutional, or personal interests.

Some examples of past NACUA Affinity Groups include: New York City Area Higher Education Attorneys; Florida Higher Education Attorneys; African-American Attorneys; Virginia Higher Education Attorneys; NACUA Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual & Transgender Attorneys (QUA); and WACO.  These groups are a few examples, but other groups should feel free to meet based on other characteristics as well.  For a fuller description and representative sampling of NACUA Affinity Groups, please visit the NACUA Website.

Reserved tables are available for Affinity Groups to gather during the Conference Networking Luncheon on Tuesday, June 24 from 12:15 p.m. - 1:45 p.m. at the Marriott Marquis at Times Square.  NACUA is also pleased to reserve tables at Monday and Wednesday’s Networking Breakfasts upon request.  Please provide us with the approximate number of attendees in your Group that will be participating in the Group’s meeting at the Conference. 

 

If your meeting is to be included in any public announcement made by NACUA or by a member of the Affinity Group, it must be open for all NACUA members to attend.

Meeting space is extremely limited at the Marriott this year, so please respond to this message as soon as possible if your Affinity Group wishes to meet. Meeting space will be assigned on a first come, first serve basis.  Also, please note that space is not automatically reserved for any Affinity Group that has met in prior years.  If your Affinity Group wishes to reserve space again for the 2008 Annual Conference, and has not yet done so, please reply to this message.

We look forward to hearing from a representative of your Affinity Group if you wish to take advantage of this special networking opportunity this year.  If you have any questions about Affinity Groups or the Conference more broadly, please feel free to contact me at 202-833-5948 or via email at msm@nacua.org.

We look forward to seeing you in New York!

 

Best,

 

Miriam

 

Miriam S. Miller

Manager, Membership and Outreach Services

National Association of College and University Attorneys

1 Dupont Circle, NW

Suite 620

Washington, DC 20036-1134

202-833-8390

202-296-8379 (fax)

msm@nacua.org