Week in Review: Reading Facebook in Canada Edition

Our Week-in-Review feature has a new format.  We know there’s way too much to read out there already, so we’re going to be highlighting the top five articles, books, websites, etc., that we’ve been reading or thinking about the past week.  If you have items you’d like us to consider for the top five, add them in the comments or send them to Tom or Mike.

What They’re Reading on College Campuses (Chronicle of Higher Education, 9/28/2009).  How does this survey of college bookstores match with your experience? Have you read or are you reading any books on this list?  Are book discussions related to these top books pertinent among undergrads, grads, faculty, the larger culture?  (BTW, the number 1 book on campus? Pride and Prejudice and Zombies by Jane Austen and Seth Grahame-Smith.)

Photo: Someone reading something a bit more substantial (from kwerfeldein via Flickr)

More U.S. students picking Canadian universities (Susan Snyder, Philadelphia Inquirer, 9/28/2009) reports on undergraduates. Does anyone have information as to whether there is similar appeal/interest to masters/PhD students?

Facebook: The New Classroom Commons? (CHE) – Harriet L. Schwartz of Carlow University raises a few good questions about Facebook interactions between faculty and students. Do students expect faculty to friend them? Do Facebook interactions count as mentoring? Is Facebook too public to be an extension of the classroom?

The Veritas about Harvard (CHE) – Kevin Carey examines an issue that Mike has often thought about: Harvard’s $27 billion endowment. Until this year’s stock fall, the endowment was over $35 billion, yet Harvard still enrolls only 1,600 undergraduate students. That’s $16.9 million per student. How is Harvard using this incredible wealth? By cutting back on services and increasing class sizes. Carey looks at some other options.

Colleges and H1N1 – A Miami (OH) freshman died of H1N1 this past weekend, just days after a recent graduate died from viral pneumonia. How are your universities dealing with H1N1? How are Christians on campus responding? Rodney Stark, in his book The Rise of Christianity, argues that two major epidemics (the Antonine and Cyprian plagues) in the Roman Empire would have been much worse if not for the sacrificial love of Christian caregivers. Are you seeing love expressed on your campuses?

Tom Grosh IV

Tom enjoys daily conversations regarding living out the Biblical Story with his wife Theresa and their four girls, around the block, at Elizabethtown Brethren in Christ Church (where he teaches adult electives and co-leads a small group), among healthcare professionals as the South Central PA Area Director for the Christian Medical & Dental Associations (CMDA), and in higher ed as a volunteer with the Emerging Scholars Network (ESN). The Christian Medical Society / CMDA at Penn State College of Medicine is the hub of his ministry with CMDA. Note: Tom served with InterVarsity Christian Fellowship / USA for 20+ years, including 6+ years as the Associate Director of ESN. He has written for the ESN blog from its launch in August 2008. He has studied Biology (B.S.), Higher Education (M.A.), Spiritual Direction (Certificate), Spiritual Formation (M.A.R.), Ministry to Emerging Generations (D.Min.). To God be the glory!

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