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MSU

Future of liberal arts programs in jeopardy

Meghan Gilbert
January 20, 2004

Month-long focus group conversations concerning the future of the liberal arts and sciences programs at MSU have culminated into a 15-page summary proposal for Provost Lou Anna Simon's review. The report included recommendations to merge departments within colleges, use more electronic communications and evaluate broad cost-cutting ideas and course overlaps. Marcellette Williams, an MSU alumna and retired MSU English and comparative literature professor, submitted the summary Thursday and said participants were passionate during focus group conversations. "It was extraordinary faculty and toward the end, the provost will find extraordinary support," Williams said.

MICHIGAN

E.L. City Council to meet with 'U'

Don Jordan
January 20, 2004

The East Lansing City Council will hold one of its bimonthly meetings on campus tonight, offering students an opportunity to voice their concerns to city officials. The event, held three times a year at the beginning of semesters, will begin at 7:30 p.m.

MSU

ASMSU to visit U-M conference

Representatives from ASMSU will be heading to a conference at the school down the road at the end of January for the first time in two years. On Jan.

MSU

Nickel & dime

Earvin "Magic" Johnson, step aside. There are two new all-time great Spartans on campus - hospitality business professors Ronald Cichy and Michael Kasavana. The two are inaugural members of a sort of vending machine industry hall of fame.

MSU

Nuclear Reaction

Steve Eder
January 20, 2004

If anyone should understand the depths of Iraq's nuclear capabilities - past and present - Imad Khadduri believes it is himself. For 30 years, Khadduri, 59, collected and processed the information that fueled Saddam Hussein's controversial nuclear program.

MSU

'U' trustees voice 4 major goals for 2004

Amy Bartner
January 20, 2004

The MSU Board of Trustees announced its New Year's resolutions Friday to address the Capital Campaign, the impending budget challenges, the push to secure the Rare Isotope Accelerator and the expansion of MSU's College of Human Medicine. Trustee and board chairman David Porteous named the four initiatives at the meeting, beginning with the university's Capital Campaign. "It's just a top, top priority of this institution," Porteous said. Trustee Randall Pittman said the campaign, which is an effort to raise $1.2 billion by 2007, doesn't only help MSU. "This Capital Campaign really helps with the quality of Michigan State University and the quality of education for tomorrow," he said.

MSU

Officials: Focus on moon travels could harm NASA

Meghan Gilbert
January 16, 2004

President Bush announced Wednesday his goals for another manned moon landing and other space exploration, but university officials say that although this is important for science, they worry other NASA programs will suffer. Bush's proposal laid out a timetable for a robotic mission to the moon by 2008, the first manned flight of a new spacecraft by 2014 and a manned lunar mission between 2015 and 2020. Mark Voit, an associate professor of physics and astronomy and former employee at NASA's Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore, said the moon's surface would be an ideal environment for research. "There are certain types of radio telescopes we would like to build here on Earth, but wireless communication creates a lot of what we call 'noise,' and we can't observe the universe the ways we'd like to," he said.

MSU

College Bowl, talent show top UAB events

Agnes Soriano
January 16, 2004

The University Activities Board is welcoming back students by offering various events on campus. All events are free of admission to students: The College Bowl Tournament application fee of $20 is due today.

MSU

No plans for Napster 2.0 to be provided at 'U'

Meghan Gilbert
January 16, 2004

Pennsylvania State University has taken a stand to curb illegal file sharing by offering Napster 2.0 to students, but MSU has no plans to follow suit, officials say. About 5,300 Penn State students have signed up for the music-sharing service that allows them to listen to unlimited streams of songs. David Gift, vice provost for libraries, computing and technology at MSU, said the idea is good in principle, but there are too many concerns for the application at MSU. Gift said the money spent on a music program would take funds away from other university technology needs. "We're not sure this is the most effective use of money we would otherwise spend on classroom technology," Gift said.

MICHIGAN

Granholm: More cuts for next fiscal year

Alessa Thomas
January 15, 2004

Lansing - Gov. Jennifer Granholm said there will be no further cuts for the remainder of the fiscal year, but her outlook for next year is grim. The governor, along with state Treasurer Jay Rising, held a press conference Wednesday that addressed state revenue estimates for fiscal year 2004-05. "My guess is that this is the smallest budget in decades," Granholm said.