The TopUniversities.com guide to the latest university news from around the world, on 17 July 2013.
US: California student gets jail sentence for rigging election
A US student has been sentenced to a year in prison after committing identity theft in order to rig a student election, BBC News reports. Matthew Weaver was found guilty of stealing the passwords of almost 750 students at the University of California San Marcos, in order to cast extra votes for himself in the election for president of the student body. Weaver had apparently captured the passwords by installing small electronic devices which recorded what was being typed into computers.
Germany: Study abroaders ‘more open-minded and emotionally stable’
Research by psychologists at Germany’s Friedrich Schiller University of Jena has concluded that students who choose to spend time studying abroad tend to be more open-minded, reports ExpatForum.com. The study of 1,000 students also found that after spending time abroad, students seemed to have gained even greater openness and also greater emotional stability. The study was inspired by the growing popularity of studying abroad among German students – it’s estimated that around a quarter now get some kind of international experience.
US: Warning over MOOC providers getting contracts without bidding
Inside Higher Ed has raised concerns over the discovery that many US universities are signing deals with MOOC providers without any competitive bidding process. So far, the website says, more than 20 universities and higher education systems have awarded contracts to Coursera, edX or Udacity without engaging in the formal procurement process that typically applies to supplier decisions. University officials say they are trying out MOOC technologies, and most of the contracts do not involve any upfront cost or exclusive commitment.
Singapore/India: SMU to launch new executive programs in India
Singapore Management University (SMU) is preparing to launch new executive education programs in India, Economic Times reports. SMU is to run programs in collaboration with the Indian Institute of Management Bangalore, Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur, Indian Institute of Foreign Trade in New Delhi, Bombay Stock Exchange Institute in Mumbai, Birla Institute of Management Technology in Noida and Indian Institute of Management Rohtak. An agreement with IIM Lucknow is also in the pipeline. Programs will include a masters focusing on innovation, a course on financial strategy for small and medium businesses, and a certification in wealth management.