Indiana Blog Review

'Cutting-edge cool'

Indiana Parley has the word on Ball State University's new advertising campaign.

Ball State University's Daily News carries a column by junior Ryan Smith about Ball State's latest advertising campaign. You've seen the billboards; Mr. Smith is embarassed by them.

Cutting-edge cool" is a phrase that sounds like it belongs burning in 1980s Hell along with "rad," "totally tubular" and "Where's the beef?"

ISU law school nixed

Indiana State University officials have withdrawn plans to create another Indiana law school, reports Torpor Indy.

I do not know of anyone who thought this was a good idea other than the ISU administration. I wonder if they actually studied the need for a law school before they announced it to the public. This action made the administration appear ill-prepared, desperate and out of touch.

Adds Deliberate Chaos:

It would seem to me that the state would be better served by expansion of medical science programs, such as nursing to combat a predicted nursing shortage.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics showed in Nov. 2004 that there were 5520 attorneys employed in Indiana.

Disclaimers:  Torpor Indy writes, "In the interest of full disclosure, I went to ISU as an undergrad and I am an attorney."  Chris3000/Deliberate Chaos adds that he is also an Indiana and Illinois attorney.

These aren't teachers' salaries

They might not be pulling in what Donald Trump makes in a year, but Indiana's private college presidents don't fare too badly when it comes to compensation.

Joshua Claybourn at Indiana Barrister has the numbers:

Reporter John Martin has an interesting piece in today's Courier & Press about the salaries of Indiana's college presidents. Citing the Chronicle of High Education, the C&P unsurpringly reports that IU's Adam Herbert and Purdue's Martin Jischke led the way. But here's how private institutions paid their presidents ...

'In Kind' contributions?

Is Purdue Calumet providing "in kind" contributions to Hammond Mayor Thomas McDermott, Jr.? Professor Maurice Eisenstein raises the question in his Northwest Indiana Comical Politics blog:

Purdue is providing free press advertising, Internet advertising and most importantly credentials and status building to the turncoat Democrat. One never knows how legal these are for a state institution. But in NWI legality is a matter of flexibility and don't talk about ethics, even the people who are pushing to ethical "rules" won't speak against anyone breaking them.

War on terror at IU

Masson's Blog has the story about how government officials planned anti-terrorism surveillance of  PETA's national lecturer at Indiana University in 2003.

The Associated Press is reporting that documents obtained by the ACLU show that the FBI had plans to conduct surveillance and collect “general intelligence” during an April 2003 speech by animal-rights advocate Gary Yourofsky at the Indiana Memorial Union.

Pol's second gig as professor raises questions

Hammond's mayor has a second gig working as a professor at Purdue Calumet.  When politicos, money, and government jobs are involved, it always raises questions for some in Lake County.

Northwest Indiana Comical Politics writes:

"Professor" McDermott, Jr. has officially decided that the book to use for a course on Lake County Politics is John F. Kennedy's Profiles in Courage. It can now be officially said that this is a fraud that knows nothing about political science and even less about Lake County politics as would be reflected in a university by a political scientist.

VU's Christmas concert goes nationwide

Valparaiso University's annual Christmas Concert is slated to air on more than 70 radio stations around the country and in San Juan, Puerto Rico and Port-au-Prince, Haiti this year, writes Deliberate Chaos. The concert will feature the world premier of the song, Convulsions in the Heavens, written by VU's Walt Wangerin, Jr. and Dr. Dennis Friesen-Carper.

Can't listen to the radio broadcast? A podcast and MP3 will be available.

National class track for IPFW

Indiana - Purdue University Fort Wayne will use a $5 million donation to build a national class track, reports Indiana Parley.

This isn't like a football stadium or basketball arena where there would exist many, many facilities in the same class. No, this is something in which IPFW would be in the same class as just a handful of other places.

It's time for finals

It's that time when college students who have pored over their books for the last semester will show their professors what they have learned.

Fox Rants pens a prayer for those among us who face the prospect of filling empty blue books with great thoughts.

The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not flunk;
He keepeth me from lying down when I should be studying. ...

New state law school proposed

Indiana State University proposes establishing a new state law school, writes Torpor Indy.

Some raise the question: Is another law school that will create more lawyers a good idea for Indiana?

I suspect that some attorneys might ask if adding additional attorneys to the state's rolls is good for the legal business.  (In the interest of full disclosure, I'm an attorney licensed in Indiana and Illinois).

Comments Torpor Indy:

However, the state commissioner for higher education, Stan Jones, remarks “I've not been aware that we need more lawyers in the state."

Stan Jones is right. There is a severe shortage of nurses and pharmacists all over the country, but it is just the opposite for lawyers. There are too many lawyers and not enough good jobs.