Monday, May 18, 1998 - The Michigan Daily - 3 Tenure candidates put emphasis on teaching By Susan T. Port Daily News Editor Last week, the University Board of Regents emphasized teaching ability as well as research success when they announced their professorship promotions. Each year, individual schools and colleges of e University recommend a number of professors for tenure and University Provost Nancy Cantor reviews the list of names. Promotions such as distinguished University pro- fessorships and tenure are decided by the Regents upon the recommendation of University President Lee Bollinger and Cantor, in conjunction with the advisory committee on University professorships. At the meeting, Cantor brought to the table a resolution to increase the number of distinguished University professorships by 12, bringing the total to 30. Appointments to the new distinguished pro- fessorships will be made at the rate of approxi- mately three per year. "I always want to find ways to recognize the career of the faculty's exceptional accomplish- ments," Cantor said. In the past, promotions were based on research experience. But now, instructors are being "evaluated on scholarly excellence of teaching," Cantor said. Cantor said the University is dedicated to inte- grating research into the education of both under- graduate and graduate students. After reviewing the professorship recommenda- tions, Bollinger said he was impressed with the qualifications of the applicants. "I was overwhelmed by the sterling quality of research and teaching," Bollinger said. Other officials agreed the University has focused more on teaching ability this year. "I was struck by the emphasis placed on not only scholarship but teaching as well," said Regent Philp Power (D-Ann Arbor). "Both are necessary characteristics for promotion." The backgrounds of the different teachers and professors were also examined at the meeting. Their credentials show "how much our faculty has dedicated themselves directly in the classroom," Cantor said. Regent Andrea Fisher Newman (R-Ars Arbor) said in past Regents meetings, attention was not placed on the professional history. "1 don't recall anyone really going through the background of individuals," Newman said. "But it's fascinating. We should hear more about it." Regent Olivia Maynard (D-Goodrich) described University professors as "teachers of the leaders of the future." Maynard said the schools and colleges of the University are encouraging their professors to concentrate not only on their research but also on their teaching skills. Study finds computer science grads face bright financial future AATA riders prepare to board one of the buses at the terminal on Fifth Street. The system was recognized for Its implementation of the Advanced Operating System. AATA conmmTended foro oprating sstem By Cassie Frank social issues. For the Daily "Not everyone has an automobile While Detroit is known for its and (therefore) access to places they automobiles, Ann Arbor, which is want to go," said Professor John e hour southwest of the Motor Nystuen from the College of ty, has its own claim to fame - a Architecture and Urban Planning. renowned public transportation "Society is arranging itself spacially system. so it's hard to get around without an The Ann Arbor Transit Authority automobile. Mass transit contributes recently received the Technology to solving that kind of problem." Implementation Award for the inte- Ann Arbor is a step ahead of other gration of the Advanced Operating cities in public transportation due to System this month by the Intelligent a stable source of local funding, Transportation Society of America. White said. Chris White, who works at the "There is a property tax dedicated AATA, said that the AOS uses a to public transit in"the city charter," # ellite system that relays the bus White explained. "So the AATA can ation and schedule to the driver get into projects that can improve via an onboard computer. the system in long-term ways." The new system announces the While many think that mass tran- next stop and changes in destina- sit is an accessible and effective tion times, tells the drivers if they means of transportation, White esti- are on schedule, coordinates trans- mated that less than half of Ann fers and communicates the mainte- Arbor residents use public trans- nance status. portation at some time during the "It is the first fully integrated year, but only five to six percent communication, operation and depend on it. intenance system in public trans- LSA senior Tess Aldrich said she rtation," White said. rarely takes advantage of the bus Professor John Nystuen from the system in Ann Arbor. College. of Architecture and Urban "I don't use public transporta- Planning said mass transit provides tion, except to go to Briarwood ... an environmentally efficient form and that works pretty well," Aldrich of travel and is tied to important said. By Redcloud George For the Daily Students concentrating in computer science havea promising financial future ahead of them after they graduate, according to a recently released report. A nation-wide survey conducted by the National Association of Colleges and Employers concluded that nearly a third of students about to graduate with a bachelor's degree in computer science are expected to make $40,000 per year in their first jobs. NACE said those are reasonable expectations. The survey found that 17 percent of responding computer science concen- trators expect their first jobs' salaries to be between $40,000 and $44,999. Six percent expect to make between $45,000 and $50,000, and nine percent expect more than $50,000. In April, NACE's "Salary Survey" showed an average starting salary offer of $40,843 to new college graduates with degrees in computer science. "The number of job openings is much bigger than the number of stu- dents graduating," said Ann Ford, a University lecturer and computer sci- ence concentration advisor. Ford added that, in addition to the job openings at computer companies such as Microsoft and Intel, the growing use of computers by many businesses cre- ates a larger demand for people with a knowledge of computer science. "Even Kroger needs computer peo- ple," Ford said. With such a great demand for "com- puter people," companies are looking to colleges as a rich source for potential employees. Ford said she knew of one student who was almost convinced by a compa- ny to begin working before graduation. "It's sort of like recruiting football players," Ford said. Michael Sun, an LSA junior concen- trating in computer science, said a degree was not even necessary since computer experts are in such demand. "My friend who just dropped out of school his sophomore year, and thus has no degree whatsoever, was able to secure a job in Chicago for a salary of $35,000," Sun said. Other students reported similarly high starting salaries for their fellow computer science concentrators. "A good friend of mine is graduating from Michigan Tech this spring and is receiving a job at IBM in Minnesota making $47,000 a year," said John Franzel, an LSA senior concentrator in computer science. Franzel and Sun agreed that although computer science is a promising field, choosing the concentration purely for a bright financial future was not a good idea. "For me, money was not as much of an issue as enjoying what I was doing," Franzel said, adding that he chose the concentration because it reflected his interests. Sun said a desire for a career in com- puters is more important to completion of the computer science program than a desire for money. "I notice many times that the people n the major who are in it just for the money or the job security, but have no real interest in the subject matter, tend to struggle a great deal more because they may not have had the background that comes along with years of messing with the computer," Sun said. Pick up at these drop spots: 2 Cm A r M Student Publications:Bldg Frieze Bldg. Pierpoint Commons Dennison BIB (N.Campus) E. Engin LSAChIT Building -- Bus ess Shoo La ibrary Unrsrgrduate library ichigan Union Gra. ate Librar r Angell/ason sites) N ..deerviCampus/CCLittle -bu- top dropbox Fifth and Liberty dropbo CQ Little 24- - Medical School y FlemingBldg. N. Universiy drobx ,Rackham hurchSt. drpox Athletic Dept Main St. News _ ISR