Between Editions

I’ll be heading over to South Arkansas Community College today to cover Dr. Joseph F. Shannon, dean of instruction at Panola College in Carthage, Texas, who is one of five finalists for the SouthArk presidential position.

The event begins at 1:45 p.m. in the SouthArk Library.

The hope is that a new president can be chosen before the end of June. The other finalists are visiting campus the rest of this week and next. They are: Dr. Linda A. Allen, vice president of academic affairs at Hawkeye Community College in Waterloo, Iowa, who will be in town tomorrow;

Dr. Barbara R. Jones, dean of instruction at Louisiana Delta Community College in Monroe, La., who will visit on Monday; Dr. Jeremy P. McMillen, associate vice president of instruction and academic education at Trinity Valley Community College in Athens, Texas, who will visit on Tuesday;

And Dr. Johnny M. Moore, vice president of student affairs at Indian River State College in Fort Pierce, Fla., who will visit on Wednesday.

All forums will be held at the same time as today’s. Students, college employees and “invited members of the community” are urged to attend.

I felt refreshed when I read this article in the New York Times about Berea College in Kentucky. Students there aren’t worried about leather recliners and high fashion — they’re only concerned about learning the skills they need to be productive citizens of the world.

Oh, and the school is absolutely tuition-free.

Click here for access.

Article quote: “Berea’s approach provides an unusual perspective on the growing debate over whether the wealthiest universities are doing enough for the public good to warrant their tax exemption, or simply hoarding money to serve an elite few. As many elite universities scramble to recruit more low-income students, Berea’s no-tuition model has attracted increasing attention.”

From the Camden News:

Bearden High School students were evacuated from classes Friday morning while officials conducted a room-to-room search after a threatening note was found inside the school.

The school’s burglar alarm was tripped between 2-3 a.m. Friday. High school principal Jim Bonsall told the Camden News that two classrooms had been “dumped.”

Bonsall explained that desks had been turned over and things were thrown about. Three windows were also damaged, and approximately $80 in cash, along with five checks totaling $74, was taken from one of the classrooms.

“A little more than a prank,” Bonsall said.

He said the handwritten note was found inside the school, and that the note contained some type of threat. Ouachita County Sheriff’s Office Chief Deputy Joe Strickland told the Camden News that his office is working with the school on the case.

Suspects in the case are juveniles.

The Christian Science Monitor published a story late last month on the El Dorado Promise. It has the usual quotes from locals who say they are very grateful to Murphy Oil for giving their children a chance at college. It’s a pretty good read. Click here for the story.