Every 10 years, the University of Notre Dame undergoes a rigorous review of its core curriculum, the set of courses that every student is required to take in order to establish a common foundation in learning, according to the Core Curriculum Review website.This year’s review process launched with University President Fr. John Jenkins and University Provost Thomas Burish appointing John McGreevy, dean of the College of Arts and Letters, and Gregory Crawford, dean of the College of Science, as co-chairs of the Decennial Core Curriculum Review Committee in August 2014, according to the Core Curriculum Review website. The committee includes 12 additional faculty members from multiple departments of the University.In order to engage faculty in the inspection process, the Committee hosted open faculty forums throughout the academic year, per the website. The most recent forum was held in the McKenna Hall auditorium Tuesday night. McGreevy began the meeting by outlining the purpose of the Review Committee and the importance of faculty feedback in the process.“One thing to observe about these requirements is that they haven’t changed in forty years,” McGreevy said. “These are the requirements that came into being at Notre Dame and also, roughly, at Boston College and Georgetown [University], in the early 1970s.”The core curriculum is the foundation of the Notre Dame education, McGreevy said, and thus, the review of the curriculum is crucial.“If I were to characterize [the committee’s] conversations … I think the things we have talked the most about are, ‘What is it that we want students to have when they graduate? What knowledge, dispositions and skills?’” McGreevy said.McGreevy said students may need a range of particular courses that fine tune writing and oration skills.McGreevy said the University needs to examine “how best can [courses] be substantiated — incorporating certain requirements and organizational structures — from academic advising to the relationship between [the] First Year of Studies [program] and the colleges and schools.”Other questions under consideration by the Committee include how to sustain and deepen the University’s commitment to its Catholic character and how to integrate core curriculum requirements with major requirements, McGreevy said. Faculty members were then invited to share their thoughts on these questions.Associate professor of political science Debra Javeline proposed a sustainability requirement for the core curriculum.“We are all deeply concerned about the sustainable issues of environmental change and whether our students come out of Notre Dame to participate in the conversation,” Javeline said.While review of the curriculum is a beneficial activity, it also runs the risk of losing sight of what the University already does well, said Jean Porter, John A. O’Brien professor of theology.“Notre Dame is an institution that prides itself on giving our undergraduates a first-rate, humanistic education,” Porter said. “We initiate them into certain critical thought, we initiate them into the learnings of the Church, and I think we do it at a very high level.”Theology professor Gary Anderson called for reforms to the structure of introductory classes so that students not be required to take as many beginning classes with graduate students.“When I arrived in 2003 and began teaching the intro course, I was told I had to do the University seminar with 17 students because we have to have senior faculty members teaching those seminars,” Anderson said. “Plus, the University requires us to fund our fifth-year graduate students by putting them in these classes, so we are forced to do this.”Elizabeth Mazurek, associate professor of classics, spoke on the importance of languages being included in the potentially new core curriculum.“I think that if you were to explore a thematic requirement of diversity, foreign language would be perfect,” Mazurek said. “You would not be forcing all students to take so many semesters of a language requirement, but it would be an option for diversity exploration.“… The Catholic Church is a world church and if we are to talk about ecological literacy, I think we also have to talk about world language literacy.”Other topics discussed at the forum included the election of faculty members to the Committee, rather than the current system of appointments, and the integration of different disciplines within the core curriculum.The Committee will open up to student feedback beginning next week, as there will be an open discussion on the place of theology in the core curriculum at 7 p.m. Monday night in Geddes Hall.Tags: Core Curriculum, Core Curriculum Review, Decennial Core Curriculum Review Committee, Open Forum, requirements read more

By Brad HaireUniversity of GeorgiaRadio Frequency Identification helps many retail super centers track their supplies. It can allow a prescription bottle to speak to a disabled patient and help pet owners find lost pets. George Vellidis says it can help a farmer water his crops better.RFID is a system that can wirelessly retrieve information from RFID tags, small devices that contain silicon chips with antennas, said Vellidis, an engineer with the University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences.The idea of using RFID came up several years ago in a meeting among engineers in Georgia. Vellidis figured it could be the key to a system farmers can use to precisely schedule irrigation.But he and research engineer Mike Tucker could find no published research on using it for irrigation. So they decided to develop a prototype system that uses RFID tags to wirelessly transmit soil moisture data from a field to a central location.”We wanted to make something workable, wireless, low-maintenance and relatively cheap,” Vellidis said, “and something that could relay information in real time.”Knowing the real-time soil condition in his field can improve a farmer’s yields, he said, by giving his crops water when and where they need it. This improves his bottom line and can save water, too.Research shows that cotton plants can lose as much as 200 to 300 pounds of cotton per acre if they become water stressed. The harm can be done before the plants show any signs of damage.But sometimes the price of knowing may outweigh the benefit, he said. Commercial irrigation-scheduling systems use nodes with sensors in the soil throughout a field. The sensors collect data like soil temperature and moisture. A farmer can manually check each sensor or have the data sent to a central place. The latter is more helpful.But commercial wireless systems can cost $700 or more per node, Vellidis said. Solar panels are often needed to supply the power. And systems with wires or cables can get in the way of farm work.Georgia farm fields can vary in soil type. Each soil type holds water differently. To know precisely when and where to water, farmers need many nodes throughout a field.The more nodes in a field, the more precise a system would be. About 20 per 80 acres, Vellidis said, would be ideal.With RFID, one node in the UGA system costs about $70. That includes two soil-moisture sensors and two thermocouples for soil temperatures. A 9-volt battery, he said, would supply enough power for one season for a watertight circuit board the size of a playing card.The circuit board reads the sensors’ data and writes it to an active RFID tag, made by WhereNet Corporation. The RFID tag has a flexible antenna a tractor can easily pass over.A central receiver could wirelessly retrieve the data. The farmer can use the data to decide when and how much to water.The system, still in the research mode, isn’t commercially available. But the projected cost for a 20-node system for an 80-acre field is about $2,700, Vellidis said, or about $35 per acre.The research was funded by Cotton Incorporated and the Georgia Peanut Commission, Georgia Cotton Commission and Georgia Research Alliance.Vellidis hopes the system can become commercially available through a startup agribusiness. Another product developed on the UGA Tifton, Ga., campus, called variable-rate irrigation, can now be bought through a startup company in Ashburn, Ga.This isn’t the first agricultural use of RFID. Canada uses it to identify cattle. It can trace a beef carcass at a packing plant back to its herd of origin. The U.S. Department of Agriculture is developing its own tracking system using RFID. read more

FacebookTwitterLinkedInEmailPrint分享Reuters:Norwegian pension fund manager KLP has sold 3.2 billion crowns ($366 million) of bond and equity exposure in 46 companies, including leading miners BHP and Anglo American, after a decision to withdraw from thermal coal.Fund managers have become increasingly reluctant to risk investing in companies linked to fossil fuels or other activities regarded as unsustainable as popular pressure mounts for action to limit environmental damage.KLP also said it sold its 97 million crown stake in Brazilian miner Vale last month because of concerns over a dam disaster that killed an estimated 300 people in January.On Tuesday KLP said it would no longer invest in any company that obtains more than 5 percent of revenue from coal-based activities, adding that the minimal threshold is because it is difficult to get accurate information on all revenue below that level.“Coal cannot and should not be part of energy supply in the future,” Chief Executive Sverre Thornes said in a statement.KLP, which manages about 600 billion crowns in total, has progressively cut its coal exposure and says its stance now is among the strictest of any passive fund.More: Norway’s KLP pension fund cuts coal exposure Norway’s KLP pension fund cuts coal exposure read more

14SHARESShareShareSharePrintMailGooglePinterestDiggRedditStumbleuponDeliciousBufferTumblr,Dennis Child Dennis Child is a 40 year veteran credit union CEO recently retired. He has been associated with TCT for 25 years. Today, Dennis enjoys providing solutions and training for credit … Web: tctconsult.com Details There are a number of constituency groups within a credit union, the people of which have (or should have) an interest in their respective credit union’s financial health.  These constituency groups include regulators, managers, employees, committees and members.  Making sure these people understand the importance of being aware of a credit union’s financial standing and then keeping them informed can be daunting for CEOs.  The challenge becomes particularly acute when it comes to people who serve on a voluntary basis on a variety of credit union committees.  And yet, these volunteers often are the people regulators expect to assume the highest levels of responsibility for a credit union’s viability and compliance.   Credit union committees most likely to be manned wholly or partially by volunteers include boards of directors, supervisory committees and asset/liability management committees (ALCO).  These committees are critical to a credit union’s existence.  Yet, for volunteers, their credit union responsibilities are often secondary to their respective professions.  The most competent volunteers usually have a limited amount of time to devote to their credit union’s affairs.  The purpose of this article is to focus on some critical credit union committees and the volunteers who make up these committees.  We’ll briefly delve into why volunteers should constantly be aware of their credit union’s financial standing.  Then we’ll explore how managers can help volunteers meet their mandated financial responsibilities with a minimum of time.The Board of Directors May be Comprised of Volunteers but Responsibilities Are Still HighNCUA has made it clear that individuals serving on boards of directors are to be held to high standards and expectations as described in regulations (CODE OF FEDERAL REGULATIONS; Title 12 – BANKS AND BANKING; PART 701- ORGANIZATION AND OPERATIONS OF FEDERAL CREDIT UNIONS; §701.4 General authorities and duties of Federal credit union directors).The board of directors is responsible for the general direction and control of affairs of their Federal credit union.  The ultimate responsibility of each Federal credit union’s board of directors for that Federal credit union’s direction and control is non-delegable.  Board members are expected to:Carry out their duties in good faith and in the best interests of the membership as a wholeAdminister affairs fairly and impartiallyWithin six months of election, have a working knowledge of credit union finances and accounting practicesDirect management’s operation in conformity with regulationsAmong the key competencies board members are expected to master are basic financial literacy and financial analysis.Boards are expected to make sure the credit union maintains its sound financial condition and boards should continually assess the credit union’s financial performance.Volunteers Often Serve on ALCOs A credit union’s Asset/Liability Management Committee (ALCO) is probably the most important operating task force that serves in a credit union.  A credit union’s ALCO is responsible for the coordinated oversight of its balance sheet.  Regulators expect a credit union’s ALCO to assume responsibility for recommending to the board of directors the amount of risk to which the credit union should be exposed.  ALCO membership should include representation from each major department within a credit union including the board of directors and the supervisory committee.   ALCOs should be tracking key financial data within a credit union to assure the ALCO is performing according to regulations and making effective recommendations to management and the board of directors.For Volunteers, Quality Data over Quantity is ImperativeEvery person in a credit union who serves in a leadership positon needs to be provided a number of reports to keep them aware of the performance of that credit union.  Because a credit union’s financial standing can shift quickly, it is best to provide reports monthly.  Volunteers often serve on boards and other required committees within credit unions.  These volunteers usually have limited time to devote to their credit union duties.  It imperative they have critical financial data in a capsulated format that they and other leaders can scan quickly and determine if there are areas that  need to be  “drilled down on”.   The best method to provide important financial data in a capsulated format is to utilize key financial indicators reports.   Key financial indicators that reflect the most significant areas leaders need to focus on need not make up a lengthy list.  An effective key financial indicator report can usually be fitted on one page and can be quickly scanned by a trained observer.  Based on years of research and experience, this author makes the following recommendations regarding key financial indicators reports:A committee, or an experienced consulting firm,  be commissioned to create the list of key financial indicatorsKey financial indicators be tracked for three to five yearsLong-term goals for each indicator be reflected on the reportColor coding be used in the report that highlights indicators according to the level they are within or outside parameters (i.e. green, yellow, red, etc.)  A stochastic, statistically-validated method be used to determine indicators that should be reflected on the report to assure the indicators represent data that are significant to the meeting of long-term objectivesThe list of key financial indicators be limited to no more than a dozen and a halfIn Summary:Credit unions are dependent on volunteers to serve in key positions.  Typically, turnover is high among competent volunteers because of their time constraints.  Keeping experienced volunteers in their respective positions is as important as keeping experienced employees.   Respecting the limited time volunteers have to devote to credit union affairs helps to assure they will stay in their positions longer.  Providing key data in a capsulated format will help to keep volunteers informed and effective with a minimal amount of their time. read more

Sign up for our COVID-19 newsletter to stay up-to-date on the latest coronavirus news throughout New York A Centerport man was arrested Friday for a string of bank robberies that began in early July. Suffolk County police charged Frank Marquez with three counts of third-degree robbery, one count of third-degree attempted robbery, and aggravated unlicensed operation for driving with a suspended license.Using video surveillance and multiple Crime Stoppers tips, Pattern Crime Unit detectives identified Marquez as the alleged bank robber in three separate incidents, plus one that was unsuccessful, police said. He was arrested near Butterfield Drive in Greenlawn Friday morning. Police alleged that Marquez robbed a TD Bank on Broadhollow Road in Farmingdale on July 7, a TD bank on Deer Park Avenue in Deer Park on July 14, and a Capitol One on Deer Park Avenue in North Babylon on July 21. He was also charged with the attempted robbery of a People’s United Bank in Huntington on July 14. In a press release issued July 14, police said a man entered People’s United Bank and demanded money, but the teller did not comply. Twenty-five minutes later the same man was inside a TD Bank in Deer Park making the same demands, police said. Marquez is being held overnight and is scheduled to be arraigned at First District Court in Central Islip on Saturday. The investigation into the robbery spree is continuing, police said. Anyone with information is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-220-TIPS. All calls are anonymous. read more

Advertisement Comment Metro Sport ReporterWednesday 14 Oct 2020 1:29 pmShare this article via facebookShare this article via twitterShare this article via messengerShare this with Share this article via emailShare this article via flipboardCopy link7.8kShares Advertisement Arsene Wenger explains Arsenal’s ‘ludicrous’ £40m plus £1 bid for Luis Suarez Luis Suarez starred in Liverpool’s 5-1 thrashing of Arsenal in February 2014 (Picture: Getty)‘We had an agreement with the player and his agent. But the agent claimed that there was a clause: with an offer above £40million, Liverpool would be obliged to let the player go. ‘But thanks to an indiscretion within Liverpool. I found out that his clause never existed. To check this was true, we offered £40,000,001. This may have seemed ludicrous, I admit. ‘But Liverpool did not want to sell Suarez, they could afford to keep him and there was already an offer from Barca on the horizon.’More: Arsenal FCArsenal flop Denis Suarez delivers verdict on Thomas Partey and Lucas Torreira movesThomas Partey debut? Ian Wright picks his Arsenal starting XI vs Manchester CityArsene Wenger explains why Mikel Arteta is ‘lucky’ to be managing ArsenalSuarez subsequently enjoyed the most prolific season of his Liverpool career and only narrowly missed out on firing his side to the Premier League title. Arsenal’s campaign, meanwhile, unravelled after a 5-1 mauling at Anfield with Olivier Giroud, the club’s only recognised senior striker at that time, struggling to shoulder the goalscoring burden.Despite his limitations, Wenger believes the France international, who scored over 100 goals for the Gunners before his move to Chelsea in January 2018, was one of the most underrated players he ever managed.He added: ‘He commands huge respect as someone you can rely on in adversity. When we come to look back, it will become clear that he had a great career. Through his strength and hard work he achieved the recognition he deserved, both in England and France.’MORE: Thomas Partey rates Arsenal’s Premier League title chances under Mikel ArtetaMORE: Thomas Partey names five Arsenal legends he idolised – including Patrick Vieira and Thierry HenryFollow Metro Sport across our social channels, on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.For more stories like this, check our sport page. Arsenal tried to sign Luis Suarez from Liverpool in the summer of 2013 (Picture: Getty)Arsene Wenger has confessed it was ‘ludicrous’ to sanction a bid of £40million plus a solitary pound in the summer of 2013 as Arsenal attempted to sign Luis Suarez from Liverpool.The Gunners had been on the verge of striking a deal with Real Madrid having identified Gonzalo Higuain as Robin van Persie’s long-term successor, but Wenger shifted focus to Suarez upon learning of a supposed release clause.Arsenal bid just £1 above the £40m mark having, according to Wenger, already struck an agreement with the player. Liverpool dismissed the offer out of hand with John W. Henry, the club’s owner, infamously tweeting ‘What do you think they’re smoking over there at Emirates?’AdvertisementAdvertisementWenger insists it was not Arsenal’s intention to annoy Liverpool, but simply to ascertain whether or not the release clause, which ultimately turned out to be bogus, was legitimate or not.ADVERTISEMENTIn his new autobiography ‘Arsene Wenger, My Life in Red and White’ the legendary Arsenal manager revealed: ‘In 2014 were looking to get Luis Suarez over. read more

One time when I went to a coaching clinic I found an open seat in the front row.  I had only been coaching a few years at that time.  When I looked over to my left, I was amazed to see who was sitting next to me.  It was John Wooden!  He was coaching at UCLA and he had not yet had his unbelievable string of NCAA championships. However, he had already won at least one championship at that time.The coach on stage acted as if he was the only person who had ever used a 2-2-1 zone press.  After this coach kept going on about his expertise, John looked over at me and said “Young man, I bet you use that press.”  I answered “yes, I do.”  John got a smile on his face and said “you might as well be up there giving the talk.”  I wondered where he was going with this.He followed it up with this statement “a good coach is one who knows who to copy from.  After all, only the original coaches invent things, and I don’t believe even someone as old as I have invented too many new things.  I’ve been pretty good about copying from the experts.”  I would say John did better than just copy.  He was able to make a lot of things work! read more

If any program can be considered a dynasty, it must be the Wisconsin men’s cross country program. Entering his ninth year as head coach, Jerry Schumacher has led the Badger men to eight Big Ten titles and coached numerous All-Americans.But before last season, Schumacher’s Badgers had yet to capture that elusive national title, despite four second place finishes, including three in a row in 2002, 2003 and 2004.According to Schumacher, “it felt pretty good” to finally finish on top of the NCAA mountain. He said it was great to see the guys be able to celebrate, especially after the disappointing finish they went through the year before. Wisconsin entered the NCAA championships as the clear favorite, but a sloppy, rain soaked course was navigated better by Colorado, as the Buffaloes denied the Badgers the national title.Schumacher added that it was an emotional day for the program guys, and he said the alumni support was great for the program.After losing five seniors from the national champion team, including four of the top nine runners on the squad and two-time defending NCAA individual champion Simon Bairu, the Badgers are still expected to do big things as evidenced by the top ranking placed on them this week by the U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association.The Badgers’ coach was a little more tempered in his expectations.”The competition gets better every year,” said Schumacher. “We are always a team where our goal is to be at the top of the list.”If the team is able to stay healthy and trains well, Schumacher is confident Wisconsin will be in the hunt to make a run at winning the title again this season.The Badgers got a chance to see some of the potential replacements for graduated seniors in last weekend’s Pioneer Harrier Invitational hosted by Carroll College.Wisconsin captured first place by sweeping the first four positions, along with a seventh-place runner for a dominating total of 17 points.Redshirt freshman Brandon Bethke paced the Badgers, finishing the 8,000 meter course in 25:50. Sophomore Christian Wagner finished with Bethke in a time of 25:50. Close behind were redshirt freshman Ryan Gasper in 25:53 and senior Ben Porter in 25:55.Rounding out the scoring five for the Badgers was redshirt freshman Tim Pierie, who finished seventh in a time of 26:45.Schumacher pointed out Bethke, Gasper and Pierie as runners he expects to potentially step up into scoring roles for the Badgers this season.However, the coach pointed out that the meet was just an opener and that not much stock should be put in it.He said somewhere along the line he will be splitting the team into squads, and in another eight weeks he said he will know who will help the Badgers in their quest for a repeat national championship.But the Badgers also bring back many other talented and experienced runners from last year’s squad, including senior Chris Solinsky, who finished third at the NCAA meet last year. Other returnees competing in last year’s NCAA race include sophomores Matt Withrow, Stu Eagon and Wagner along with senior Tim Nelson.Schumacher also has high hopes for his talented freshman class, which includes Ryan Craven from Mount Prospect, Ill., Landon Peacock from Morley, Mich., Jack Bolas from Chapel Hill, N.C., and Noah Shannon of Fort Collins, Colo. read more

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Three years after bringing in the nation’s No. 11 recruiting class according to collegesoccernews.com, Wisconsin men’s soccer hasn’t had much to show from it.In the seasons since, the Badgers went 8-23-6, haven’t won a Big Ten Tournament game and failed to qualify for the NCAA Tournament. Reasons for the poor performances include, the team was young and inexperienced and there were too many holes to fill after key departures like AJ Cochran. But regardless of what has happened over the past two seasons, the Badgers feel they are ready to put their poor results behind them.Men’s soccer season roundup: Although record disappointing, some bright spots in 2015The Wisconsin men’s soccer season came to a close on Nov. 8 as Indiana knocked them out of the Big Read…Mark Segbers, a junior forward who finished 2015 with the second-most points for Wisconsin, believes the team will have to adopt a new mindset that places a do-or-die attitude on every game. But as he pointed out, something much more ordinary can lead the Badgers to success — being confident.“A lot of times we did play well and broke other teams down,” Segbers said. “But in that final third we just couldn’t put the ball away. I think it just comes down to being more confident, more lethal. You have to believe that every chance you get is going to hit the back of the net.”That approach, Segbers said, is what he feels will make the difference after the Badgers scored just 19 goals in 2015.Though Wisconsin lost midfielder Drew Connor to graduation, with the likes of Segbers, Tom Barlow and Mike Catalano patrolling and distributing from the midfield, the Badgers are in good hands to continue bypassing opposing defenses.A solid attack that features 2015 leading scorer Christopher Mueller, and a defense led by New Zealand international Sam Brotherton, will be a potent units to compliment the midfield.Men’s soccer: Attacking midfielder provides spark for UW in first two wins of seasonAfter starting the season 0-4, the Wisconsin men’s soccer team needed a jolt of creativity and energy. This spark came Read…With all of those pieces in place, the team will hold a higher line so they don’t find themselves on their heels as much as last season, when they were outshot 287 to 187. It’s a tactic which head coach John Trask feels the team is now ready for since they can handle tracking back if they lose possession.“A lot of [goal scoring] is going to come from practice and how we practice,” Segbers said. “When we do our drills, sometimes we’re not pressing enough and that’s something we’re going to do a lot this year. When we get a team stuck in their final third it can lead to good things.”When trying to pin opposing teams in their own zones, the Badgers will be more likely to draw fouls, in dangerous positions no less, and be able to take advantage of set-pieces. An athletic team with a high press will also undoubtedly force turnovers and have better counterattacking play, all of which will lead to goals.But the Badgers don’t want to stop there and are looking to further the damage done by a high press with fluid passing and smart runs off the ball. The group of promising upperclassmen and sophomores, despite some already playing two seasons together, are looking to reach an ever higher level of understanding each other’s play.“We need to make sure that when we get back to Madison, we’re working on all of our combinations,” Brotherton said. “We’re trying to become a team that’s comfortable playing with each other and can be clever all game.”It won’t, however, take until preseason to work on furthering that understanding. After qualifying for the Confederations Cup as a member of the New Zealand national team in early June, Brotherton joined Premier Development League side Des Moines Menace alongside fellow Badgers Barlow, Nick Jones and Alex Masbruch.Men’s soccer: Sophomores on verge of emerging from ‘growing pains’For the Wisconsin’s men’s soccer team, some sophomores and key players have been tasked with running the show for the Read…Des Moines currently sits at the top of the top of the Heartland Division of the PDL, with the aid of Barlow’s six goals, Jones’ two and the undocumented contributions of the others. They are also six points ahead of Segbers’ Chicago Fire U23 squad, also in the same division.Segbers leads the team with four goals and three assists, adding to the impressive play that the Badgers have showcased this offseason. But while they may be division rivals, the competition is nothing but friendly, Segbers said. He and his teammates will congratulate each other back in Madison, after their PDL games and continue to be a close-knit bunch despite now sporting different colors.“[Having players in the PDL] is critical,” Trask said. “The PDL does an excellent job of giving these guys the opportunity to play at a high-level all summer long…and [Des Moines head coach Mike Matkovich] has been pleased with the UW guys so far.”The experience and camaraderie is the perfect combination to achieve what the team so desperately wishes to this fall — a Big Ten Tournament win. read more