College board revamp eyed
Is one board per public college too many? Policymakers are debating whether it's time for more centralized oversight of community and state colleges.
As Governor Deval Patrick considers an overhaul of how the state runs public higher education, some are pushing for a single board of trustees for all state colleges and another board for all community colleges. Now, each of the 15 community colleges and nine state colleges have their own boards. The University of Massachusetts has a single board for its five campuses.
A Patrick spokeswoman said the governor might unveil his plan for governance of public education by month's end.
Advocates of centralized boards say they make it easier to implement systemic reforms and create equity in resources.
In recent months, Mayor Tom Menino and others have advocated for a more centralized governance for at least the community colleges, citing low graduation rates.
But many college presidents oppose the idea, arguing that local control is essential to ensure their colleges can serve the needs of their regions. At a meeting with Patrick at Bridgewater State College late last month , some presidents made a pitch to retain local control. Patrick made no promises.
NO SMALL FIGHT FOR PICILLO: Students at Northeastern University have launched an all-out campaign to save the job of a popular instructor who has been cut loose because she lacks a doctorate .
About 600 current and former students have signed an online petition asking Northeastern to change its mind about Susan Picillo , one of a handful of instructors told last month that their contracts won't be renewed. Northeastern has been on a hiring tear to bring in more tenure-track professors and cut back on adjuncts who lack advanced degrees.
But students question how an institution that cherishes the "experiential education" of the coop program could get rid of a talented practitioner.
Picillo, who has been teaching public speaking and voice and articulation at Northeastern for nearly 10 years, said she has a master's degree, a voice consulting business, and an R&B band.
"She has been one of the greatest teachers I've ever had here," said senior Bill Durkin . "They should make exceptions for exceptional people."
Susan Powers-Lee , vice provost for undergraduate education, said the university wants teacher-scholars who are "deeply committed to the generation of knowledge in their field."
RISE TO THE TOP: All the female presidents in the Ivy League came together last week to talk about the fears they'd overcome as the first wave of women to rise to the top of American academia. But Brown president Ruth Simmons made it clear that being African-American added a whole extra layer of pressures.
She recalled being offered the presidency of Smith, which she held before Brown. "I remember being terrified and really wanting to find a way to say no," she said. "I was going to be on a stage and everyone would see my failure, and if I failed, when would the next African-American be appointed to that kind of position?"
At the same time, she said, being in that spotlight made her success all the more sweet. Her fellow presidents all had great careers, "but I don't think as good as me," she said, sparking laughter, because of the joy she has brought to people who hadn't thought her accomplishments were possible.
Drew Faust will take Harvard's reins in two months but had invited the others long ago. As moderator, she didn't share her own stories, but her star power forced Radcliffe to move the event to the American Repertory Theatre to accommodate hundreds of people.
BACK TO THE FUTURE: Leaders of the five colleges in western Massachusetts declared last week that the 21st century has finally reached their region.
The colleges -- Amherst, Hampshire, Mount Holyoke, Smith, and the University of Massachusetts at Amherst -- celebrated the completion of a 53-mile, $3.6 million fiber optic network that will deliver the same high-speed Internet services that have been available in urban areas . It took the colleges five years to win local approvals for the network.
The colleges built their own network because they couldn't find an Internet provider that could deliver the service to them at the lower rates available in Greater Boston.
"We really are in the telecommunication age now," said Lorna Peterson, executive director of Five Colleges Inc. "The future is here."
Campus Insider runs on alternate Sundays with Ask the Teacher, an advice column written by a teacher. To submit tips, email campus@globe.com. 
