Melbourne University Private (MUP) was a private university spinoff founded by the University of Melbourne in Australia, which operated from July 1998 to 2005. It was designed as a profit making venture, independent of as much government control as possible, in an attempt to maneuver around some of the limitations of legislation governing public universities. It was the brainchild of controversial former Vice-Chancellor Alan Gilbert. It also allowed the public university to operate a management model and mission more akin to private market-driven universities in the USA (like the University of Phoenix).

Melbourne University Private hoped to work very closely with large companies. They could, for example, pay for tailored courses or project work in their fields. The parent university hoped MUP would have enough of Melbourne's prestige to interest these companies, while keeping itself independent of suspicions of tainted research and teaching.

Its founding brought together most of the university's independent educational ventures, although some later fell by the wayside (Cain & Hewitt, 2004). MUP's main potential markets became businesspeople and students of languages and international development, both in Australia and overseas. A major part of its work was to be producing curriculum for distance education courses to be delivered through the Universitas 21 platform, and latterly in its own right.

More on [ Melbourne University Private ]

David Lynch : Transcendental Meditation

Field of all possibilities
sanunit@iowatelecom.net Wed, 01 Oct 2008 19:00:00 +0100
Do you believe that once one has the ability to access this ocean of consciousness that one has the ability to manifest one’s own interactions with their surroundings? Meaning that, you know, this person is aware that they have tapped into this pool of consciousness, but it’s no longer limited to their own experience; it’s literally spilling out to the rest of their surroundings. It’s almost as if they’re already aware of what is going on, and [...]
Transcendental Meditation and consciousness expansion
sanunit@iowatelecom.net Wed, 24 Sep 2008 19:00:00 +0100
You’ve mentioned the benefit of Transcendental Meditation as being like a sort of consciousness expansion. My question is: Do you think there’s any other way to induce that consciousness expansion, like illicit substances or art, or any other suggestions you might have? No. The thing is, there’s experience, there’s information, there’s intellectual knowledge. But consciousness isn’t an intellectual knowledge. Th [...]
World peace, war, and social mobility
sanunit@iowatelecom.net Fri, 12 Sep 2008 19:00:00 +0100
I have a question regarding world peace: What do you think about war sometimes being a necessity for social mobility? This thing about world peace: I’ve heard that Maharishi had a technology to amplify, enliven, so much unity through a peace-creating group that it could bring harmony and coherence—real peace—to the world. And real peace is not just the absence of war. Real peace is the absence of those seeds of war—negativi [...]
Meditation and the story
sanunit@iowatelecom.net Wed, 03 Sep 2008 19:00:00 +0100
I have a question about story. When you’re in meditation, the process of story—does it come to you visually? When I watch your films, they are like a meditation to me. And you use colors, and you use rhythm, and you use timing, and you also—your stories are surprising and always revealing. And I wonder how your meditation influences you in that way, and how you convey that on the set to the actors—how do you all work together to bring that to light? [...]
What is the field of consciousness?
sanunit@iowatelecom.net Tue, 26 Aug 2008 19:00:00 +0100
Can you explain about consciousness? The field of consciousness, the field of pure consciousness, as explained by Dr. John Hagelin, is also known as the Unified Field—the Unified Field found at the base of all matter. And it’s found at the base of all mind, at the source of thought. And this Unified Field is also beyond space and time. It’s unbounded and eternal; it’s beyond duality. It’s oneness; it’s unity. An [...]
Drugs or meditation
sanunit@iowatelecom.net Wed, 20 Aug 2008 19:00:00 +0100
Have you ever used hallucinogenic drugs for inspiration, or have you done it entirely through meditation? I have smoked marijuana. But I don’t smoke it any more. And I was pretty lucky—and it’s a true thing. You know, I went to art school in the ’60s. So you can imagine what was going on. And yet my friends were the ones: they said, “No, no, no, David: don’t you take those drugs.”

Education: News & Videos about Education - CNN.com

Hidden College Costs: Rising Fees
Tue, 09 Sep 2008 21:00:00 -0400
Compared to pricey private colleges, state schools can be a bargain. But extra fees are adding to the financial burden
Fewer US Med Students Choosing Primary Care
Tue, 09 Sep 2008 20:00:00 -0400
Only 2% of graduating medical students say they plan to work in primary care internal medicine, raising worries about a looming shortage of the first-stop doctors who used to be the backbone of the American medical system
U.S. Colleges' Green Grade: C-
Sun, 24 Aug 2008 17:00:00 -0400
Campuses may be getting greener, but college curriculums are falling behind in teaching students the basics of global warming and sustainability

UN News Centre - Culture, Education

More incentives needed to attract qualified teachers worldwide, UN says
Sun, 05 Oct 2008 00:00:00 -0500
Low salaries, lack of job security, inadequate training and overcrowded classrooms have combined to deter many willing and eligible people from becoming teachers, the United Nations warned today as it marked World Teachers' Day with a call to improve the recruitment of candidates.
Students from Lebanon, Syria grab top honours at UNESCO-backed school contest
Tue, 30 Sep 2008 00:00:00 -0500
A team of students from Lebanon and Syria has taken first place in the largest global contest for students, backed by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), which seeks to foster dialogue between children from different cultural backgrounds.
World's universities play vital role in shaping tomorrow's leaders, says Ban
Mon, 29 Sep 2008 00:00:00 -0500
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has stressed the important role played by universities around the world in shaping the next generation of global leaders, and the impact of education on efforts to achieve peace and sustainable development.

U.S. Department of Education

Spellings Addresses Kennedy Forum
Wed, 01 Oct 2008 22:47:00 -0000
Secretary Spellings delivered a speech, "Educating America: The Will and the Way Forward," at the John F. Kennedy Jr. Forum at Harvard University.
Back to School Book Donation
Tue, 30 Sep 2008 14:47:00 -0000
Deputy Secretary Simon and First Book Senior Vice President Lynda Lancaster today announced the availability of free books through the 2008 Back to School Book Donation. Mark Bounds, deputy state superintendent, and Nancy J. McGinley, Charleston County, S.C., superintendent of schools, joined them for the announcement at Jennie Moore Elementary School, Mt. Pleasant, S.C. The initiative will make available more than 300,000 new Random House books, which will be distributed nationally to schools, libraries and literacy organizations serving low-income youth.
Doing What Works: How to Organize Your Teaching
Thu, 25 Sep 2008 16:54:00 -0000
Visitors to the U.S. Department of Education's "Doing What Works" Web site can find out the answers to these questions and much more. Enjoy an engaging and interactive experience with Psychology of Learning: How to Organize Your Teaching, the latest addition to the site, which will empower educators and administrators with research-based strategies to help instructors organize their teaching and improve student learning.

BBC News | Education | UK Edition

Sex laws are 'unfair to teachers'
Sun, 05 Oct 2008 13:35:20 -0000
Teachers should not be prosecuted for having affairs with their sixth-form pupils, a union leader says.
Universities 'should vary offers'
Fri, 03 Oct 2008 00:05:58 -0000
Universities are told they should vary offers based on schools' performance to attract students with the most potential.
Music boosts prisoners' learning
Fri, 03 Oct 2008 13:28:05 -0000
Music projects for prison inmates increase their likelihood of improving skills such as reading and writing, research suggests.
A 'fifth of teachers back caning'
Fri, 03 Oct 2008 11:01:17 -0000
A survey of 6,000 teachers suggests one fifth support corporal punishment "in extreme cases".
Third grammar set to test pupils
Fri, 03 Oct 2008 16:47:25 -0000
A third Catholic grammar school has said it intends to run an independent entrance exam for post-primary pupils.
Free meal plan for Scots pupils
Thu, 02 Oct 2008 17:19:03 -0000
All pupils will receive free meals in the first three years of primary school, the Scottish Government announces.
Children must retake entry exam
Fri, 03 Oct 2008 07:39:50 -0000
Nearly 300 primary school pupils in Staffordshire will have to re-sit a secondary school entrance exam.
Vocational students 'drop out'
Thu, 02 Oct 2008 10:50:28 -0000
Students with vocational A-levels are less likely to go to leading universities and more likely to drop out, a study says.
Teachers' Marbella trip cancelled
Thu, 02 Oct 2008 13:49:01 -0000
A four-day school training trip which would have seen teaching staff sent to Spain is called off.
University to probe initiations
Thu, 02 Oct 2008 05:22:18 -0000
The University of Gloucestershire investigates "shocking" student initiation ceremonies after the BBC obtains secret footage.
Staying dry
Fri, 03 Oct 2008 11:13:13 -0000
What is it like to be a non-drinker at university?
Going short
Mon, 29 Sep 2008 12:12:50 -0000
Students struggle without their allowances
Mike Baker
Fri, 03 Oct 2008 15:38:15 -0000
Why the Tories turned to Sweden for inspiration
Letting go
Thu, 02 Oct 2008 11:39:43 -0000
Are students calling home more than ever?
Turning point
Fri, 26 Sep 2008 09:06:47 -0000
The credit crunch sees bankers training as teachers
E-mail us
Tue, 10 Jun 2008 13:22:01 -0000
How to contact the BBC News website education team
School trips 'not optional extra'
Thu, 02 Oct 2008 00:11:26 -0000
Pupils must not be denied the chance of going on school trips owing to fears of litigation, says the government.
UK physics in good health - study
Wed, 01 Oct 2008 21:30:58 -0000
Physics in the UK is in good shape but faces a number of challenges ahead, concludes a major report commissioned by ministers.
Pupils 'distressed over spelling'
Thu, 02 Oct 2008 11:34:42 -0000
A primary school ends spelling tests because, it says, children find them distressing.
Fewer London pupils travel by car
Wed, 01 Oct 2008 10:51:53 -0000
More pupils in London are walking, cycling or using public transport to get to school, Transport for London says.
School turns to sign language
Tue, 30 Sep 2008 19:00:41 -0000
A primary school in Brighton where children have 24 different first languages is teaching them all sign language.
Primary tables three months late
Tue, 30 Sep 2008 14:55:48 -0000
The primary school "league tables" for England, due in December, will not appear until next March.
Gene link to poor reading skills
Wed, 01 Oct 2008 07:01:56 -0000
A common genetic variant may be partly to blame for poor reading ability, research suggests.
Tories pledge more Academies
Tue, 30 Sep 2008 12:18:33 -0000
The Tories pledge to allow 400 top performing state schools to become independent state-funded Academies.
Student claims deadline extended
Mon, 29 Sep 2008 17:04:18 -0000
As figures show student allowance delays worsened in the past month, the applications deadline is extended.
Ban for sex-film trip teacher
Wed, 01 Oct 2008 17:44:19 -0000
A teacher who filmed a 17-year-old pupil having sex in his room on a school trip, is banned from teaching.
Scots pupils 'in rundown schools'
Tue, 30 Sep 2008 14:15:16 -0000
Almost a third of pupils are being taught in crumbling or rundown schools, government-published figures say.
Autonomy 'key to school success'
Tue, 30 Sep 2008 23:43:22 -0000
Independent schools get top results because they have the freedom to tailor teaching to pupils' needs, says a report.
Holiday key to school standards?
Sat, 06 Sep 2008 01:00:57 -0000
Mike Baker wonders if having school holidays earlier might make pupils do better.
What future for schools?
Fri, 01 Aug 2008 13:38:48 -0000
Mike Baker considers the big picture of where schools should be heading in the future.
Tests - do we still need them?
Fri, 25 Jul 2008 16:00:26 -0000
Mike Baker considers whether the "high stakes" testing regime is still needed.
Lack of PhD funds 'damages UK'
Tue, 16 Sep 2008 14:04:08 -0000
The struggle to finance doctoral studies may be harmful to UK academia, it is argued.
Last call for student clearing
Fri, 12 Sep 2008 11:19:04 -0000
Prospective university students mulling their options still have a week to apply through clearing.
Testing saga - where will it end?
Fri, 15 Aug 2008 14:48:52 -0000
Could this year's national testing shambles provide the government with an easy way out from the testing system.
Digging for hope
Thu, 31 Jul 2008 09:33:14 -0000
English teenagers help African village build classrooms
What is BBC News School Report?
Fri, 03 Oct 2008 13:28:39 -0000
Find out more about the project which motivates secondary students around the UK to make and broadcast their own news.

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