International briefs

Are fake conferences the new internet scam? The Scientist has uncovered what may be a new scam to entice people to surrender their banking details to internet criminals – this time targeting academics. Email invitations to speak at conferences in exotic locations, with travel and accommodation paid for and an impressive list of speakers, have already resulted in a prominent US geneticist suffering more than $2000 in fake charges against his credit card after registering for a bogus life sciences conference in Shanghai. Now Bob Grant, from The Scientist, is on the case of uncovering bogus conferences after being invited to attend, at no cost, a conference on the global economy and human welfare to be held simultaneously in New York and Dakar, Senegal in early 2010. Grant checked with the New York venue – which had no record of the conference. Further checking revealed that none of the supposed speakers had any knowledge of the event. CR would like to hear from any readers who have had similar experiences. English university investment ‘lagging’ English universities are in danger of falling behind those in other countries for want of investment, the CEO of the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) has said. Sir Alan Langlands said a “golden age” may be over. Langlands told HEFCE’s annual meeting that “there has been a period of real terms growth that may be seen in history as a bit of a golden age”. The UK and Spain were spending less on higher education, whereas other countries such as Australia and the US were investing heavily. “This is happening at a time of intense competition for overseas students, at a time of reduced spending, at a time when there are significant cost pressures,” he said. US doctorates show slowdown American universities continued to increase the number of doctoral degrees they award – but just barely – in 2008. And if it weren’t for biology, there would have been virtually no increase at all, reports Inside Higher Ed. The National Science Foundation’s data from the Survey of Earned Doctorates found that while the number of doctorates awarded grew for the sixth straight year, to 48,802 from 48,112 in 2007, the proportional (1.43 per cent) and numerical increases were the smallest since 2003. Virtually all of the growth occurred in the sciences, and most of that in a relative handful of fields, with doctorates awarded in the biological sciences up by 8.6 per cent. The social sciences grew by 3.5 per cent, while the humanities continued a several-year nosedive, dipping 7.1 per cent in 2008 on top of a 5.3 per cent drop from 2006 to 2007. Women accounted for more than two thirds of the increase in science and engineering doctorates. Offshore campuses booming A rapidly growing number of universities are establishing branch campuses in other countries, according to a report published by the Observatory on Borderless Higher Education . The number has almost doubled to 162 in the past three years alone, and has jumped eightfold since 2002. Although the US continues to dominate, more countries have become involved as hosts and providers. The United Arab Emirates is the clear leader among host nations, with a quarter of all international branch campuses in the world. The report says that of the existing campuses, only 35 were operating before 1999. At least 49 new campuses have been established since September 2006. The OBHE says Australia is second among provider nations with 14 offshore campuses, though a long way behind the US with 78. Go to obhe.ac.uk International graduates positive about NZ Most Asian business graduates who attended New Zealand tertiary institutions said they were positive about their experiences of living and studying in New Zealand, according to a report released by Asia New Zealand Foundation. Of those surveyed, 71 per cent indicated that they had enjoyed studying in NZ, and just over half said that their studies had matched their expectations. Large proportions said they wanted to remain in NZ after graduation (45 per cent), maintain links with NZ (58 per cent) and maintain friendships they formed while studying (80 per cent). But respondents indicated that they viewed tuition costs as the most negative aspect of studying in NZ, with almost 60 per cent expressing disquiet at the cost of their academic tuition – even though many identified NZ’s perceived affordability as one of the main reasons for choosing to study there. Increasing fees and a rising exchange rate may partly explain this seeming contradiction.