• Article

    Indirect costs obscure the price tag of university research

    Published October 28, 2014 by

    Research is expensive. But it can do anything from cure diseases to create a digital revolution. So it’s an issue when universities say they don’t get the funding they deserve. In a recent report, the Council on Governmental Relations, an association of universities and research institutions, argues that the nation’s research will decline if the federal government doesn’t provide more support. While universities have a point, a murky federal grant-making system is part of the problem. There is a lot of money at stake. Some universities charge the federal government (which pays for more than half of all university research) nearly 70 percent in “indirect costs” on top of the basic grant amount. That means a $1 million grant really costs $1.7 million. The indirect costs include expenses such as administrative support staff, library use and building maintenance.
  • Article

    Knight Cities Challenge mines creative ideas of Akron, Ohio, and other Knight communities

    Published October 28, 2014 by

    Taste of Akron at Hardesty Park, July 24, 2014. Photo by Flickr user Tim Fitzwater. The Knight Cities Challenge offers applicants a chance to share in $5 million by focusing on the question, “What’s your best idea to make cities more successful?” The challenge will test the most innovative ideas in attracting and retaining talent, expanding economic opportunity and promoting civic engagement in one or more of 26 Knight Foundation communities, including Akron, the city where Knight was founded. Akron is full of creative people who are passionate about the continued comeback of our city.  The open nature of the Knight Cities Challenge has empowered a diverse range of people to develop new solutions to our community’s challenges. The best moments in the meetings Knight’s Akron Program Director Josh McManus and I have been convening across the community usually start with, “I’m not sure if this is a crazy idea, but…” In Akron’s North Hill, we met immigrants starting new businesses, eager to connect their fellow refugees to their new home, and full of ideas aimed at weaving their cultural heritage into the broader fabric of the community. Meetings with leaders at ASIA Inc. and the International Institute of Akron have reminded us of Akron’s increasing cultural diversity and the opportunity to tap into their talents. Applications for the Knight Cities Challenge must be submitted in English, but in an effort to make the challenge more accessible to all Akronites, we have translated the promotional flier into Burmese, Karen, Mon, Nepali and Spanish. Please contact me if you would like the translated documents.
  • Article

    Paley Center’s ‘Next Big Thing’: Open Gov

    Published October 28, 2014 by

    Erin Gromen is senior director of special initiatives and programming at The Paley Center for Media. In his book “Why Government Fails So Often, And How It Can Do Better,” Peter Schuck asserts “the government has largely ignored the ‘moneyball’ revolution, in which private-sector decisions are increasingly based on hard data.” But are there untold stories of success in Washington and in cities around the country? Has the promise of the federal government’s open government initiatives achieved key milestones in transparency, access to and use of government information and services? What is needed to accelerate? Does the lack of “core plumbing”—practices, standards and systems—stand in the way? With support from Knight Foundation, the Nov. 6 installment of The Paley Center for Media’s Next Big Thing series will explore these questions.  A “state of the union” will help us take stock of what’s working and the new initiatives that are accelerating success. A “reality check” conversation will explore the question of how citizen interaction and experience with government is kept center stage. Pitch sessions and Q&As with leading technologists will look at core plumbing solutions and innovative citizen engagement initiatives.
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    “Great art changes lives:” Inside the inaugural MIFFecito

    Published October 28, 2014 by

    Miami International Film Festival (MiamiFF) debuted MIFFecito, a mid-season “Film Festival Fix,” at MDC's Tower Theater Oct 16-19. The four-day event showcased world cinema in a concenatrated weekend of 10 red-carpet premieres, parties and in-person appearances with filmmakers. Knight Foundation VP/Arts Dennis Scholl participated in the festivities by guest moderating...
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    “The Merry Wives” at UNC Charlotte

    Published October 27, 2014 by

    "The Merry Wives" by UNC Charlotte's Department of Theatre. Shakespeare’s hilarious and witty satire, “The Merry Wives of Windsor,” gets a new twist in an updated staging by the UNC Charlotte Department of Theatre this coming weekend, October 30 through November 2. This play was adapted...
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    Remix: Using Storify to teach social media writing skills

    Published October 27, 2014 by

    Mallory Perryman is a doctoral student at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and serves as the lead teaching assistant for J202: Mass Communication Practices, the first course students complete once admitted to the journalism program. She completed her undergraduate and master's studies at the Missouri School of Journalism.  Eric Newton, senior adviser to the President at Knight Foundation, and EdShift curator Katy Culver will be presenting Thursday, Oct. 30, at the University of Missouri's Reynolds Journalism Institute, covering "Green Shoots in Journalism Education." Sign up for the livestream to learn more about positive curriculum, course and assignment innovations, including incorporating social media. In the latest update to his e-text "Searchlights and Sunglasses," author Eric Newton calls on journalism educators to integrate social media into their lesson plans. Here is an example of what that integration might look like for an introductory journalism course. "Train crashed Monday night two miles outside of town, according to the sheriff's office."� That's the local newspaper lead students in our introductory journalism course come up with after being presented with a series of facts about a fictional train crash. "A train crashed Monday night two miles outside of town, according to the sheriff's office. #danger" And that's the lead they often come up with asked to use the same information to write a Twitter update announcing the crash. The difference between traditional news and social media is more than just a hashtag. In discussion, that's something our budding journalists say they understand. They are all card-carrying members of the digital generation, after all, and they regularly use multiple social media platforms in their personal lives.
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    A call for leaders—and ideas—to move Charlotte, N.C., forward

    Published October 27, 2014 by

    Photo of Charlotte, N.C., by Flickr user John Ashley. Meg Fencil is education + outreach program director and coordinator Transportation Choices Alliance, Sustain Charlotte. Charlotte is one of 26 Knight communities, places where Knight’s founders, brothers John S. and James L. Knight, once owned newspapers. It’s no secret that Charlotte’s popularity as a destination for young professionals continues to grow. In April 2014, Forbes ranked Charlotte the 18th best city for millennials. With its vibrant financial institutions and diversity of employers, the city offers a lot to recent college graduates: a mild climate, a lower-than-average crime rate, a reasonable cost of living, entrepreneurial opportunities and proximity to outdoor recreation. According to a United Nations study of population growth, Charlotte and Raleigh are projected to grow faster than any other large U.S. cities over the next 15 years. At the recent Rail-Volution Conference, Danny Pleasant, director of transportation for the city of Charlotte, said:  “Livability is becoming the gold standard by which communities are judged.” He believes Charlotte is heading in the right direction, citing several promising examples where the city is connecting residents through transit and walkable, bikeable, transit-oriented development: