25 Universities with the Worst Professors

 By Lynn O'Shaughnessy 

Which U.S. colleges and universities have the worst professors?

According to the latest figures compiled by an education think-tank, many of the worst profs are teaching in schools in the Midwest and on the East Coast. The Center for College Affordability and Productivity compiled a list of schools with the best and worst professors by culling through millions of teacher ratings at RateMyProfessors.com. The teacher ratings were one of the components that the center used in evaluating 650 colleges and universities for Forbes' ranking of America's Best Colleges.

Millions of students have used RateMyProfessors to share their feelings about their teachers in the U.S., Canada and U.K. Using a five-point scale, students rate professors on three criteria: helpfulness, clarity and easiness. An overall quality score is determined by averaging the helpfulness and clarity ratings. You can see all four scores for each professor on the site.

It's notable that some of the universities that landed on the worst professor list are schools that specialize in science, technology and engineering, which are academically challenging. Students could give professors in the these fields low scores on the easiness category, but these assessments are not used in a professor's overall quality score. (You can see how all the schools ranked by Forbes fared in the instruction category by clicking on the component rankings link on the center's website.)

The school with the lowest-rated professors? That dubious distinction goes to the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy, while the U.S. Coast Guard Academy ranked third. The schools' poor performance is something of a surprise, as two of the other service academies -- West Point and the Air Force Academy -- rank near the top of the list of the schools with the best professors. Following is the full list.

25 universities with the worst professors

1. U.S. Merchant Marine Academy (NY)
2. Michigan Technological University
3. U.S. Coast Guard Academy (CT)
4. Milwaukee School of Engineering
5. New Jersey Institute of Technology
6. Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (NY)
7. Widener University (PA)
8. St. Cloud University (MN)
9. Bentley University (MA)
10. Indiana State University
11. Worcester Polytechnic Institute (MA)
12. Central Michigan University
13. Minnesota State University, Mankato
14. Pace University (NY)
15. Stevens Institute of Technology (NJ)
16. Seton Hall University (NJ)
17. Westminster College (PA)
18. Howard University (DC)
19. Iowa State University
20. University of Toledo (OH)
21. Truman State University (MO)
22. Illinois State University
23. University of Connecticut
24. Oregon Institute of Technology
25. University of Maryland

Among the schools on this hall of shame list are two flagship universities -- the University of Connecticut (No. 22) and the University of Maryland (24). Sixteen of the schools are public universities. While 11 of the schools are located in the Midwest, no institutions from the South are listed.

Source: Yahoo

Why women have the upper hand in the workplace

By Kaitlin Madden,

Ask any married couple which spouse remembers family birthdays, when the car is due for an oil change and the name of that great restaurant they went to last week, and chances are both will say it's the wife who serves as the pair's memory.  

While many a wife may chalk this up to their husband's laziness, remembering detailed information may just be one of the many things that women are naturally better at than men, at least according to a new book called "Man Down: Proof Beyond a Reasonable Doubt that Women are Better Cops, Drivers, Gamblers, Spies, World Leaders, Beer Tasters, Hedge Fund Managers, and Just About Everything Else," by Dan (yep, he's a guy) Abrams, a legal analyst for NBC News and columnist for Men's Health magazine. 

In his book, Abrams provides hundreds of studies and statistics to back up his claims that women best men in a lot of areas. Some -- like memory -- were already suspected, while others -- like driving -- were more surprising considering the common view is to the contrary. 

Yet perhaps some of the most surprising statistics in the book were those applicable to career. As the book's title mentions, studies show that women actually make better cops, hedge fund managers and world leaders, but also newscasters and doctors. Here's the proof, according to Abrams' research. 

1. Police officers: A 2004 study on police brutality and corruption conducted at the University of Maribor in Slovenia found that female police officers were less tolerant of immoral behavior than their male counterparts. Additionally, out of the $66.3 million that Los Angeles had to pay in settlements for police-brutality lawsuits, nearly 96 percent were due to the actions of male officers.

2. Hedge fund managers: Yes, according to data appearing in Institutional Investor magazine, an international finance publication, women are the MVPs of this boys' club. The study, conducted by Hedge Fund Research, a firm that provides analysis on the industry, found that from January 2000 through May 2009, female hedge fund managers "produced average annualized returns of 9 percent, versus 5.82 percent for the men."

3. World leaders: The results of a survey on essential leadership skills conducted by the Pew Research Center overwhelmingly favored women. In the survey, 2,250 participants "ranked men or women as superior in eight different categories of political aptitude deemed 'very important or absolutely essential' to leadership.'" The results? Women came out on top in five of the eight categories, and tied men in two.

4. Newscasters: A 2008 study in Switzerland, in which subjects watched real newscasts and then filled out questionnaires on what they'd seen showed that people perceived the news as more credible when it was read by a woman. That may have something to do with the fact that women now account for 64 percent of newscasters in Switzerland. In the U.S, more than 50 percent of newscasters are now women, compared to just 13 percent thirty years ago.

5. Doctors: A 2010 study by the American Medical Association found that male doctors were twice as likely to be sued as female doctors. Another study on medical performance by the British government found that out of all the doctors and dentists investigated for medical misconduct, only 20 percent of those required to go through a more thorough investigation were women.

One last thing that bodes well for women in the workforce? They also make better students. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that, for every 100 men than graduate college, 185 women do. According to The National Survey of Student Engagement, a study conducted in 2005, this is due to the fact that women are less likely to skip class and turn in assignments late than men are, and they're also less likely to drop out. 

Source: careerbuilder

When your boss is wrong: Should you speak up or shut up?

Beth Braccio Hering,

Let's face it: Nobody is keen on confronting a boss. "In theory, intelligent people are bound to disagree, and intelligent superiors will want to hear all perspectives," says Ed Muzio, CEO of Group Harmonics in Albuquerque, N.M., and author of "Make Work Great" and "Four Secrets to Liking Your Work." "In practice, politics come into play, and business needs drive decision timing."

So is questioning a manager's plan or pointing out a miscalculation worth doing? While it's up to the employee in the specific situation to make the call, here are some tips on when, where and how to speak up.

The cost of being quiet

Perhaps the first consideration is whether or not identifying the error would bring potential benefits. "If nothing will change even if the error is acknowledged, you should seriously consider what you or the company stands to gain from calling it out. There's no point complaining about a decision that can't be reversed," Muzio notes. "You're likely to be labeled as 'disruptive' and 'not a team player' if your focus is on 20/20 hindsight rather than on what should be done next."

But in circumstances where action now can prevent consequences later, the momentary uneasiness of drawing attention to a possible mistake is often far preferable to the damage of letting it slide.

"At times, your boss's thinking might be incorrect because she is missing key information that could sway her point-of-view and, ultimately, alter the course of her decision," states Matthew Randall, executive director of the Center for Professional Excellence at York College of Pennsylvania. "If you have knowledge of such information, whether from a formal report or from informal intelligence gathered through the unofficial communication channels within your organization, it's best to share this data privately with your boss -- sooner, rather than later."

Another danger of not speaking up is giving the boss the wrong impression. "Silence can cause harm when the boss interprets it as a signal of agreement," says Kerry Patterson, co-author of the New York Times best-seller "Crucial Conversations." "If employees don't speak up when they have no intention of actually following their boss's plan, they may suffer consequences in the long-run."

Handle matters respectfully

Just as an employee does not like to be called out in front of others, a supervisor deserves the same consideration. If you decide to say something, lower the potential for embarrassment and defensiveness by holding the conversation in private. Likewise, remember that "You are wrong" is a difficult message for anyone to hear, so focus on the actual issue rather than on the satisfaction of being correct.

Patterson offers these additional suggestions for easing tensions:

• Start with safety. Begin by clarifying your respect and your intent. Help your boss understand that your intent is to provide a different viewpoint you feel will help achieve your mutual goal. It's possible to have a healthy disagreement when you discuss the issue in a way that shows you are simply trying to discover the best solution.


• Stick with the facts. Don't lead with your judgments or conclusions. Start by describing in nonjudgmental and objective terms the behaviors that are creating problems.


• Get your motives right. Sometimes we wait to bring up concerns until we're irritated. This is ineffective because at that point our goal is no longer to be constructive, it's to punish. Before opening your mouth, ask yourself, "What do I really want?"


• Agree where you can. If you agree with your boss's overarching plan, say so. Build on it with the piece you think is missing, but avoid nitpicking over trivial details.


• Invite dialogue. Encourage your boss to share her perspective. The result of your openness will be a greater openness on your boss's part as well.

Finally, remember that while you may walk in 110 percent sure you are right, there is always the possibility that things aren't as they seem. "There may be other facts you're not privy to, including some that you're not allowed to know," Muzio says. "Present clearly and compellingly, yet leave room for the possibility that you're the one who is mistaken." 

Source: careerbuilder