Notes in the Margins: Gender ratios, loan refinancing and recruitment of high-school freshmen

Promote Faculty Based on Where They Work, Not Where They Don’t  One line in the cover letters of some promotion review packets makes me highly uncomfortable: “As part of your review, please inform us whether this candidate would be promoted to the same rank if s/he were at your university." I fear that this question is neither wise nor fair. (Washington Monthly)

Perfect male to female ratios on campus not achieved through aid packages, schools say University of Arkansas - Fayetville's dean of admissions wonders whether the college's admissions materials have a female bias. (USA Today)

Committing to Play for a College, Then Starting 9th Grade In today’s sports world, students are offered full scholarships before they have taken their first College Boards, or even the Preliminary SAT exams. Coaches at colleges large and small flock to watch 13- and 14-year-old girls who they hope will fill out their future rosters. This is happening despite N.C.A.A. rules that appear to explicitly prohibit it. (The New York Times)

Nation's Youngest Will Face Less Competition Getting Into College Areas where the younger population is growing are primarily lower income; by contrast in many of the highest income, most educated counties in the country, the number of young children is much less than the number of 18-year-olds. (Forbes via University Business)

NY Sen. Gillibrand pushes student loan refinance  U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand on Sunday is renewing a call for legislation that would allow student borrowers to refinance their federal student loans at lower interest rates, urging President Barack Obama to push the effort in his State of the Union speech Tuesday. (Associated Press via NAICU)

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