No Rich Child Left Behind In the United States over the last few decades these differences in educational success between high- and lower-income students have grown substantially. For example, economists at the University of Michigan found that the proportion of students from upper-income families who earn a bachelor’s degree has increased by 18 percentage points over a Read more →
MPR News Intelligence on higher education
Archives for April 2013

Here are the legislators chosen to be on the upcoming higher-education conference committee, which is charged with reconciling/synthesizing House and Senate legislation on that subject: House: Chairman Gene Pelowski (DFL-Winona) Ryan Winkler (DFL-Golden Valley); Paul Rosenthal (DFL- Edina) Zachary Dorholt (DFL-St. Cloud) Bud Nornes (R-Fergus Falls) Senate: Chairwoman Terri Bonoff (DFL-Minnetonka) Greg Clausen (DFL-Apple Valley) Read more →

Another dining award for St. Olaf College — Its food has put the college on The 25 Healthiest Colleges in the U.S. list by Greatist.com, which also made USA Today. Although the ranking cited other colleges’ fitness facilities and initiatives, it was apparently the chow that earned Oles 23rd place: St. Olaf’s food service program Read more →

To get an update on where the Minnesota “Dream Act” stands, I’ve been talking with some of its backers. It looks like a floor vote on the Senate bill — which stands alone — is tentatively scheduled for May 1 (tomorrow). The House has no companion bill, and the omnibus higher-education bill doesn’t contain it. Read more →
Calling 911 Shouldn’t Lead to Jail Research suggests that, among those who witness an overdose, the most common reason people don’t call for help is the fear of being arrested. (The New York Times) Why famous dropouts aren’t the best advocates for staying in school Mark Wahlberg, the wildly successful actor and musician and producer and actor, Read more →

After a meeting with several Macalester College students this afternoon, President Brian Rosenberg has stuck to his decision not to cut ties with Wells Fargo, the college has confirmed. Leewana Thomas, a junior in American studies, said their occupation of the administration building has ended. She said students will gather over the weekend to figure Read more →

University of Minnesota regent Richard Beeson has just written me, chiming in on the issue of whether regents have spoken out enough on legislative budget cuts to the U: Regent Allen correctly points out that a Regent’s legislative time and presence can and should be measured in a number of ways. For myself, I have Read more →

Yesterday on the House floor, House higher-education committee Chairman Gene Pelowski (DFL-Winona) repeated an item of irritation for him: that University of Minnesota regents rarely if ever appeared before his committee in past years to protest budget cuts. In a recent discussion, I asked regent and former board chairman Clyde Allen what he thought of Read more →

Yesterday on the House floor, House higher-education committee Chairman Gene Pelowski (DFL-Winona) repeated an item of irritation for him: that University of Minnesota regents rarely if ever appeared before his committee in past years to protest budget cuts. In a recent discussion, I asked regent and former board chairman Clyde Allen what he thought of Read more →