Alex FriedrichAs I mentioned in a previous post, the head of MnSCU’s workforce development program seemed impressed with what she saw while checking out Germany’s dual-education program in June. Mary Rothchild and other members of the Minnesota delegation were trying to see how Germany mixes education with vocational training. After all, workforce development and hands-on Read more →
MPR News Intelligence on higher education
Archives for August 2013
Southwest Minnesota State University history professor Jeff Kolnick writes in MinnPost about why he thinks universities have become too timid and conservative: Scarce dollars cause colleges to chase money from billionaire philanthropists who push free-market solutions to every conceivable problem. University leaders feel the need to appeal to increasingly conservative state legislators who despise government. Read more →
Most Americans Say They Can’t Afford Public College A majority of Americans believe the cost of a college education at a state university is unaffordable, but aren’t sure they would prefer a radical new tuition proposal being considered in several states, a new Huffington Post/YouGov poll found. (The Huffington Post) ‘The Tuition is Too Damn High’ “The Tuition is Read more →
In June, I noted a trip that Minnesota education officials, politicians and others were taking to Germany to check out its dual-education system. Now that they’re back, I sat down with Mary Rothchild, who was on the eight-day trip. She’s the director for strategic partnerships and workforce development for MnSCU, so this is right up Read more →
The Rochester Post-Bulletin writes why MnSCU’s recent tuition freeze gives its community colleges a competitive boost: You don’t have to be an accounting major to realize that spending two years at a community college can save you tens of thousands of dollars. By capping tuition now, Minnesota will widen the price disparity between state and Read more →
Saw this video above on MPR’s NewsCut blog when I returned to work yesterday. Makes you cheer for the underdog. Incoming Ball State freshman Markus Burden won free tuition for a semester — worth about $11,000 — by making a half-court shot. And Colorado State University gave freshman Andrew Schneeweis a year’s tuition worth about $9,300 for his Read more →
Obama’s college ratings plan could backfire The proposal to tie financial aid to graduation rates and alumni’s salaries could harm some of the students the president most wants to help. (Los Angeles Times) There’s Not Enough Work For Veterinarians There are way more veterinarians than there is work for them to do, according to a recent survey Read more →
About a year ago, I looked into allegations that Globe University / Minnesota School of Business was using deceptive marketing tactics to lure prospective students. That was also around the time that Democratic U.S. Sen. Tom Harkin of Iowa had concluded an investigation of for-profit schools throughout the country. The Senate’s Health, Education, Labor and Read more →