Alex FriedrichAs education leaders debate the cost and accessibility of a bachelor’s degree at the University of Minnesota, the number of students entering graduate school there has been quietly dropping. The state’s research powerhouse has seen overall enrollment by slide by 9 percent over the past five years, eroded by a poor economy and unstable government Read more →
MPR News Intelligence on higher education
Post-Grad
Carleton College classics professor Clara Shaw Hardy tells the Star Tribune that the college’s Pathways website, which helps students figure out how to turn a liberal-arts degree into a career, reflects a relatively recent parental desire to make such education relevant: “When I got here 20 years ago, I know I would have found it almost offensive. Read more →
When I spoke to state Office of Education analyst Tricia Grimes on Friday about the increase in the student-loan default rate, I mentioned that Lumina Foundation’s Zakiya Smith had expressed alarm over the issue. Smith had told the higher ed publication Diverse that the defaulting students had begun their repayment period while the feds were trying Read more →
Ph.D holder J.D.J. Plocher, an alumnus of Macalester College and the University of Minnesota, blogs about how the misery of a failed job search may have forced him to give up his dream of becoming a music academic: “…I told myself that I was worthless, that I’d thrown away seven years of my life chasing 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 →
Saint Paul College President Rassoul Dastmozd — whose campus has again topped Washington Monthly‘s list of best community colleges in the country– gives The Huffington Post his take on what some see as a skills shortage during the current rebound in manufacturing: I see this as opportunity knocking. He points to his college’s Right Skills Now for Manufacturing Read more →
Just found this photo on Twitter: AugsburgCollege 10:22am via TweetDeck Good work, man! RT @ProfZobitz: @AugsburgCollege Starting them early … #auggiepride #auggieclassof2035 #twinning pic.twitter.com/aSz132lYGB (Yes, I’m the father of an 11-month-old girl, so I’m starting to dig these kinds of things.)
Chelsea Petree, assistant director of the Parent Program at the University of Minnesota, tells the Star Tribune that it’s no longer a bad thing to be a boomerang child who lives with Mom and Dad after graduation: “Graduates and their parents report this is their plan — it’s not a default or a worst-case-scenario. The Read more →
Chris Ratzlaff, senior HR administrator at Dakota Electric, tells the Star Tribune the company looks for smart people who can adapt to new technology — and don’t just look for those with hard-to-find specialized skills: “If somebody taught themselves a specific software program, or they’re a good learner, there’s a good chance that they’re going Read more →