Alex FriedrichJust got this statement from the U: Minnesota Legislature approves $119.4 million for U of M bonding projects The Minnesota Legislature today approved $119.4 million in state funding for University of Minnesota bonding projects and appropriated additional funds via supplemental finance provisions. “I’d like to thank members of the House and Senate who have been Read more →
MPR News Intelligence on higher education
Tag: politics
U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar has called for an increase in the number of federal investigators who make sure colleges properly handle and report sexual assault cases on their campuses. The Minnesota Democrat has joined 11 other Senators in requesting millions of dollars to fund additional personnel. She and her colleagues say investigation into colleges’ alleged Read more →
For those following politics and the cost of college, here’s an announcement I just got about a proposed Net Price Calculator Improvement Act. (Here’s what MPR colleague Tim Post has written about Net Price Calculators.) The meat of the announcement is toward the bottom in bold: Sens. Franken, Grassley Introduce New Bipartisan Bill to Give Read more →
Jessica Medearis, associate director of the Minnesota State College Student Association, says how almost 20 years of work at MnSCU hasn’t been enough to make transferring schools within the system easy: “Our students are confused by the complexity of the system, and they’re really frustrated.” Read the full story here.
I recently received this from Darrell Downs, president of the Winona State University Faculty Association. You might remember him as the guy who said MnSCU’s Charting the Future plan smacked of overcentralization. Dear Governor Dayton: With the first Minnesota Miracle in 1971, Governor Wendell Anderson and the legislature hammered out a response to the inequitable Read more →
A Senate committee has approved a bill requiring colleges to report how safe their study-abroad programs are. The measure, discussed Thursday, would require schools to provide safety records — details on deaths, accidents and illnesses of students participating in sanctioned study-abroad programs. Elizabeth Brenner, the mother of Minnetonka student who died during a 2011 study-abroad Read more →
The Senate higher-education chairwoman wants the state to help establish apprenticeships in three key industries. During her recent tour of Minnesota state campuses, Minnetonka DFLer Terri Bonoff said, many students expressed anxiety over whether they’d find a job after they graduate. “In addition,” she said, “I hear from the businesses in the area that there’s Read more →
University of Minnesota President Eric Kaler says the U will try to shape the character of Dinkytown and other neighborhoods surrounding the U. His remarks in today’s State of the University address come after a rash of robberies in the fall semester, most of which happened to students just off campus. Kaler told the audience Read more →
MPR News reporter Tim Pugmire is reporting on Gov. Mark Dayton’s revised budget, which includes this higher-ed tidbit: Tax Relief for Students. The Governor’s tax plan would provide 285,000 recent college graduates up to $190 per year by deducting their student loan interest. Another 40,000 current college students and parents would receive a tuition deduction Read more →
State House higher-education committee Chairman Gene Pelowski (DFL-Winona) has long been after Minnesota’s higher-ed systems — and government — to be leaner. In an emailed announcement late yesterday afternoon, he warned that his committee would be all about efficiency this session: “The committee will … set firm restrictions to prevent the passage of any bills Read more →