Northrop Auditorium undergoing three-year, $84 million renovationDecember 17, 2011 11:38 AMBy Tim PostBuilt in the late 1920's, the University of Minnesota's Northrop Auditorium's renovation will combine student study space, academic offices, and a smaller auditorium with better acoustics than the one it's replacing.
Virtual schools booming as states mull warningsDecember 16, 2011 6:00 PMMore schoolchildren than ever are taking their classes online, using technology to avoid long commutes to school, add courses they wouldn't otherwise be able to take — and save their school districts money.
This Old University of Minnesota House: The Northrop editionDecember 16, 2011 10:22 AMBy Tim PostUniversity of Minnesota officials are in the mood for open houses recently. A few weeks ago they invited the media to tour Eastcliff, the official residence of U of M president Eric Kaler. On Friday the doors swung open for the media again, this time at Northrop Auditorium, which is in the middle of an…
Video: If Strunk and White had rappedDecember 16, 2011 7:30 AMBy Alex FriedrichClearly, these guys are fans.
A comparison showing how much harder it is to pay for college nowDecember 16, 2011 6:35 AMBy Alex FriedrichIn an essay on the Occupy Wall Street movement, Minnesota state Senator John Marty (DFL-Roseville) writes about the cost of college today vs. the cost in 1968: Hamline University professor David Davies provides an illustration of how much harder it is to get by today: Davies pointed out that in 1968, a University of Minnesota…
At what point is it fair to abandon the hiring of a faculty candidate?December 16, 2011 6:19 AMBy Alex FriedrichAfter posting about the hiring flap between Hamline University and former Republican gubernatorial candidate Tom Emmer, I wanted to get some views on a few elements. I asked several hundred college faculty and administrators in MPR’s Public Insight Network what they thought about college faculty hiring practices and the role that job candidates’ politics (or…
Play3min 23secMinnesota among 9 states to win 'Race to the Top' education grantDecember 16, 2011 6:11 AMBy Tim Pugmire and Tom WeberMinnesota will receive $45 million in federal education money from the competitive grant program known as Race to the Top, specifically to enhance early childhood education programs.
Why we shouldn't listen to those college naysayersDecember 16, 2011 3:03 AMBy Alex FriedrichKent Pekel of the University of Minnesota and Dane Smith of Growth & Justice explain in the Star Tribune why succumbing to the “Is College Worth It?” mentality — fostered by many recent articles and commentaries — is dangerous: Allowing these nuances and footnotes to foster a new public policy fad — along the lines that…
Why Gustavus thinks reading for fun isn't dead — just on holdDecember 16, 2011 2:31 AMBy Alex FriedrichGustavus Adolphus junior Tristan Richards, an avid reader, nonetheless tells U.S. News & World Report why she doesn’t read much for pleasure while in college: “I just don’t carry a book around [with] me anymore because I should be using my time for school. And personally, when I have a ton of pages to read…
Notes in the Margins: Pells, law school, therapy dogs and CEO payDecember 16, 2011 1:58 AMBy Alex FriedrichCEO pay comparison unrealistic What salaries CEOs make and what leaders at traditional colleges and universities are an apples to oranges comparison. (CareerCollegeCentral.com) UC Berkeley to offer financial aid to more middle-income families Students from households earning $80,000 to $140,000 will be eligible for a new aid program at UC Berkeley, funded by philanthropy and tuition…