On Campus Blog

Gov. Mark Dayton gave a campaign-style speech yesterday to Education Minnesota in which he trashed the state’s recent higher-education cuts. From MPR’s Capitol View blog: Dayton called deep budget cuts to the University of Minnesota and MnSCU system “terribly misguided, terribly stupid, terribly short-sighted decisions” that could have been worse if union members like those…
What's this at the University of St. Thomas?
From TommieMedia: “Here is a closeup picture of a building or object on campus. Can you guess what it is? Enter by filling out the form below. Entries will be accepted until 7 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 23. The winner of a bag of TommieMedia goodies will be chosen by random drawing from all correct answers.…
Remember this week’s overview of the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities (MnSCU) system auditor’s report on fraud? This little piece from the Associated Press might not fall into that category, but it gives you an idea of the scope of the financial screw ups: Investigator: $3.2 billion in overpaid tax credits WASHINGTON (AP) – A…
What our English sounds like to foreigners
In light of my time studying and working abroad — and the posts I’ve recently written on how to handle college students who speak English as a second language — I found the video above intriguing. It’s a performance by Italian singer Adriano Celentano, who wrote the song in gibberish meant to sound like American English.…
Billions spent in U.S. on community college students who drop out California expenditures on such students over five years totaled $480 million, report says. Many students are ill-prepared for college, get too little support and aren’t helped by remediation, the study notes. (Los Angeles Times) M.B.A.s Seek to Occupy Wall Street Trimming the existing work force doesn’t…
St. Thomas reporter: Why students should reconsider law school
TommieMedia reporter Patrick Roche warns that those thinking of going to law school should think again, considering some sobering local figures: St. Thomas law students graduate with around $97,000 in debt. At the University of Minnesota Law, average debt is around $91,000. Everyone seems to think lawyers get paid the big bucks. Given the fact…
In answer to one of our Public Insight Network queries on the state of public libraries, librarian Cynthia Jorstad of Northland Community & Technical College has written in. Her department suffered a 12 percent cut this year, she writes, and now she must work as the librarian on two of Northland’s campuses, which are located…
What will St. Cloud State's provost say about the admin firing?
Just got off the phone with Semya Hakim, faculty and staff coordinator the St. Cloud State University Color Caucus. She said Provost Devinder Malhotra is supposed to answer questions tonight regarding the recent firing of Mahmoud Saffari, the university’s associate VP for enrollment management. For several weeks, the caucus has been protesting the conditions under…
Why are people looking for Abe Lincoln in MSU-Mankato's Memorial Library?
The folks at the Memorial Library at Minnesota State University – Mankato have a goofy contest surrounding the university’s recent acquisition of an Abe Lincoln bust. Library staffers hide the bust in a different part of the library once a week and then post clues every Monday. Those who find Abe are supposed to take…
Why Is College So Expensive? Many of the protesters occupying Wall Street and other places say they are upset about the rising price of going to college. Tuition and other costs have been going up faster than inflation, and family incomes can’t keep up. Despite public outrage about the problem, there’s little sign these costs will…