Notes in the Margins: Dorm pets, nerd-school jocks and the rapture

Prepare to Lose to a Nerd School Don't look now, college-sports behemoths, but in some of the lower-profile NCAA sports like tennis, swimming and lacrosse, there's an unlikely new force welling up to give you a run for your money: those precious liberal-arts colleges that don't offer athletic scholarships. Last month, the baseball team from Minnesota's University of St. Thomas stunned the University of St. Thomas. (The Wall Street Journal)

Most College Presidents Oppose Tenure The declining number of tenured positions in higher education has been a source of worry (not to mention gastrointestinal problems) for a number of academics, but the downtrend of the tenure track is no skin off the back of most college leaders, according to a recent survey. (NBC)

School districts move away from honors classes in favor of AP courses Now, those courses are vanishing from public schools nationwide as administrators move toward a more inclusive curriculum designed to encourage underrepresented minority students to join their high-achieving peers in college-level Advanced Placement classes. (The Washington Post)

Colleges Warming Up To The Idea Of Pets In Dorms To Ease Stress Some college leaders are now thinking that having some non-stuffed animals around might ease the sometimes difficult transition for college students. (The Grand Rapids Press via University Business)

Parents Stopped Saving For College Because They Thought World Would End On Saturday The three teenagers have been struggling to make sense of their shifting world, which started changing nearly two years ago when their mother, Abby Haddad Carson, left her job as a nurse to sound the trumpet on mission trips with her husband, Robert, handing out tracts. They stopped working on their house and saving for college. (The New York Times)

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