Notes in the Margins: Fighting Sioux, Santorum fact-check and high-school courses

How to stop starving public colleges and shrinking the middle class America is  making it harder and harder for young people of modest means to attend college. But affordable public higher education is essential to preserving the middle class. (The Christian Science Monitor via University Business)

College admissions: When high school courses matter most College admissions officers around the country are submerged in applications. At this time of year, we are faced with the nearly impossible task of finding the best mix of students for our institutions based on some combination of grade point average (GPA), class rank, written, personal interviews, extracurricular activities and, at some schools, test scores. (The Washington Post)

Schools Try to Match the Jobless With 3.4 Million Jobs With the unemployment rate still stubbornly high, a rethinking of continuing-education programs has led to a powerful trend. Many schools, whether prestigious state universities or workhorse community colleges, are trying harder than ever to tailor their offerings to where the job openings are — and where the jobs of tomorrow will be. (The New York Times via University Business)

Fact check: Santorum on college, faith Rick Santorum is off base when he criticizes college as a place where young people lose their "faith commitment." In fact, the percentage of those with weakened religious affiliations is higher for those who don't go to college. (USA Today) NCAA: Don’t bring Fighting Sioux name to playoffs University of North Dakota teams risk forfeiting any post-season games if their athletes, cheerleaders or band wear or display the school’s Fighting Sioux nickname and American Indian head logo, an NCAA official said. (Associated Press via The Boston Globe)

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