We return from our reduced summer publication schedule — this week, we will focus on some highlights of what others talked about while we were away. Today, we start with a look at higher education: First: Writing for the New York Times, Jacques Steinberg ponders on whether the standard length for undergraduate programs should be [...]

Whitney Stark at Minnesota Public Radio wrote me to ask what I think about the increase in schools that fail to meet Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) under No Child Left Behind: Minnesota Public Radio News is interested in learning more about what is going on with Minnesota’s declining and low Adequate Yearly Progress results. What [...]

From Ars Technica: Rumors of Google’s plans to create a virtual world that rivals that of Second Life have popped up once again over the weekend. The company could now be collaborating with Arizona State University to test the 3D social network, which may be tied into Google’s current applications of Google Earth and Google [...]

Date:              08 March 2006    To:                  All Participants From:             Arthur Harkins and John Moravec Subject:        Building a “Leapfrog” University (Version 2.0) Our Basic Concerns The University of Minnesota is at a crossroads in its path for success in the 21st century.  With a goal to become one of the top three public research universities in [...]

Article link: The future of innovation in the US Chuck Russell reports for AlwaysOn that “studies have indicated that 45-75% of all economic growth is directly attributed to innovation),” and that “the US government was responsible for funding 85% of all basic research.” Basic research, he argues, is underfunded. For the US government to maximize [...]