“We cannot change the cards we are dealt, just how we play the hand.”
Canragie Mellon is a university reknowned for both engineering and the arts. One of their shining stars, Dr. Randy Pausch, of the computer science world died this week of pancreatic cancer. He knew we was going to die and he was asked [...]

Well, the Canberra Times is firing the first warning shots over the bow over the experience of international students have for higher-education in Australian Universities. The most juicy:Welcome to nation of university ghettos - National News - National - General - The Canberra Times
“There’s not much international students can learn from Australia in terms of [...]

Man, bloomberg is really stiring it up, suggesting that an education at an elite university does little to improve morals or scrupples among its alumna:
Bloomberg.com: U.S.
“Ifthe devil exists, he no doubt has a high IQ and an Ivy League degree,”Donaldson said. “It’s clear that having an educational pedigree is noprophylactic against greed and bad behavior.” [...]

Foreign policy has hosted a voting on the top 100 “public intellectuals”–”part of being a “public intellectual” is also having a talent forcommunicating with a wide and diverse public. This skill is certainlyan asset for some who find themselves in the list’s top ranks.” Interestingly, the top ten are ALL Muslim, which is probably more [...]

Pre med is dead simple, I explain to students. Five courses:BiologyInorgnica ChemistryOrganic ChemistryPhysics,and CalculusMore important, I opine, is involvement in clinical work, devleopment of people and critical thinking skills. Apparently, I am not alone:
NEJM — Relevance and Rigor in Premedical Education
Yet despite these sweeping changes, including the permeation of most areas of medicine by molecular [...]

Forbes published a new set of rankings based more on outcomes:

Graduation rates–my comments: This unfairly punished public universities in that many student may not complete university for financial reasons. Also the number that they use I assume is the same as USNEWS is a 6 year graduationr ate which is a bit silly for a [...]

Great stuff: a 32 year review of high school seniors attitudes and participation rates
Senior Moments: A Look at High Schoolers Over Time :: Inside Higher Ed :: Higher Education’s Source for News, Views and Jobs
Although many faculty members like to complain about the declining capabilities of incoming students, the data show that students’ have [...]