Just listen to Dimitrius Graham sing. As a music major at Morgan State University, he seems keenly aware of certain realities about his life: His talent is undeniable and probably innate, and his future is promising but uncertain. He could make a career singing on Broadway or climbing the charts as a Billboard phenomenon. Because he went to…

With the economy sputtering and Congress pressuring colleges to be more affordable, many institutions feel a heightened need to provide more financial aid--and they are turning to alumni and other private donors for help. While specifics vary from college to college, all types of institutions are feeling the pressure. Many smaller, private…

Several months ago, the Educational Testing Service began planning a campaign to encourage more college juniors and seniors to consider graduate school--and to take its Graduate Record Examination. The timing may prove fortuitous. David G. Payne, executive director of the GRE, says the campaign seeks not only to expand students' options, but also…

In an effort to help reverse a decades-long decline in the number of top students entering seminaries, the Lilly Endowment invited colleges to compete for grants to be used for three related purposes: (1) to help students explore the relationship between faith and work; (2) to encourage talented students to consider entering Christian ministry;…

As the cost of college continues to rise, more and more graduates are entering public-service careers like nursing, teaching, and social work with unmanageable levels of student debt. Many will struggle to repay their student loans while meeting their own basic needs. While some debts can be manageable for lawyers at private firms, it can be a…

This article deals with issues of community-college transfers of students from Alamance Community College to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. This article discusses the involvement of the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation in the issue of community-college transfer. The Jack Kent Cooke Foundation, based in Lansdowne, Va., near Washington,…

Princeton University has decided to build up its African-American-studies program, developing a new major and adding a number of faculty positions. Enhancing its program will not only allow Princeton to confront the challenge of racial inequality, it will also enable the university to attract some of the "talented students" that members of the…

Reports on the process of selecting the first 4,000 beneficiaries of the Gates Millennium Scholars Program, which emphasizes the use of criteria other than grades and test scores to select scholarship recipients. Notes critics' views and the administrative feat of building the organization from scratch, publicizing the program in minority…

Reports that student computer programmers from Russian universities, despite outdated equipment, poor facilities, and meager salaries, recently dominated the International Collegiate Programming Contest World Finals with the team from St. Petersburg State University winning first place. Western companies are developing arrangements with Russian…

The rise in the number of students who showcase their particular talents on videos sent along with written applications to college admissions offices is discussed. Most are tapes of the student performing on stage or in sporting events, but some range from visual autobiographies to comic and dramatic productions. (MLW)

The institution is part of a national market and its presidential options are dictated by that market, the reputation, the challenges of the position, and the relative compensation for the opportunity to lead the organization. Many in academe are uncomfortable with the idea that hiring in higher education should be governed by the laws of supply…