NEWS | July 2010

Each month NEWS delivers stories about our colleges and higher education research, trends and policies Read full articles on one page or go to the NEWS archive
	Local experts weigh in on new data about income, education and race New data confirm the link between higher education and higher income in Minnesota, but the income benefit varies depending on race. Three local experts — Paul Mattessich, Carlos Mariani and Steve Hine — weigh in on the research findings and what they mean for Minnesota. Read the article.

	Doing good after graduation helps students get ahead Many recent graduates of Minnesota’s private colleges are choosing to serve others through AmeriCorps and similar programs. They are finding that the experience they receive is good for their future careers too. Three alumni talk about their experiences working with St. Paul-based Admission Possible. Read the article.

	Real-world learning as a Mayo Innovation Scholar This past year, Macalester College senior Varini Sharma participated in a unique program that gives undergraduate science and economics students the opportunity to research and analyze Mayo Clinic invention ideas. She and her team gained valuable knowledge and real-world experience. Read about Sharma's experience.

	Fact you can use One in five undergraduate students at our member institutions is a first-generation student — with neither parent having earned a college degree.

	Campus news Construction is now underway on the University of St. Thomas’ Anderson Student Center, the third and final phase of the largest building project in the university’s history. Located on the northeast corner of Summit and Cretin avenues, the $66 million, 225,000-square-foot student center will open in January 2012. Participants in St. Olaf College's McNair Scholars Program have spent the summer conducting research projects that provide hands-on learning and preparation for graduate school. Everyone is invited to hear the scholars present their findings at the University of Minnesota July 29. McNair is part of the federally funded TRiO program that serves underrepresented students. Tova Lindberg, a 2010 Bethany Lutheran College graduate, has been awarded a Graduate Research Fellowship from the National Science Foundation. Lindberg will be continuing her education as a graduate student at the University of Arizona where she will study math analysis. Lindberg majored in math and theater at Bethany. The inauguration of Steve Poskanzer as the 11th president of Carleton College is scheduled for Sept. 24-25. He succeeds Robert A. Oden, Jr., who retired June 30. A 1980 cum laude graduate of Princeton University, Poskanzer earned a J.D. degree from Harvard University in 1983. Martha Nause, Macalester College's golf coach, was featured in the New York Times after she tried to become the first woman to qualify for the men's U.S. Senior Open. Nause did play, for the second time in three years, in the regular Women's Open. Concordia College, Moorhead, named Dr. Paul J. Dovre as its interim president June 30. Dovre succeeds Dr. Pamela Jolicoeur, who died June 9. Dovre served as Concordia’s eighth president until his retirement in 1999. A presidential search committee will start its work in August. The College of St. Scholastica has established the Environmental Stewardship Council to define, promote and pursue a sustainable future at the college. The group will nurture sustainable projects, research funding opportunities and promote awareness to assist the college in achieving its sustainability goals through environmental stewardship.

	Briefs Published tuition and fees at the nation's private, nonprofit colleges is increasing an average of 4.5% for 2010-11, while private colleges are increasing institutional student aid by an average of 6.8%. Read the NAICU release. Joe Graba of the education policy think tank Education\|Evolving (and an MPCC board member) shares his views this month on the LearnmoreMN blog. Check out his posts, Making teaching a better career and Making learning a better experience. Consider weighing in with your views by posting a comment. Casey Selix, education reporter for MinnPost, highlighted the Research Foundation’s recent research brief on student migration trends in her July 1 post, Pop quiz: Which Minnesota colleges draw the most out-of-state students?