A tally of possible program cuts

Someone's been doing their homework! The Chronicle put together a list of universities and the programs slated for possible cuts. UNLV and UNR are among them.

Arizona universities share the pain

Arizona universities are being asked to cut payroll and are also increasing student tuition. They have already eliminated 2,000 positions and instituted furloughs. More in this article from the Arizona Daily Star.

Higher Ed as driver of economic development

Hardly a radical concept. However a new report from the Rockefeller Institute of Government (SUNY) suggests 4 ways in which this works:

• Innovation — that is, using their research power to create knowledge that can have economic impact, and then actively working to help move new ideas into the marketplace.
• Knowledge transfer that helps businesses grow and prosper, through programs such as job training, technical and other consulting assistance, and assistance to startups.
• An activist role in revitalizing the communities in which they are located, such as efforts to help local elementary and secondary schools.
• And their core mission of producing the educated populace that’s needed to build, run and work in the innovation economy.

High graduation rates' impact on urban economies

Detailed report with lots of data, charts and graphs clearly demonstrates the high cost of failing to graduate a substantial percentage of our students. The data are unfortunately about 4-5 years old, but still useful for making the case that drop out rates deserve serious attention, especially in these economic times. Las Vegas is of course among the 50 largest cities included in this study. The full report is here. A brief overview is here.