NEWS | November 2008

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
	Overall private colleges enrollment stays flat, students of color enrollment grows Fall 2008 enrollment increased 0.8 percent over fall 2007, while students of color increased 7.5 percent. The enrollment share of students of color is now 12.4 percent, a number that generally reflects our states’ demographics. Read full article

	Action needed now to sustain economy and expand numbers of future college grads A $170 million education agenda aims to keep college affordable for low- and middle-income students by expanding Minnesota’s need-based State Grant program. It would also prepare more students for college by increasing federally funded TRiO access programs that offer training, coaching and mentoring. Read full article

	Twin Cities Compass points to areas for improvement in education There are significant differences in measures of 11th grade math, third grade reading and high school graduation levels among students — based on income, ethnicity and location. A Web site developed by Twin Cities Compass provides tools for understanding education performance and addressing disparities. Read full article

	Briefs Students at many of our private colleges share their musical talents in upcoming holiday concerts. Consider coming to one. A new research brief, Establishing the Bedrock of Future Scholarship: Liberal Arts Colleges and Doctorate Creation, shows that Minnesota Private College Council members lead in providing the foundational education for the next generation of scientists, researchers and others who earn doctorates. College Cost Central, an online resource from the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities, offers information on economic, cost and affordability trends in private higher education as well as examples of campus responses and innovations. More than 200 high school students of color and their families attended the Gates Millennium Scholars & Page Education Scholarship Forum sponsored by the Minnesota Minority Education Partnership to learn more about these scholarships for students of color. Representatives from many private colleges were on hand to talk to families. Applications are due Jan. 12 for the Gates scholarship and May 1 for Page scholarships.