Notes in the Margins: Dropouts, donor intent and race-based admissions

Let's Stop Celebrating College Dropouts In a time of economic uncertainty, America's imagination has been captured by companies largely founded by college dropouts. Our school curricula certainly don't emphasize applied business skills. High schools don't teach finance, colleges don't teach sales. Conformity seems prized over risk-taking. It's an easy argument to make. But what is the evidence? (The Huffington Post)

Colleges must respect donor intent Plaintiff in case against Hopkins says institutions face risk when they don't abide by givers' wishes. (The Baltimore Sun via University Business)

Ending race-based admissions Race-based admissions show no sign of moving toward “a logical end point.’’ If anything they are more entrenched than ever. Far from using skin color as a last resort, many universities make it an explicit condition. (The Boston Globe via University Business)

Why America’s College Students Don’t Graduate To address the low-graduation-rate issue, a few schools are trying to reverse the trend by overhauling how they operate. Some education advocates believe that shortening the road to a degree will raise the proportion of students who get one, while also saving students money. (The Fiscal Times)

Large Firms See More College Hiring Large employers plan to increase their hiring of college graduates finishing their degrees in the 2011-12 academic year. The trend continues an uptick that began last year after hiring declined during the recession and the early part of the recovery, according to a new survey by Michigan State University's Collegiate Employment Research Institute.Big firms – those with more than 4,000 workers – plan to hire 6% more graduates than last year. (The Wall Street Journal)

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