Eileen Moran Brown, Who Co-Founded a College for Underserved Adults, Dies at 87 [ WSJ ]

The flava:

Eileen Moran Brown, a co-founder of Cambridge College in Massachusetts, saw potential in students most other schools didn’t want.

The college’s students typically arrive as working adults and often are struggling to make ends meet. They include dropouts from other schools, former prison inmates and people who had low test scores. Classes are held in the evening and on weekends to accommodate those working full time. 

Brown, who died Sept. 28 of cancer at the age of 87, often said higher education shouldn’t be “just be for the privileged and the lucky.” She gave students credit for life and work experiences. She expected them to learn from one another in class discussions, not just from their professors.

Despite the school’s aspirational name, students found no ivy or dreaming spires. For more than two decades, the nonprofit college was based in a drab four-story office building between Harvard and MIT in Cambridge. . . . 

The article:

https://www.wsj.com/us-news/education/eileen-moran-brown-college-underserved-adults-1b32af7d

Top researchers consider leaving U.S. amid funding cuts: 'The science world is ending' [ PBS NewsHour ]

‘20 PhDs’ In the Time of One: How AI Is Changing College [ Bloomberg Television ]

How a Small North Carolina College Became a Magnet for Wealthy Students [ WSJ ]

The flava:

On a typical weeknight, students at High Point University might sit down to filet mignon at “1924 PRIME,” the on-campus steakhouse. This isn’t a mere perk. Servers are told to coach the young diners on body language, professional attire, which fork to use and when to salt their food.

It is one of the striking amenities at High Point, which prides itself on preparing students for the rigors of a career—and has also become a favorite of affluent families. “Half of Wall Street sends their kids to this school,” President Nido Qubein says in an interview.

Universities nationwide are battling to pad their balance sheets by attracting families who will pay full sticker price, particularly as the Trump administration slashes funding. High Point is something of a blueprint. Its model—catering to a wealthier student body—has fueled its enrollment growth, campus expansion and financial stability.

Dozens of carefully manicured gardens adorn the lush grounds. Students are almost always within earshot of a fountain; Qubein says the water has an energizing effect. Classical music plays around campus, and there are six outdoor heated swimming pools, each accompanied by a hot tub.

“Most high-paying jobs and everything are in nice environments,” says freshman Alexander Kirchner. “Just being used to it, walking around in it, helps the psyche a little bit. . . .”

The article:

https://www.wsj.com/us-news/education/north-carolina-college-high-point-amenities-30b0fc14

Pupils fear AI is eroding their ability to study, research finds [ theguardian.com ]

The flava:

Pupils fear that using artificial intelligence is eroding their ability to study, with many complaining it makes schoolwork “too easy” and others saying it limits their creativity and stops them learning new skills, according to new research.

The report on the use of AI in UK schools, commissioned by Oxford University Press (OUP), found that just 2% of students aged between 13 and 18 said they did not use AI for their schoolwork, while 80% said they regularly used it.

Despite AI’s popularity, 62% of the students said it has had a negative impact on their skills and development at school, while one in four of the students agreed that AI “makes it too easy for me to find the answers without doing the work myself”.

A further 12% said AI “limits my creative thinking” while similar numbers said they were less likely to solve problems or write creatively. . . . 

The article:

https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2025/oct/15/pupils-fear-ai-eroding-study-ability-research

More than half of Dartmouth faculty members sign petition against Trump compact [ thedartmouth.com ]

The flava:

As of Oct. 12, 569 Dartmouth faculty members have signed a petition urging College President Sian Leah Beilock not to sign the Trump administration’s “Compact” for higher education, which would set restrictions on College policies in exchange for funding benefits.

In an email to campus on Oct. 3, Beilock wrote that the College “will never compromise our academic freedom and our ability to govern ourselves.” 

“I am deeply committed to Dartmouth’s academic mission and values and will always defend our fierce independence,” she wrote. “You have often heard me say that higher education is not perfect and that we can do better.”

A College spokesperson declined to comment on the petition.

The faculty petition asks that Beilock “refuse all unlawful demands and political threats that would undermine [Dartmouth’s] academic freedom and self-governance.” 

“The compact, in attempting to assert state control over admissions, tuition, grades, hiring, teaching, and research, is a direct threat to the beating heart of the university: free inquiry and the pursuit of knowledge,” the petition reads. . . .  

The article:

https://www.thedartmouth.com/article/2025/10/joseph-and-gandhimore-than-half-of-dartmouth-faculty-members-sign-petition-urging-beilock-against-signing-trump-compact

Trump’s ‘Compact’ Is Freaking People Out [ Chronicle of Higher Education ]

George Takei, Banned Books Week 2025 Honorary Chair

Indiana pi bill [ wikipedia.org ]

The Indiana pi bill was bill 246 of the 1897 sitting of the Indiana General Assembly, one of the most notorious attempts to establish mathematical truth by legislative fiat. . . . 

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