Wondering what's happening in Americas institutions of higher learning...and what an education is costing these days? Here's the collegiate-skinny.http://www.newser.com/2008 - Newseren-usNewser Feed GeneratorTue, 07 Oct 2008 7:16:46 CDThttp://www.newser.com/story/38795/10-most-buzzed-about-schools.html?refid=rss_all_defaultInstitutions of higher learning care about their brand as much as any business, so the Global Language Monitor has ranked universities and colleges for the amount of buzz they command on the internet. The winners: Harvard University Columbia University University of Michigan, Ann Arbor University of California, Berkeley Stanford Universityhttp://www.newser.com/story/38795/10-most-buzzed-about-schools.html?refid=rss_all_defaultTue, 30 Sep 2008 13:57:50 CDThttp://www.newser.com/story/38798/college-does-this-to-you-and-aims-to-fix-it.html?refid=rss_all_defaultNew research on the connection between sleep and performance has colleges scrambling to get their students to bed, the Boston Globe reports. According to a university doctor, “pulling an all-nighter is the equivalent of driving drunk and is detrimental to reaction time and memory.” But some habits are hard to break, and information campaigns appear to be falling on tired ears.http://www.newser.com/story/38798/college-does-this-to-you-and-aims-to-fix-it.html?refid=rss_all_defaultTue, 30 Sep 2008 13:01:26 CDThttp://www.newser.com/story/38535/ucla-bags-100k-prize-with-record-breaking-prime-number.html?refid=rss_all_defaultA team of UCLA mathematicians has won one of  the math world's most coveted prizes, the Los Angeles Times reports. Their discovery of a 13-million-digit prime number—only the 46th such number ever found—scores them a $100,000 reward from the Electronic Frontier Foundation. The organization is also offering $150,000 to anybody who can find a prime number with more than 100 million digits.http://www.newser.com/story/38535/ucla-bags-100k-prize-with-record-breaking-prime-number.html?refid=rss_all_defaultFri, 26 Sep 2008 22:45:59 CDThttp://www.newser.com/story/38268/college-dorm-rooms-go-to-the-dogs.html?refid=rss_all_defaultCollege students have long been expert at sneaking everything from gerbils to puppies into their dorm rooms, but a number of schools have made furry residents official, reports USA Today . The pet-friendly movement's spread to more than a dozen campuses, where officials hope reducing the stress of college life and stemming the tide of students to off-campus housing where they're allowed to have dogs and cats.http://www.newser.com/story/38268/college-dorm-rooms-go-to-the-dogs.html?refid=rss_all_defaultWed, 24 Sep 2008 9:44:42 CDThttp://www.newser.com/story/38041/throw-out-sat-say-college-deans.html?refid=rss_all_defaultColleges should make admissions decisions without requiring the SAT or ACT, says a group of deans led by Harvard's admissions chief in a yearlong study that concluded standardized tests distort students' high school experiences, exacerbate class disparities, and enrich only the billion-dollar test prep industry. Instead, say the admissions officers, colleges should place greater emphasis on high school coursework and introduce a new, broader achievement test.http://www.newser.com/story/38041/throw-out-sat-say-college-deans.html?refid=rss_all_defaultMon, 22 Sep 2008 5:13:02 CDThttp://www.newser.com/story/37905/college-kids-take-global-outlook-to-class.html?refid=rss_all_defaultIn less than a generation, college students' international perspective has transformed many colleges' public health-related programs and courses. The AIDS epidemic served as a catalyst by opening young people’s eyes to the global character of disease, and the ease of worldwide travel and communication is spurring involvement abroad. The Washington Post looks at the transformation.http://www.newser.com/story/37905/college-kids-take-global-outlook-to-class.html?refid=rss_all_defaultFri, 19 Sep 2008 12:41:06 CDThttp://www.newser.com/story/37893/tony-blair-nervous-on-first-day-of-school.html?refid=rss_all_defaultIt’s the first day of school for Tony Blair, and the former prime minister confesses to having a case of nerves. “I was never a star student,” says Blair, who is embarking on a 3-year teaching gig at Yale. Blair tells the Yale Daily News he’s excited, but he’s also aware that he's going to be “mixing with a whole lot of people who I’m sure are a whole lot more clever and smarter than I am.”http://www.newser.com/story/37893/tony-blair-nervous-on-first-day-of-school.html?refid=rss_all_defaultFri, 19 Sep 2008 10:51:57 CDThttp://www.newser.com/story/37007/colleges-adding-meow-to-mix.html?refid=rss_all_defaultColleges around the country are warming up to furry friends, the Boston Globe reports. MIT is in the vanguard, offering as an example its 8-year-old program that allows student-vetted felines to live in certain dorms. "They can really lighten the mood,” one senior says, “especially when students have been working many, many hours on problem sets"—though not all administrators are on board.http://www.newser.com/story/37007/colleges-adding-meow-to-mix.html?refid=rss_all_defaultTue, 09 Sep 2008 13:06:20 CDThttp://www.newser.com/story/35911/harvard-probes-racism-charges-against-its-cops.html?refid=rss_all_defaultHarvard University is reviewing its security procedures after black students and professors charged that they're being unfairly targeted, the Boston Glob e reports. A six-member committee will review the campus force following a number of incidents, including one in which a black professor was stopped when he was mistaken for a robbery suspect.http://www.newser.com/story/35911/harvard-probes-racism-charges-against-its-cops.html?refid=rss_all_defaultWed, 27 Aug 2008 0:55:29 CDT