The journey from identifying a promising idea to building a thriving business relies on many components, such as talent, mentorship, capital, access to infrastructure, and connections to industry. As the Q4 2013 Index demonstrated, universities are in a unique position to aggregate these components to support the creation of new companies. Higher education institutions attract top talent to the state, offer vital programs, and cultivate valuable relationships with leading executives and venture capital firms.
To gauge the performance of Illinois universities in facilitating start-ups, the Illinois Science & Technology Coalition (ISTC) conducted its first annual University Entrepreneurship Survey, which examines the role of educational institutions in launching new ventures by supporting research, technology transfer, and entrepreneurship centers. More...

By Rob Moritz. Geography for many attending a state college or university in Arkansas is more than just a course. It sometimes determines one’s educational future.
For years, state colleges and universities have offered online classes, as well as some completely online degree programs, mostly at the masters level in education. But despite their convenience, the location of the school is still a major impediment for many when considering a higher education because of finances, employment schedules or family obligations, among other things. See more...

By Peg Tyre. Last month, 80 college and university presidents convened at the White House to discuss ways to get more capable low-income students to and through top colleges. It’s an important topic — especially as concerns sharpen over slowing rates of social mobility in the United States. A college education continues to be the most reliable ladder that allows poor children to climb to the middle class and higher. Economists say a child born in the bottom quintile of the income distribution has just a 5 percent chance of moving up to the top quintile without college. The chance of making it to the top nearly quadruples if the child gets a college degree. But currently, the proportion of children from low-income families who obtain a college degree is low — around 9 percent — compared with 50 percent of children from affluent families. More...