Today in the Times... need, the new affirmative action?

Universities Show Uneven Efforts in Enrolling Poor​

​The NYT​ continues its trend of reporting on foreign and domestic educational politics. Today's article is on a new form of affirmative action that favors poor students. It assesses which universities do the best (and worst) job of attracting and enrolling poor students. The article appears to have an axe to grind with the University of Michigan, at whom it directs most of its criticism.

It seems to me the root of public universities enrolling few poor students is the uneven quality of lower levels of education and particularly high school. Many disadvantaged students don't even apply to the more prestigious institutions suggesting they are receiving poor career counseling or that they don't see entrance into these institutions as a possibility. Of course, universities can expand their visibility through outreach efforts.​

Opportunity for PhD funding: Jewish, Christian, Muslim Relations

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An email I received this morning:

The Woolf Institute in Cambridge, UK, has been dedicated to the provision of graduate and postgraduate study for 15 years. In partnership with the Cambridge Commonwealth Trust / Cambridge Overseas Trust, the Woolf Institute has established the Woolf Institute Cambridge Scholarships. These scholarships are intended to support outstanding research students at the University of Cambridge who have the potential to become exceptional leaders of the future.
 
Scholars will be selected from amongst applicants in the Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences. Their research must be relevant to the focus of the Woolf Institute - the multi-disciplinary study of relations between Jews, Christians and Muslims.
 
The Woolf Institute and the Cambridge Commonwealth Trust / Cambridge Overseas Trust will co-fund the successful candidates. Each scholarship will cover the full cost of studying for a PhD at the University of Cambridge, and will be tenable at any of the thirty-one Cambridge Colleges.
 
Applicants are required to apply to the University in the normal way, and by the published scholarship application deadline [http://www.admin.cam.ac.uk/students/gradadmissions/prospec/]. Applicants must show evidence of excellence in their field of study and formulate a coherent research proposal. Applicants are encouraged to contact the Woolf Institute prior to submitting their application to discuss whether their research proposal is relevant to the Institute’s focus.
 
For further information, contact:
 
Woolf Institute (www.woolf.cam.ac.uk): Dr Emma Harris at eth22@cam.ac.uk or +44 1223 741038      
 
Cambridge Trusts (www.cambridgetrusts.org): Claire Lambert at cll33@cam.ac.uk or +44 1223 760607