Ins and outs of higher ed
USA Today – June 10
…When considering colleges, students and parents should look beyond rankings, grade point averages and SAT scores. What are a school's dropout and graduation rates? How satisfied are the students with their classroom experiences? Do they get jobs after they graduate?…At the University of Alabama, for example, the graduation rate for black students improved by 12 percentage points from 2002 to 2006. Alabama did that by targeting first-year students, developing freshman learning communities, redesigning its math curriculum and reaching out to students in academic trouble…

Letter to Editor: UA energy work is impressive
Tuscaloosa News – June 10
Dear Editor: I was greatly impressed by a briefing I received recently on important research being conducted at the University of Alabama in the field of advanced automotive energy. Faculty and graduate students at the university, working at a Department of Transportation sanctioned research center, are focused on using advanced technology, such as hybrid vehicle, new batteries and hydrogen fuel cells, to power passenger vehicles. They believe that, with a modest advancement in battery technology, plug-in electric hybrids could be charged with clean American nuclear power at night and operated 50 miles or more during the day before the hybrid engine is utilized, resulting in significant fuel savings…
Jeff Sessions
United States senator
Washington, D.C.