July 2, 2001 - One of the most contentious issues of this legislative session was the debate over how much to spend for public colleges and universities. Governor Ventura said the state couldn't afford to give everyone all the money they wanted. Some lawmakers say the governor made a big mistake and the lean budget will take a tollon the state's economic development engine. Minnesota Public Radio's Patty Marsicano reports:
June 26, 2001 -
May 18, 2001 - After almost 60 years, the family of a missing Cannon Falls, Minnesota soldier who went down with his plane in Italy during World War Two knows what happened to him. A Twin Cities search team that looks for Missing-in-Action soldiers answered the family's call for help -- and has answered the final questions surrounding the disappearance of Lieutenant Theodore Thompson. Minnesota Public Radio's Patty Marsicano reports:
April 26, 2001 - MPR’s Patty Marsicano reports that higher education budget would fare much better under the senate's budget than the Governor's budget. Of the 2.9 billion dollars of total spending, the package contains 283 million dollars in new spending. That's nearly three times the new spending proposed by Governor Ventura.
April 24, 2001 - MPR’s Patty Marsicano reports that a key House committee approved a higher education spending bill; one that proposes more spending than Governor Ventura, but less than the Senate plan. The House Higher Education Finance Committee passed its spending bill after some debate over whether it provided enough money.
April 6, 2001 -
April 5, 2001 - A major donor to Augsburg College is suing the school. Elroy Stock of Woodbury says Augsburg should either return his half million (m) dollar contribution or fulfill its promise and name a building wing after him. Augsburg refused him the honor when it learned of his now-notorious race-based letter writing campaign but has no plans to return the money. Minnesota Public Radio's Patty Marsicano reports:
March 26, 2001 - The Minnesota State Colleges and Universities System faces a tough budget fight at the capitol. MNSCU seeks much more money than the governor recommends. While the University of Minnesota budget has received much more attention -- the MNSCU campaign for state money is heating up. Minnesota Public Radio's Patty Marsicano reports:
February 21, 2001 - University of Minnesota Regent Michael O'Keefe has cleared a key hurdle to being re-elected, despite some political reluctance to his candidacy. Last night (tues), a house-senate education committee recommended him and four other candidates for the U's governing board. Minnesota Public Radio's Patty Marsicano reports:
February 21, 2001 - As state financial support for the University of Minnesota declines as a proportion of its total budget, the "U" is increasingly turning to other sources of income. One promising area of growth is licensing University patents to the private sector. But critics fear the drive for patent income unfairly subsidizes corporations and detracts from the University's larger research mission. As a part of our weeklong series, "Universal U", Minnesota Public Radio's Patty Marsicano looks at the economics of university patents: