NBC KARE-11 featured Carleton College and its generous financial aid program during the July 1st 10 o'clock news broadcast as part of its weekly segment, "Take KARE of your money." The piece featured Carleton students Kai Knutson '11 (Bloomington, Minn.), Beserat Kelati '12 (Houston, Texas) and Steve Merry '10 (Dellwood, Minn.), along with Jennifer Hantho, senior associate dean of admissions. "The state university that I was planning to go to didn't give me any financial aid," Kelati said in the segment. "A lot of the private liberal arts colleges provided me with the best financial aid. I decided to come to Carleton because it was one of the best that I had received."

Deborah Appleman, the Hollis L. Caswell Professor of Educational Studies and chair of educational studies, wrote an opinion piece for the June 29 edition of the Star Tribune entitled "Counterpoint: Why I oppose Teach for America." Appleman writes "As an educator who strongly believes that teaching is both art and science, I strenuously disagree with the notion that underprepared teachers can teach effectively in our state's most challenging schools."

Carleton's graduation rate ranks the tops among Minnesota colleges and universities, according to a recent American Enterprise Institute study based on data reported to the Education Department by nearly 1,400 schools about full-time first-time students who entered in fall 2001. The study was reported on in the June 3 edition of USA Today, and showed Carleton's graduation rate of 93 percent to rank tops among all colleges and universities within the state.

Richard T. Berman, director of Carleton's career center, is quoted in the Chronicle of Higher Education piece about what strategies 2009 graduates are utilizing in this difficult economy. The piece talks about Carleton's "Engagement Wanted" program that connects graduating students with alumni and parents for networking opportunities that may lead to job possibilities. The piece also quotes Evan Rowe '09, who landed a job with Google despite majoring in political science. "What mattered to me is that I could learn a lot," Rowe says in the article. He compares the perfect job to one true love. "Not any such thing," he says. "There are many different ways I could be happy."

CUT's (Carleton Ultimate Team) recent run through the Ultimate Players Association Collegiate Championships was recognized in a related story on ESPN.com by Mary Buckheit. "We're definitely kind of quirky," Carleton co-captain Sam Kanner '11 said. "I'd have to say that there's something about the sport's nerdy subculture that attracts us to it." Kanner said in the article this year's ultimate championship trophy will sit in a case next goods from the year the quiz bowl team stunned Harvard. The main focus is a piece that examines the third-ranked University of Oregon's team not being allowed to compete by the institution due to a streaking incident. "It's too bad about Oregon," Kanner said. "I know a few of those guys and they're really great guys."

Carleton's newest career center program, "Engagement Wanted," is the focus of a piece in the Chronicle of Higher Education. The program allows members of the class of 2009 to submit small "personal ads" seeking out employment opportunities, career advice or simply a desire to network within a given field. Those ads are sent out to alumni, parents and friends of the College that have agreed to participate in the program and match that particular student's needs. You can read more about the program on the career center's website.

Disconnected, the documentary film shot, edited and produced by then-visiting professor Melody Gilbert's cinema and media studies class last fall, recently received media coverage with a segment on Minnesota Public Radio and a mention in the Star Tribune. The film is also featued on the website, MNstories.com. The film is set to make its television debut on Twin Cities Public Television on Sunday, May 10. You can purchase Disconnected online through the Carleton bookstore website.

Carleton President Robert A. Oden Jr. answered one of Carleton's admissions application essay questions for the Wall Street Journal's May 6 edition. The full text of the essay appeared on the newspaper's website, while an article in the print edition (and available online) summarized Oden's and other college presidents' experiences in writing the essays. "I can think of writing an essay that would be batty and daft and wild, and I can think of writing a very conventional essay that would be neither," Oden is quoted as saying in the summary article.

Carleton senior Caitlin Schmid (Shorewood, Minn.) was interviewed by the Pioneer Press for its Thursday, April 30 edition regarding "Piano Burning," a peformance art piece that Schmid brought to campus. This ground-breaking composition centers around the actual burning of a piano—one that is beyond repair and ready to be discarded—allowing the listener to hear a variety of pitched and unpitched sounds as the piano strings heat and break. Carleton assistant professor of music Nicola Melville was interviewed on Minnesota Public Radio on Thursday, and NBC affiliate KARE 11 showed footage at the end of Thursday's 10 o'clock broadcast and then featured Schmid during its KARE Sunrise show on Friday morning. Schmid also tracked down the 69-year-old composer Annea Lockwood, who not only will participate in a panel discussion, she'll also be the one actually "performing" the piece by lighting the first match.

Steven Schier, the Dorothy H. and Edward C. Congdon Professor of Political Science, appeared on National Public Radio's "Morning Edition" on Tuesday, April 29, talking with host Scott Horsley about United States Senator Arlen Specter's (R-PA) announcement that he's switching from the Republican to the Democratic Party. "It's not unusual for an opposition party to have a rough hundred days when the other party takes the White House, and I think the Republicans have had such a time," Schier said in the interview. For the full interview transcript and a link to the audio version, visit the NPR website.

Katie Visco '07, who is about a month into a cross-country run that will last into December and end in San Diego, Calif., made a stop in New York City and made appearances on ABC News Now and the CBS "Early Show." You can follow Visco's progress on her website, paveyourlane.com.

Wicked Local Somerville has reported that Katie Visco ’07 has begun her attempt to run across the United States. Visco, who graduated cum laude with a degree in economics, is running to inspire other people to follow their dreams. Her run will take her from Boston to San Diego over the course of nine months. Along the way she will speak to youth groups and local media. Only about 170 people have run across the country, 10 of them female. If she succeeds, she will be the youngest woman to run across the country. For more information on her run, visit her website at PaveYourLane.com.