The rankings are posted online at Entrepreneur magazine’s website, http://www.entrepreneur.com/topcolleges with facts about each university. The schools will be featured in the October issue of Entrepreneur magazine.

The Princeton Review selected these 50 programs from about 2,000 surveyed, saying they satisfy multiple criteria within three main categories: students and faculty, academics and requirements, and enriching experiences outside the classroom.

The top schools stand out because they have a high number of experienced faculty, students launching businesses after graduation, and experiences outside of the class room, says Princeton Review senior vice president and publisher Rob Franek.

“Students are working with successful entrepreneurs who are working with the primary source and then bringing that experience back down to the classroom for that student,” says Franek.

He adds that these schools often offer entrepreneurship competitions and classes to students of any major, creating a “culture of entrepreneurship.”

Over the past few years, the number of entrepreneurial programs has grown tremendously, especially as universities recognize the value of interdisciplinary studies, says Franek.

Arthur Warga, dean of the University of Houston’s C.T. Bauer College of Business, ranked as the No. 1 undergraduate program, says a full entrepreneurship program, rather than just a couple of classes, is vital to provide “a really comprehensive group of mentors and resources that they can turn to for advice during the process of building a business.”

The Princeton Review’s list of the top 25 best graduate and undergraduate entrepreneurship programs:

Top 25 graduate programs

1. Babson College, Wellesley, Mass.

2. The University of Chicago

3. University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Mich.

4. Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah

5. University of Arizona, Tucson

6. Rice University, Houston

7. University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Va.

8. Stanford University, Stanford, Calif.

9. University of Texas at Austin

10. Washington University in St. Louis

11. Acton MBA Entrepreneurship, Austin, Texas

12. DePaul University, Chicago

13. Tulane University, New Orleans

14. University of Southern California, Los Angeles

15. Drexel University, Phildelphia

16. Northwestern University, Evanston, Ill.

17. University of Washington, Seattle

18. Temple University, Philadelphia

19. University of Wisconsin-Madison

20. The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

21. Syracuse University, Syracuse N.Y.

22. Simmons College, Boston

23. Wake Forest University, Winston Salem, N.C.

24. University of Illinois at Chicago

25. University of South Florida, Tampa

Top 25 undergraduate programs

1. University of Houston, Houston, Texas

2. Baylor University, Waco, Texas

3. Babson College, Wellesley, Mass.

4. Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah

5. University of Southern California, Los Angeles

6. University of Dayton, Dayton, Ohio

7. Syracuse University, Syracuse, N.Y.

8. University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, Ind.

9. Washington University, St. Louis

10. DePaul University, Chicago

11. Xavier University, Cincinnati

12. University of Arizona, Tucson

13. Temple University, Philadelphia

14. Northeastern University, Boston

15. University of Oklahoma, Norman, Okla.

16. Lehigh University, Bethlehem, Pa.

17. City University of New York, New York

18. Belmont University, Nashville

19. Drexel University, Philadelphia

20. Miami University, Oxford, Ohio

21. The University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, Ala.

22. Loyola Marymount University, Los Angeles

23. University of Wisconsin-Madison

24. The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

25. Chapman University, Orange, Calif.

Top 25 graduate, undergrad colleges for entrepreneurs named

Top 25 graduate, undergrad colleges for entrepreneurs named

The idea of a libraries with no bound books has been a recurring theme in conversations about the future of academe for a long time, and it has become common practice for academic libraries to store rarely used volumes in off-campus facilities. But there are few, if any, examples of libraries that actually have zero bound books in them.

Some libraries, such as the main one at the University of California at Merced, and the engineering library at Stanford University, have drastically reduced the number of print volumes they keep in the actual library building, choosing to focus on beefing up their electronic resources. In fact, some overenthusiastic headline writers at one point dubbed Stanford’s library “bookless.” But that is “a vision statement, not a point of fact,” says Andrew Herkovic, the director of communications for Stanford’s libraries.

San Antonio says it now has the first actual bookless library. Students who stretch out in the library’s ample study spaces — which dominate the floor plan of the new building — and log on to the its resource network using their laptops or the library’s 10 public computers will be able to access 425,000 e-books and 18,000 electronic journal articles. Librarians will have offices there and will be available for consultations.

Students used to get their engineering and technology books from a collection at the campus’s main library. That collection is still there, and books from it are available upon request. But at the new library dedicated to that specialty, the only dead trees are in the beams and furniture.

The fact that San Antonio has actually built a literal version of what many in the industry hold up as symbol of the inevitability of electronic as the prevailing medium in academe may be commendable, but it is not “earth-moving,” says Roger Schonfeld, the managing director of Ithaka S+R, a nonprofit that promotes innovation in libraries and elsewhere. Many libraries, especially science and engineering ones, have started moving their print volumes out of the building and into remote storage.

Lisa Hinchliffe, president of the Association of College and Research Libraries and head of the undergraduate library at the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana, says that her institution, along with several others, has embedded librarians in various department buildings. Their offices in those building, it could be argued, constitute bookless libraries inasmuch as they are places where students and professors go to learn about how to use campus collections that can be accessed from anywhere.

More interesting than the fact that San Antonio’s newest library has no printed books in it is the fact that more and more libraries are devoting less space to printed books, and are thus reimagining the physical space of the library, Hinchliffe says. Whether the building houses half of its former print collection or none of it, the evolution of the library as a physical hub is something nearly every library is dealing with.

As a shared space for discovery, socializing, and studying, the library is still very much relevant and in demand, says Krisellen Maloney, dean of libraries at San Antonio. That is why the university invested $82.5 million in a new library building instead of just putting librarians in offices around campus, Maloney says. “You study and work in the library,” she says. “That’s how libraries have always been. When people come to the library with books, they’re not necessarily using the books. They’re also there for the services — to consult, get instruction, find content, and use the content.”

E-learning: University of Texas home to library without books

E-learning: University of Texas home to library without books

SAN ANTONIO – A Texas mother who witnesses said pulled a gun on a seventh-grade volleyball team that badly beat her daughter’s team told police she merely waved her finger and never threatened the children, officials said Friday.

The Judson school district initially said witnesses reported that an angry mother brandished a gun at middle school students as they celebrated a lopsided win over her daughter’s team. But a search of the woman’s house turned up no gun, and the district acknowledged inconsistencies in the witnesses’ allegations.

“The parent said she did have an altercation but did not use a gun,” district spokesman James Keith said. “We also re-interviewed witnesses, and some inconsistencies in the story are starting to pop up.”

Keith said the parent would likely face no criminal charges but will be barred from stepping on school district property for the next year. The school district is in northeast San Antonio.

The saga began Thursday night after Kirby Middle School’s seventh-grade volleyball team soundly beat Metzger Middle School. Keith said witnesses told officials that the woman, a mother of a Metzger player, was irate during the match and approached the Kirby players as they were leaving the gym.

School officials on Friday originally said the mother was seen waving a gun at the players and threatening to kill them. But by Friday afternoon, what actually happened after the game was less clear.

Police for the district are still investigating but were unable to determine from surveillance video whether the woman had a gun, said Keith, adding that he couldn’t speculate why inconsistencies in the original witness statements later emerged.

There were at least six witnesses, he said.

“Witnesses say she said she was going to kill them,” Keith said. “She says she just told them, ‘We’re going to get you next time.’”

Texas mom says she waved finger, not gun, at team (AP)

Texas mom says she waved finger, not gun, at team (AP)

NEW YORK (Reuters) – Texas schools that cut bureaucratic costs by sharing services — from accounting to transportation — would get grants worth 10 percent of their savings under a plan Governor Rick Perry proposed on Tuesday.

Texas is expected to have to slash spending in its next two-year budget because its deficit is estimated at as high as $18 billion. The Republican governor said his proposal would increase how much money can be devoted to the classroom.

Furthermore, “These shared services create the economies of scale that benefit larger districts, while maintaining the individual attention available in smaller districts,” Parry said in a statement.

The governor, who narrowly leads his Democratic rival, Houston’s former mayor Bill White, in the polls, has decided to seek $830 million in federal education aid, according to local newspapers, including the Star-Telegram of Fort Worth.

That is how much Texas stood to receive from the $10 billion Congress enacted to help save 161,000 teaching jobs around the nation.

A Perry spokeswoman had no immediate comment.

Perry had at first spurned the funds because Texas was the only state that would be required to spend the same amount on its schools for three years in row. This obligation was crafted by a Texas Congressman who wanted to ensure the money would not be used for other purposes.

(Reporting by Joan Gralla; editing by Todd Eastham)

Texas governor offers school grants to spur sharing (Reuters)

Texas governor offers school grants to spur sharing (Reuters)

The University of California has appointed an official to manage spending and operations at President Mark G. Yudof’s new private residence, after Mr. Yudof ran up nearly $700,000 in expenses and involved senior university officials in time-consuming personal matters over a rented mansion in the Oakland Hills.

A nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization providing local coverage of the San Francisco Bay Area for The New York Times. To join the conversation about this article, go to baycitizen.org.

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The findings sound contradictory. But the exam’s authors point to a growing and more diverse group of test-takers — many are likely scoring lower overall, but more are also meeting benchmarks used to measure college readiness.

Last spring’s high-school seniors averaged a composite score of 21.0 on the test’s scale of 1 to 36, down slightly from 21.1 last year and the lowest score of the last five years.

At the same time, 24% of ACT-tested students met or surpassed all four of the test’s benchmarks measuring their preparedness for college English, reading, math and science. That is up from 23% last year and 21% in 2006.

Although that still shows three in four test-takers will likely need remedial help in at least one subject to succeed in college, ACT officials are encouraged to see improvement as ever-larger numbers of students take the exam.

“It’s slow progress,” said Cynthia Schmeiser, president and chief operating officer of ACT’s education division. “We are headed in the right direction.”

Schmeiser highlighted slight gains in math and science readiness, traditional weak spots for U.S. students. The number of students prepared for college-level biology, for example, has risen from 21% to 24% in five years.

On the not-so-encouraging front, ACT-takers prepared for college English have dropped from 69% to 66% in that span. Still, English remains a strong suit for ACT test-takers compared to other subjects.

To measure whether students are ready for college, the ACT sets minimum scores in a subject area test to indicate a 50% chance of getting a B or higher or about a 75 chance of getting a C or higher in a first-year college credit course. The courses include English composition, algebra, biology and introductory social science courses like Psychology 101.

The ACT report found a combined total of 43% of test-takers met either none (28 percent) or only one (15 percent) of the four college readiness benchmarks.

A record 1.57 million students, or 47% of this year’s high school graduates, took the ACT. That’s a 30% increase from five years ago.

The SAT remains the most common college entrance exam, though the rival ACT has nearly caught up in popularity. Most colleges accept either, and a growing minority no longer requires either one. SAT results are due out Sept. 13.

The ACT is growing as more states require it for all high school seniors, meaning test-takers are not just the college-bound.

Schmeiser noted that the ACT’s test-taking population “now includes virtually all students in eight states, many of whom might not have considered taking a college and career readiness assessment years ago.” The ACT says another three states — Arkansas, Texas and Utah — either have been or soon will make state-financed ACTs available to all districts.

One result: a more diverse pool. Ethnic and racial minorities this year made up 29% of all ACT test-takers, up from 23% in 2006. Most significant was a near doubling of Hispanic graduates tested, to almost 158,000 students.

The average composite scores for Hispanics dipped slightly to 18.6 this year after holding steady at 18.7 the previous three years.

Because some states mandate ACTS but others don’t, state-to-state score comparisons can be misleading. States requiring all students to take the ACT typically see average scores go down, at least initially.

ACT scores dip, but more students meet college benchmarks

ACT scores dip, but more students meet college benchmarks

As schools handed out pink slips to teachers this spring, states made a beeline to Washington to plead for money for their ravaged education budgets. But now that the federal government has come through with $10 billion, some of the nation’s biggest school districts are balking at using their share of the money to hire teachers right away.

Charlie Riedel/Associated Press

A 2009 job fair for teachers. The stimulus bill was intended to rehire 160,000 workers.

Given Stimulus Funds to Rehire, Schools Wait and See

Vermont and Texas among the states that will receive additional Recovery Act funds to support jobs and drive education reforms.

Additional Recovery Funds for Texas, Vermont

He and thousands of other teachers around the country could get their jobs back now that the Senate has approved an emergency stimulus package designed to keep educators and other public employees out of the unemployment line.

“My biggest thing is I want to go back to the school I was at for the students,” said Ebersbach, 43, one of 14 math teachers in the Toledo school district to receive notice a few weeks ago that their jobs were cut. “We’re in a high-poverty school and one thing the students need more than anything else is consistency. And they’re not going to get that.”

The $26 billion measure passed Thursday is less than was initially proposed by Education Secretary Arne Duncan, but will provide $16 billion to help states balance their Medicaid budgets and $10 billion for grants to school districts to forestall layoffs.

Republicans strenuously opposed the measure, denouncing it as yet another federal bailout the government cannot afford and calling it a giveaway to public employee unions.

For educators across the country, it’s been a bewildering summer as money to save thousands of jobs stalled in Congress and unions and administrators sparred over ways to rehire laid-off teachers.

The result has been what is referred to in education circles as the “yo-yo effect.” School budgets, facing severe reductions in state funding, are cut. Layoffs are made. And some or even all of the teachers are hired back over the summer as officials scramble for money.

The money coming from Congress could help fill some of that void. But until districts actually have the money in hand, thousands of teachers must wait in limbo not knowing whether they’ll have jobs when school starts in a few weeks.

Data provided by the U.S. Department of Education on how many jobs the bill is expected to fund reads like the medical chart of a battered patient: 16,500 in California. In Texas, 14,500. More than 9,000 in Florida. Some 161,000 education jobs across the country in all.

“The Senate amendment will go a long way to protecting these jobs and ensuring that America’s educators are working to educate our way to a better economy,” Duncan said. “It’s the right thing to do for America’s students and America’s teachers.”

Throughout the summer, many districts had despaired that Congress would deliver any money, and scrambled to find other ways to bring back the teachers, offering early-retirement incentives and negotiating furlough days.

In Iowa, where 1,500 layoffs were announced earlier this year, the Des Moines district has called back all but 30 of the 173 teachers who were laid off. Twyla Woods, the district’s chief of staff, said they opened an early retirement option and hope to have enough attrition overall to bring back the remaining teachers.

In Santa Cruz, Calif., 82 teachers were laid-off this spring and rehired again this summer, also largely due to a negotiated retirement incentive that 41 workers opted into. Teachers also agreed to take furlough days. The entry level salary in the district is $40,000.

The efforts all saved jobs, but are not considered long-term solutions.

In other districts, no solution was reached at all, leaving hundreds unemployed and hoping for federal money.

Gretchen Marfisi in Florida was laid off in each of the last two summers, only to be rehired by the Broward County School District.

This year she canceled her family vacation and put her life on hold before being called back Thursday.

“Why are they firing all of us?” Marfisi said, her voice ringing with frustration. “Besides giving us all more gray hair and wrinkles, there doesn’t seem to be a lot of logic involved.”

Marfisi is now preparing to unpack all her boxes of teaching materials once again.

“It’s a relief to get a paycheck,” Marfisi said. “It’s just very weird and bizarre emotionally. It just in the process makes you feel like garbage.”

Mike Langyel, president of the Milwaukee Teachers’ Education Association, worries about the long-term effects these series of layoffs will have on the teaching career.

“We don’t need to turn this into a Wal-Mart employment where you’re in for a while and you’re out,” Langyel said.

Teachers say the effect on morale has been overwhelming.

“Somebody said to me, ‘Teacher: I thought that was one field that was recession-proof,’” Ebersbach said. “I’m at a 50-50 shot.”

Turner reported from Atlanta. Armario reported from Miami.

Jobs bill offers teachers relief

Jobs bill offers teachers relief

The numbers, based on federal data, were released Tuesday by groups advocating for more federal aid for struggling families.

South Dakota saw its number rise from 1,038 in 2006-07 to 1,794 in 2008-09 — a 73% increase.

The 22,000-student school district in Sioux Falls has seen the number of homeless kids jump 44% over the past five years. Today, more than 1,000 pupils — about one child per classroom — don’t live in permanent homes.

“We have homeless students identified in every school in the district,” said Gail Swenson, supervisor of the district’s Office of Homeless Education. “Some would like to believe one part of town would not have a homeless child and another part would. It’s across the board.”

The report said there were nearly 680,000 homeless students, classified as those without permanent housing, in the 2006-07 school year. By 2008-09, that number had climbed to almost 957,000 due to increasing bankruptcies, home foreclosures and unemployment. Forty-three states saw their rolls increase, including five states with more than double the national growth rate: Texas (139%), Iowa (136%), New Mexico (91%), Kansas (88%), and New Jersey (84%).

Advocates are asking Congress to provide at least $140 million for homeless students next year, the same amount Congress allocated this year to help with medical care, school supplies and transportation. But about half of that was economic stimulus money that may not be available in 2011.

More funding could be a long shot with lawmakers increasingly looking for way to cut federal spending and corral the federal debt.

“Schools are uniquely positioned to provide safety, structure and services for homeless children,” said Bruce Lesley, president of First Focus, which released the report with the National Association for the Education of Homeless Children and Youth.

Swenson said it’s critical that homeless students not miss extended periods of school because of their transient situation.

“With every move that a child makes, they can lose from three to six months of academic gain,” she said. “A child who virtually misses third grade loses out on multiplication and cursive writing and that affects the rest of their life.”

Schools report surge in homeless students

Schools report surge in homeless students