bright future in sales

two professionally related things...

* I wrote a few weeks back about Stanford's announcement that entering students with family income of less than $45,000 would be free of tuition costs, and the family contribution would be halved for students from $45K-$60K. Since then the University of Pennsylvania announced that it would provide grants to cover costs for students from families with income below $50K. Harvard, apparently in the next seat around the poker table, upped the income limit to $60K. A few years ago there was even talk (in a GOP-controlled Congress no less!) about regulating tuition costs. It appears that the market is starting to correct itself a bit, and after years of being slow to recognize the problem there's now a flurry of movement to counteract tuition costs that over the past two decades have far outpaced family income. It will be interesting to see who raises the stakes...it really has become like a poker game.

* In a shocker (ok, not really), research indicates that younger Gen-X scholars claim that they want transparent tenure standards and more balance between work and personal life. I gave up a tenure-track job for a research-based administrative job precisely because I wanted to stop feeling like every spare minute should be devoted to work in order to earn tenure, and I wasn't even sure exactly what the standards for tenure were. While I respect people who are incredibly devoted to scholarship and are very prolific, I decided that I wasn't ready to give up all of my free time for the chase. I like a job where I can have KEXP playing in the background, and where I don't take work home with me as often. I work hard and I enjoy what I do, but I've finally shed the "grad school guilt" complex of always feeling like I should be working.

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Totally unrelated, but worth mentioning (since I saw the story while searaching the Harvard note) is this bit about ligament regeneration work being done at Children's Hospital in Boston. I've had acl replacement and the knee's still not to 100%. Related to the acl trauma I also still have meniscus issues. What I wouldn't give to have the meniscus fully healed and regenerated. Microfracture seems to be one option, but it's not guaranteed, especially for patients over 30.