Reading at least one newspaper and perusing the polls. Monitoring the news on MSNBC, Fox, and CNN and taking press calls.

The United States is ranked 18th out of 144 countries included in the Economic Freedom of the World: 2012 Annual Report, released today by the Fraser Institute in Canada and the Cato Institute in the United States.  

The United States Department of Education has announced that Beloit College will receive a five-year grant for the funding of the Ronald E. McNair Post-baccalaureate Achievement Program. In a tough budget cycle where some 60 of the 208 current McNair programs went unfunded (and no new programs were added), Beloit will be awarded a total of $1.1 million to fund the program, which is now in its 17^th year at the college.

At last week's Academic Senate meeting it was announced that Josh Hall will be the new Elbert H. Neese, Jr. Professor of Economics.

One of the most unique cross-country meets in the Midwest for its course design and layout, the Olde English is scheduled to take place Saturday, Sept. 29, at Leeson Park located at Milwaukee Road and Leeson Drive in Beloit. This year marks the 50th running of the Beloit College Olde English Classic.

Best value and strong commitment to teaching were just a few of the areas in which Beloit College earned recognition in the annual U.S. News & World Report’s rankings of “Best Colleges” released today.

Anarchist themes in ancient and modern Chinese dissident political thought is the subject of Political Science Professor John Rapp’s new book. Published by Continuum, Daoism and Anarchism: Critiques of State Autonomy in Ancient and Modern Chinawas released in August.

The landmark college guide “Colleges That Change Lives” was recently updated and re-released this week, and Beloit College continues to be among the 40 higher education institutions recognized.  

Beloit College’s classroom experience was praised by The Princeton Review in its latest rankings out this week. The nationally known education services company ranked Beloit at No. 17 in this category.

This week Beloit College welcomed 313 first-year students – 33 of which are international – and another 54 transfer and exchange students who will begin classes on Tuesday, Aug. 28.

On Tuesday, Aug. 28, Beloit College will welcome 59 area high school students from southern Wisconsin and northern Illinois as Porter Scholars. It is the largest class of its kind in the program’s approximately 50-year history.

A recent report commissioned by the Annapolis Group suggests that liberal arts colleges are the best in the higher education business at providing their graduates with a relevant and rewarding educational experience.