EDUCATION

A survey by Metropolitan Life found that 70 percent of employees above the age of 55 had some interest in starting a second career, Litow said. Other corporations are watching the pilot program with an eye toward offering similar programs for their employees, he added.

Howard said the proposal comes after four years of level funding and rising costs that "have eroded the capacity of schools to offer even basic educational programs."

"We hope to get a little viral marketing going so that people spread the word that Simon is an innovative place worth taking a look at," says Dean Mark Zupan.

Some 45 school districts have joined the consortium and more districts are coming on every week

They are virtually running and walking across the entire United States as part of their physical education curriculum during the 2005-2006 school year.

Even in an era of standardized tests, state governments and others are adding mandatory subjects to schools.

The school also is designed to use 30% less water than expected for a building of its size and get half of its electricity from renewable resources, and it has a reflective coating to reduce the amount of heat getting in.

A new center offering writing assistance for any student taking business classes opened Tuesday (Sept. 6) at MSU.

"That’s what we’re looking for — excellence,"