Free Republic

In a letter to President Barack Obama, University of Michigan President Mary Sue Coleman blamed the rising costs at state colleges on “declining state support.” “Higher education is a public good currently lacking public support,” Coleman wrote in her Dec. 16 letter. “There is no stronger trigger for rising costs at public universities and colleges than declining state support. The University of Michigan and our state’s 14 other public institutions have been ground zero for funding cuts.” The state is scheduled to give the University of Michigan and its two satellite campuses about $54 million less in 2011-2012 than the...

CHICAGO – Michigan State quarterback Kirk Cousins received a nearly one-minute standing ovation for his speech at the annual Big Ten luncheon, and during the ovation coach Mark Dantonio can be seen mouthing the word “special” to new Minnesota coach Jerry Kill. Cousins, a senior from Holland, was asked by the Big Ten to speak on behalf of all the players Friday. He gave a polished well-written speech of just a little over seven minutes on the subject of the privilege of being a college football player in the Big Ten, and the greater responsibilities he believes comes with it....

Engine will likely offer in excess of 100 mpgAn artist's render shows the overall design of the Wave Disc Generator (Source: MSU/Norbert Mueller)Michigan State University (MSU) mechanical engineering associate professor Norbert Mueller [profile] has invented an engine quite unlike those that the world is familiar with today.  It has no transmission.  It ditches the piston, valves, and crankshaft.  It doesn't need to use cooling liquids. Meet the Wave Disc Generator [video], the engine that could be the death of traditional gas and diesel internal combustion engines (ICEs). When people claim to have a novel alternative to the ICE, they're typically peddling...