A spectre is haunting higher education," Keller declared, "the spectre of decline and bankruptcy." After years of rampaging growth, colleges were gripped by declining enrolments, increased competition, inflating costs, diminishing government support and shifting priorities among those increasingly regarded as higher education's consumers. The future of many traditional institutions was in jeopardy.

The only enduring solution, Keller argued, was to take a more vigorous and focused approach to management, using tactics and objectives that had to be developed on an institution-by-institution basis. We could not expect all colleges to accomplish the same things and meet the same standards in the same ways. Nor did it make sense any more to treat the large, expensive, complex modern university as if it were a genteel ramshackle operation to be governed casually and inattentively, if at all.

Cedar Creek Arena Means USHL Hockey Expansion

It's easy to steal a line from Field of Dreams. If you buld it, they will come. United States Hockey League President Gino Gasparini tells Newsline 9 Sports if the proposed 4,000 seat arena in Cedar Creek is built as planned, then the league would field a team in 2009. Gasparini: "This is a fan-based driven league. For it to be successful you got to have a good corporate base and good potential for a fan base. We think all of those things are located in that vicinity." In a phone interview, Gasparini tells Sports Director Bryon Graff it would be a start-up expansion team. The league looks for a combination of venue, fan and corporate support. And the Wausau area fits the bill. The USHL considers itself the number one developmental league in America. It produces players for the Division I college level and the NHL Draft.

Farecast Launches Free International Airfare Predictions

SEATTLE, Feb. 8 /PRNewswire/ -- Farecast.com, the smart travel search site, today launched free international predictions for more than 200 markets from U.S. cities to the most popular destinations in Europe, Mexico, the Caribbean and Canada. Consumers concerned with the wavering economy can expect higher airfares this summer to popular international destinations. Fares to Europe during the peak summer months are on average 11 percent higher this year over 2007. Consumers will be relieved to save over $150 on average for two tickets, using Farecast.com international predictions when shopping for airfare.

"With economic uncertainty and fares to Europe tracking 11 percent higher this year, the stakes of knowing when to buy are considerably higher for international flights," said Hugh Crean, president and CEO, Farecast.com.