Claim: “When I was superintendent of schools North Carolina was making real progress. We improved test scores more than any other state in the nation.”

Speaker: Bob Etheridge at Democratic gubernatorial debate Monday

N.C. State's business school and Campbell University's law school are teaming up to offer a dual law and MBA degree.

Starting this fall, students can earn the dual degree in four years. The universities are seeking to attract more students amid increasing competition from other schools with business and law degrees, including UNC Chapel Hill and Duke University.

"Students in the dual program will be well prepared for careers in business, finance, law, government, nonprofit organizations, teaching and research," said Steve Allen, associate dean for graduate programs at N.C. State's Poole College of Management.

The degree will cost $106,265 for in-state students. That will save a student more than $24,000 and a year of study, compared with getting both degrees separately.

N.C. State doesn't offer a law degree and Campbell has been expanding its law school, including by relocating the campus to downtown Raleigh in Sept. 2009.

"Law is a gateway degree, opening up many doors and careers," said Melissa Essary, dean of Campbell's law school. "If coupled with a great MBA degree, this gateway is widened considerably."

The Triangle, a perennial front-runner in popularity rankings, has won another plaudit. Forbes magazine said today we're the nation's #2 brain magnet.

That's to say, the Raleigh-Durham-Cary metro area rates highly in terms of the number of college grads we've gained in recent years, when compared to the region's population aged 25 or more.

Forbes' finding is in keeping with other surveys that rank this area highly in terms of livability, affordability and other desirable traits.

An Anchorage, Alaska middle school is getting its own wind turbine by participating in the federal Department of Energy's Wind for Schools program. Alaska is one of 11 states in the project, which is aimed at introducing wind power to rural communities, and introducing young people to the science and technology of wind turbines. Read more about it here.

UNC's Kenan-Flagler Business School announced this morning that it will begin an online MBA program next summer, following the recent news of a similar degree at N.C. State.

The Chapel Hill school is accepting applications for its first class, which will be limited to 50 students and is scheduled to start in July 2011. Tuition will be $89,000 for the two-year program and will include books, texts, student fees and lodging and food costs for four weekend immersions.

N.C. State's College of Management plans to begin taking applications in January and start its program next fall. Its 2-year program will cost $30,600 for in-state residents.

Both schools are betting on the increasing acceptance of online learning, especially among busy professionals who want a business degree. 

Are you interested in recycling and environmental education, and looking for ways to contribute in the community? Volunteer to become a Master Recycler.

How would you like to nab one of more than 190,000 jobs created in the ecotourism industry in North Carolina?

Do you know if flushing a dead fish down the toilet hurts the environment? Or how about when the first solar panel was made? If you're interested in learning or even providing the answer, you can do just that at Greenanswers.com.
 

Devices the size of TV remotes allow students to answer questions, giving instructors instant feedback on whether anyone is learning anything.

Equipped with a $200 router and a $60 monthly contract, some lucky Arizona school kids have a rolling internet cafe.