Apparently Harvard University--even with its $26 billion endowment--has fallen on some tough times.  Last week, the New York Times ran a story that noted some of the tough decisions Harvard has made lately, including reduced availability of hot breakfasts and no more cookies at faculty meetings. Today comes word that Harvard has opened up bidding on naming rights.  With prices starting in the low five figures, Harvard is offering you the opportunity to name venerable parts of the institution after yourself!

So, if you've always dreamed of the Harvard Law School reading room bearing your name, and if you've got $10,000,000 laying around to pay for it, now's the time to go for it.  But if you're a little hard-up right now, check this out: The Generation Project offers naming rights on ALL your gifts to kids in low-income areas--regardless of the price.  

Don't believe us?  Check out the screenshots below from our gift creation application, replete with fake gifts from two people who have been in the news lately.  (My fellow Michigan football fans will recognize the shoelace reference, the rest of you can educate yourselves here).

 SAMPLE GIFT #1:

 I mean, he's got $1.4 million to give to charity, right?

 

SAMPLE GIFT #2: 

 

 

So, yeah. Why not login to our community section and design your own gift today?  It may not be as prestigious at a gift to Harvard, but it can be cheaper, will still bear your name, and will go directly to kids who really need it.  And, who knows?  Maybe your gift will end up making the difference in a kid's life, setting her on the path to Harvard.  

(Or Princeton, I guess, if cookie consumption by faculty is a factor in her college decision).  

Editor's Note: This is our weekly news roundup of education-related events nationwide and in our launch regions, compiled by one of our amazing interns.  Although we've previously featured this column on Fridays, we'll be moving it to Mondays for the foreseeable future, so be sure to check back at the beginning of each week!

National:
+ The uneducated America (NYT - Paul Krugman)
+ New world-wide college rankings, and why they're pointless (The Answer Sheet) **Ed. Note: While this author argues that they may be pointless, Michigan is ranked 19th Worldwide, so I'm not going to complain**
+ Study finds high rates of imprisonment among high school dropouts (New York Times)
+ Teachers, scientists, and the Dalai Lama hold a different kind of education conference (The Answer Sheet)
+ DOE to offer grants for innovative ideas (New York Times)
+ Veterans struggle to fit into college campuses (NPR)
+ Is the DOE ignoring segregation in schools? (Tapped)
+ Obama aims to boost Pell Grants by $40 million (Washington Post)
+ Arne Duncan on The Colbert Report (This Week...)
+ Is it tougher being a kid today? (The Answer Sheet)
+ No miracle, just good teaching (NPR)
+ Mississippi mandates civil rights classes in schools (Christian Science Monitor)
+ Homework: The useful and the ridiculous (The Answer Sheet)
+ A chance to teach beyond the classroom (Washington Post)
+ Why teens stay up late, and why school starts so early (The Answer Sheet)
+ Desks and chairs for Martin Middle School (This Week...)
+ What would you do with $500,000 to combat violence in schools? (This Week...)

The Generation Project's summer/fall launch tour--sponsored and hosted by Rugby Ralph Lauren--made a stop on the West Coast on September 30th at the Rugby store in San Francisco.  The event was particularly meaningful to all of us here at The Generation Project, as we were pleased to announce our intention to expand our operations to the Bay Area next year!

As had been the case at all of our previous stops, we were greeted by enthusiastic guests who enjoyed an open bar, hor d'ouvres, raffled shopping sprees from Ralph Lauren and--of course--the opportunity to design personally meaningful opportunities for students growing up in low-income areas.  Donors designed a wide array of creative gifts based around their personal passions, including:

Login to our community section to see the full list of gifts, and check out our photo gallary from the evening after the jump. For DC pictures, see our earlier blog post or head on over to the Rugby blog and check out their gallary; for NYC pictures, check out our blog post here, for Chicago, click here, and for Boston, click here.

Check back soon for a recap and highlights from our entire Rugby-sponsored launch tour, as well as details regarding an upcoming launch event in Southeast Michigan.  More...