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Begins with the perspective of its introduction to its first students. They learn this night that the New Community College (officials want to give it a catchier name someday, ideally that of a generous benefactor) would be unlike any they have heard of.

What they do not learn is how much will be riding on it. Unknown to them, these students have applied to be test subjects in a multimillion-dollar experiment in how to fix what ails community colleges. CUNY has designed from scratch a new structure and new curriculum that it hopes will greatly improve students’ chances of earning an associate degree and transferring to a four-year college. Experts across the country are watching closely, hopeful that the college can serve as a national model.

The experiment raises many questions, of course. The most pressing may be whether its resource-intensive approach can be carried out on a large scale at a reasonable cost. And long before a single class was to be held, faculty members and administrators battled over what was best for students.

The latest grandiose and probably unrealistic idea for establishing a world-class university is Anil Agarwal's Vedanta University, which is planned to be opened in 2008 in the state of Orissa, India. Mining magnate Agarwal has pledged an initial $1 billion for this project. International architects have been hired, the authorities in Orissa are on board, and a group of academic leaders is being hired from around the world. The idea is to create a university with 100,000 students, offering degrees in the major fields and stressing an interdisciplinary approach. While the details of the university's organization have not been revealed, it is intended to look like Harvard and Stanford. While it is always a good deed when one of the world's richest men takes an interest in higher education, it is unlikely that Vedanta University will achieve the desired results, no matter how much money Mr. Agarwal spends on it.