The primary purpose of "National CrossTalk" is to stimulate informed discussion and debate of higher education issues. This issue contains the following articles: (1) CUNY [City University of New York] Sheds Reputation as "Tutor U": The Nation's Largest Urban University Raises Standards, and Grapples with Remediation (Jon Marcus); (2) Scholarship Sweepstakes: National Merit Program Offers Millions in Scholarship Dollars without Regard to Financial Need (Pamela Burdman); (3) Where the Boys Aren't: For Young Males, the Drift Away from Academic Achievement Is a Trend (Robert A. Jones); (5) "Culture of Quality": Northwest Missouri State University's Corporate-Style Goal-Setting and Number Crunching (Susan C. Thomson); (6) Strategic Missive: Is the Criticism of Lawrence Summers Just Smart Marketing? (David L. Kirp); and (7) Toward Continuous Improvement: Rebuilding the Compact between Higher Education, the Public and Our Elected Officials (Larry R. Faulkner).