The primary purpose of "National CrossTalk" is to stimulate informed discussion and debate of higher education issues. This issue contains the following articles: (1) A Legacy to Overcome: The University of Georgia Hopes to Become a More Desirable Destination for Black Students (Don Campbell); (2) Oklahoma's Brain Gain: A Comprehensive Drive to Increase the Percentage of State Residents with College Degrees (Pamela Burdman); (3) Battling the Past: Michigan's Governor Emphasizes Education to Move the State beyond Its Industrial Roots (Carl Irving); (4) Math Emporium: The Use of Technology Has Changed the Way Virginia Tech's Introductory Math Classes Are Taught (Kay Mills); (5) Is Reading Dead? University-Affiliated Literary Journals Struggle to Maintain Funding as They Compete for a Shrinking Audience (Robert A. Jones); (6) Corporate Welfare in Disguise: The Student Loan Industry Is Raking in the Profits (Robert Shireman); and (7) Stanford of the Northwest: Could Bill Gates University Become the Symbol of a New Gilded Age? (David L. Kirp).