What it takes to be great

The final report by the State Commission on Higher Education isn't due out until June, but it's no coincidence the preliminary recommendations are out now.

   Watch for some of the commission's recommendations to come up in the coming weeks, as Gov. Eliot L. Spitzer gives his state of the state address and rolls out his budget for next year.

   Spitzer -- who is facing a $4.3 billion state deficit next year -- said he wants to invest in the New York's higher education system, and not just to raise its profile among the nation's elite.

   Where there are great universities, Spitzer said, the jobs have migrated.

   It will be interesting to see if state legislators will agree.

-- Jay Rey