A 16-year-old sits in a classroom, sweat pouring from his brow. He strikes his pencil on the desk, hoping the gentle tapping will bring an epiphany as he struggles to answer complex math equations. Milton Cofield, a Carnegie Mellon business professor, is striving to make this academic experience—which too often plays out in classrooms nationwide—the exception to the norm as he works to improve academic success in his new role as vice chancellor for the New York State Board of Regents.
  —Camille Downing