Access

F. King Alexander
President
California State University, Long Beach
Long Beach, Calif.
Public Affairs 562-985-4134, 5454

William Becker
Department of Economics
Indiana University
107 S. Indiana Ave.
Bloomington, IN 47405-7000
(812) 855-3577

Lutz Berkner
MPR Associates
2150 Shattuck Ave.
Berkeley, CA 94704
(510) 849-4942

National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education Copy
The National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education promotes public policies that enhance Americans' opportunities to pursue and achieve high-quality education and training beyond high school.

The Advisory Committee on Student Aid
Established in Congress in 1986, the committee serves as an independent source of advice and counsel to Congress and the Secretary of Education on student financial aid policy.

Dewayne Matthews
Senior Reserach Director
Lumina Foundation for Education
Indianapolis, IN
(317) 951-5763
dmatthews@luminafoundation.org

Brian K. Fitzgerald
Advisory Committee on Student Financial Assistance
80 F St., N.W., Suite 413
Washington, D.C. 20202-7582
(202) 219-2099

Donald E. Heller
Associate Professor and Senior Research Associate
Center for the Study of Higher Education
The Pennsylvania State University
400 Rackley Building
University Park, PA 16802
814-865-9756

Travis Reindl
Director, Improving College Access
Jobs for the Future
Boston, Mass.
(617) 728-4446
treindl@jff.org

Edward P. St. John
Professor of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies,
Indiana University
Director, Indiana Education Policy Center
Bloomington, IN
(812) 856-8366

Jane V. Wellman
Senior Associate
Institute for Higher Education Policy
Washington, D.C.
(202) 861-8223

Carol Rasco
Executive Director for Government Relations
The College Board
Washington, D.C.
(202) 822-5900

Terry Hartle
Senior Vice President and Director
Division of Government and Public Affairs
American Council on Education
Washington, D.C.
(202) 939-9355

Holly Zanville
Senior Research Officer
Lumina Foundation for Education
hzanville@luminafoundation.org
(317) 951-5337

Pathways to College
The Pathways to College Network is a national alliance of organizations and funders dedicated to focusing research-based knowledge and resources on improving college preparation, access, and success for underserved students, including low-income students, underrepresented minorities, first-generation students, and students with disabilities.
The website offers publications and resources that are useful to reporters.
Pathways to College

Priced Out: How the Wrong Financial-Aid Policies Hurt Low-Income Students

Over the past three decades, college tuition and fees have grown at four times the rate of inflation. As a result, the percentage of family income needed to pay for college has mushroomed. This is especially true for the lowest income households. The Education Trust, June 2011

Rewarding Progress, Reducing Debt

Can supplemental financial aid that is tied to academic performance help students complete their college studies? MDRC evaluated an innovative strategy: granting performance-based scholarships. And as with its program in Louisiana, an Ohio demonstration project also is showing promise. MDRC, October 2010

A Stronger Nation through Higher Education

In 2007, 37.7 percent of Americans between the ages of 25 and 64 held a two- or four-year college degree. For 2008, the most recent year for which data are available, the number is 37.9 percent.While the proportion of Americans with college degrees increased between 2007 and 2008, the level of increase is not nearly enough to reach the Lumina Foundation's Big Goal. If the rate of increase over the past eight years continues, the U.S. will reach a higher education attainment level of only 46.6 percent by 2025, and the shortfall in college graduates will be just under 23 million.

A Portrait of Low-Income Young Adults in Education
This brief, A Portrait of Low-Income Young Adults in Education, is the first of a new publication series called “Portraits” that draws from the most recent national data to describe the population of low-income young adults—between ages 18 and 26 and whose total household income is near or below the federal poverty level—and situates them in the context of national college completion goals. The Institute for Higher Education Policy, June 9, 2010

Rising to the Challenge
The American Enterprise for Public Policy Research has released a report examining Hispanic college graduation rates. AEI fins that only 51 percent of Hispanic students complete college in six years. March 18, 2010

Faculty, Governing Boards, and Institutional Governance Report
Relations between faculty members and trustees are generally healthy, although each group could benefit from more education about the other's role in governance, according to a report issued by the Association of Governing Boards of Universities and Colleges. Jan. 25, 2010, Association of Governing Boards of Universities and Colleges

Opportunity Adrift: Our Flagship Universities Are Straying From Their Public Mission
The Education Trust finds as more low-income and minority students turn to college,many top public universities are turning away from them. The Education Trust, Jan. 14, 2010

Benchmarking the Success of Latina and Latino Students in STEM to Acheive National Graduation Goals
The report identifies 25 Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSIs) in five states as potential exemplers of effective practices for increasing the number of Latina and Latino bachelor's degree holders in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). This report is the first in a series based on a study funded by the National Science Foundation. USC Rossier School of Education, Jan. 5, 2010

Bridging the Gaps to Success: Promising Practices for Promoting Transfer Among Low-Income and First Generation Students
The Pell Institute for the Study of Opportunity in Higher Education examines the programs and policies that colleges have established to help low-income and first generation college students' ability to transfer from community colleges to four-year institutions.The report highlights the work being done in Texas community colleges which has high transfer rates among institutions. Chandra Taylor Smith, Abby Miller and C. Adolfo Bermeo, The Pell Institute for the Study of Opportunity in Higher Education, Nov. 19, 2009

Basic Reading Skills and the Literacy of America’s Least Literate Adults: Results from 2003 National Assessment of Adult Literacy (NAAL) Supplemental Studies
This is a nationally representative assessment of English literacy among American adults age 16 and older. Sponsored by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), NAAL is the nation's most comprehensive measure of adult literacy since the 1992 National Adult Literacy Survey (NALS). 4/28/2009

Early College High School Initiative: Lessons from the Lone Star State
Jobs for the Future released this report which analyzes the challenges of blended high school and college programs targeted to low-income, first-generation students in the state of Texas which is considered the national leader in this initiative, with 29 programs. 3/5/2009

Measuring Up 2008 Since 2000, the Measuring Up report cards have evaluated the progress of the nation and all 50 states in providing Americans with education and training beyond high school. This year's report card underscores the escalation of tuition cost compared to the rise in family income. by National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education , 12/12/2008

Higher Education Opportunity Act of 2008 (HR 4137) It's been called one of the most important pieces of legislation to affect the higher education community in a decade. The House and Senate passed the Higher Education Opportunity Act of 2008, five years after its inception. Lawmakers believe the legislation will help make college more affordable for American families who've seen tuition sky-rocket in the millennium. The bill addresses the following: expansion of the Pell grant program for college students, require that colleges to report more information about their spending and fess and the U.S. Department of Education will have more say over the student loan industry. Read the act here. See comments from U.S Senators Ben Cardin (D-MD) and Tom Carper (D-DE) about Congress passing the legislation. Also read this Inside Higher Education story about HEA. 8/1/2008

Enchancing Affordability and Access in the Independent Higher Education
This guide examines what some private colleges and universities are doing to cut costs in order to make tuition more affordable for students today.
National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities, 12/17/2007

The Postsecondary Achievement of Participants in Dual Enrollment: An Analysis of Student Outcomes in Two States
The Community College Research Center has released a report about the positive outcomes of dual enrollment programs for high school students. Researchers tracked high school and college outcomes for dual enrollment participants in New York City and Florida.
Community College Research Center - Melinda Mechur Karp, Juan Carlos Calcagno, Katherine L. Hughes,Dong Wook Jeong & Thomas R. Bailey , 10/17/2007

Minorities in Higher Education 22nd Annual Status Report: 2007 Supplement
While students of color continue to make gains in college enrollment, they continue to lag behind their white peers in the percentage of 18- to 24-year-old high school graduates who enroll in college.
The American Council on Education - Bryan J. Cook and Diana I. Cordova, 9/19/2007

Education Pays: The Benefits of Higher Education for Individuals and Society pdf
The College Board explores the advantages of receiving an advanced degree in its 2007 annual study.
The College Board - The College Board, 9/12/2007

Second Report on Marketing Practices in the Federal Family Education Loan Program September pdf
The new report indicates some lenders provide donations and other benefits to colleges in exchange for preferential treatment regarding student loans. Senator Edward Kennedy, chairman of the U.S. Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, sponsored the report's release.
U.S. Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, 9/5/2007

College Access for the Working Poor: Overcoming Burdens to Succeed in Higher Education
The report points out the unique barriers working poor students experience and calls attention to the need for policies and practices to raise expectations, enrollment, and completion rates of the working poor.
Institute for Higher Education Policy, 7/10/2007

Southern Regional Education Board's Fact Book on Higher Education
Billed as one of the nation's most comprehensive collections of comparative data on higher education, the Fact Book has data on long-term trends and developments in higher education in 16 southern states. State-by-state summaries and quick facts are also included.
Southern Regional Education Board, 7/1/2007

Adult Learners in Higher Education: Barriers to Success and Strategies to Improve Results
This report synthesizes research on the challenges facing adult learners in higher education today and on emerging strategies for increasing the number of adults over 24 who earn college credentials and degrees. A key finding is that traditional higher education programs and policies created when the 18- to 22-year-old, dependent, full-time student was more common are not well designed for the needs of adult learners, most of whom are employees who study rather than students who work.
Jobs for the Future, 6/21/2007

Building a Culture of Evidence for Community College Student Success: Early Progress in the Achieving the Dream Initiative
In 2003, Lumina Foundation for Education launched a national initiative to help community college students, particularly those of color and from low-income families, stay in school and succeed. The number of participating community colleges has grown from 27 in five states to 82 in 15 states. This report looks at their progress.
by MDRC, 5/1/2007

Returning to Learning: Adults' Success in College is Key to America's Future pdf
More adults than ever are taking a nontraditional route, such as distance learning programs or continuing education courses, to further their education. Those same students, however, are often without help with their academics and financial aid that are "essential to their success," according to the report, which offers suggestions on how the higher education system can better serve adults.
by Lumina Foundation for Education, 4/1/2007

Tough Choices or Tough Times
A bi-partisan commission, comprised of former Cabinet secretaries, governors, college presidents and business, civic and labor leaders, is calling for a total shakeup in how America educates its people. Its findings include ending high school at 10th grade, revamping and reducing pension systems, collective bargaining at the state -- instead of local -- level.
by The New Commission on the Skills of the American Workforce , 12/15/2006

A National Dialogue: The Secretary of Education's Commission on the Future of Higher Education
Final draft of the controversial Secretary's Commission on the Future of Higher Education is released. Among its recommendations is revamping loans and grants programs, measuring the success of colleges and universities, among others.
Commission on the Future of Higher Education, 8/11/2006

Gender Equity in Higher Education 2006
The gender gap in higher education is widening among certain student populations, but is most striking among white and Hispanic traditional-age undergraduates, a new gender equity study conducted by the American Council on Education (ACE) concludes.
American Council on Education - Jacqueline E. King, 7/11/2006

How Latino Students Pay for College pdf
Financial aid plays a crucial role in whether Latino students go to college, concludes a new report from Excelencia in Education, the Institute for Higher Education Policy, and USAFunds. Although the percentage of Latino students receiving financial aid is at a record high, they still have the lowest federal aid awards of any ethnic group.
Excelencia in Education, 8/10/2005

Global Higher Education Rankings pdf
The first systematic and rigorous exploration of the affordability and accessibility of higher education within an international comparative context was released by the Educational Policy Institute. The rankings gather available, comparable data on student costs, resources, and opportunities in terms of higher education.
by Alex Usher and Amy Cervenan, 4/19/2005

Accountability for Better Results: A National Imperative for Higher Education pdf
In light of growing global competition, low graduation rates, racial achievement gaps and other problems dogging higher education in the U.S., the National Commission on Accountability released this study with recommendations designed to increase access and graduation rates in the nation's colleges and universities.
National Commission on Accountability, 3/10/2005

Measuring Up 2004
Although high school graduates are generally better prepared to succeed in college than they were a decade ago, most states, and the nation as a whole, have made little progress in translating these gains into improvements at the college level. These are among the major findings of Measuring Up 2004: The National Report Card on Higher Education.
National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education, 9/15/2004

The College Track
A three-part public television series explores America's commitment to equal access to higher education through the stories of students struggling to become the first in their families to attend college.
9/8/2004

Clashes of Money and Values: A Survey of Admissions Directors

Admissions counselors like to talk about finding the right "fit" for applicants -- a great match between a student's educational and other goals and an institution's programs. But a new survey of the senior admissions officials at colleges nationwide finds that this "fit" is, from many colleges' point of view, increasingly about money. Scott Jaschik, Inside Higher Ed, Sept. 21, 2011

Obama To Seek Changes In Pell Grants

President Barack Obama's budget plan would cut $100 billion from Pell Grants and other higher education programs over a decade through belt-tightening and use the savings to keep the maximum college financial aid award at $5,550, an administration official said. Darlene Superville, Associated Press, Feb. 13, 2011

College for All or College for Some?

A new report from Harvard University, “Pathways to Prosperity,” made a big splash in the education community last week (the report's authors will be speaking at EWA's National Seminar). It sparked an intense debate about whether we should be preparing all students for college or only some of them. The bottom line, however, is that we need to make multiple educational opportunities available to all students. Jeremy Ayers, Center for American Progress, Feb. 8, 2011

Study: Students Need More Paths to Career Success

A two-year study by the Pathways to Prosperity Project at the Harvard University Graduate School of Education notes that while much emphasis is placed in high school on going on to a four-year college, only 30 percent of young adults in the United States successfully complete a bachelor's degree. Christine Armario, Associated Press, Feb. 1, 2011

Harvard Report Questions Value of 'College for All'

By concentrating too much on classroom-based academics with four-year college as a goal, the nation’s education system has failed vast numbers of students, who instead need solid preparation for careers requiring less than a bachelor’s degree, Harvard scholars say in a report issued today. Catherine Gewertz, Education Week, Feb. 2, 2011

Access to Higher Ed Toughening in Washington State

Washington parents who dream of sending their children to college someday probably are worrying about skyrocketing tuition. But lawmakers and university officials say they should turn their focus instead to the question of whether their kids will even get into a state university. Donna Gordon Blankinship, Associated Press, Jan. 23, 2011

A Course Correction

Overbooked classes are among the academic hurdles many undergraduates face at the University of Massachusetts Amherst — a campus struggling to break into the top ranks of public universities after losing nearly a fifth of its tenured and tenure-track professors in the past two decades. Tracy Jan, Boston Globe, Dec. 19, 2010

Separate Is Not Equal; Black Colleges Sue State

Students and former officials are suing Maryland for not adequately funding the state's four historically black colleges and universities. The plaintiffs charge that the state has essentially maintained two separate systems of higher education, and has duplicated programs in order to make it easier for white students to avoid attending black universities. Larry Abramson, National Public Radio, Dec. 12, 2010

Isle Grads Ill-Prepared for College

More than a third of Hawaii public school graduates who enrolled in the University of Hawaii system following graduation last year needed remedial instruction in math or English, according to a new school-by-school report that helps paint a picture of the college- and career-readiness of the 2009 graduating class. Mary Vorsino, Honolulu Star-Advertiser, Nov. 22, 2010

College-Bound, But Not College-Ready

Eight of 10 public high school juniors in Illinois weren't considered ready for college classes in all subjects based on ACT testing last spring — and many students missed the mark even at posh suburban Chicago schools that graduate some of the state's brightest kids. Diane Rado, Tara Malone and Joe Mahr, Chicago Tribune, Nov. 12, 2010

Utah Has a Female College-Going Gender Gap

Utah women marry younger, have children sooner and have more of them than their peers in all other states. This demographic quirk is often cited as the reason women don’t attend college at the same rate as men, a growing cause of concern among higher-education leaders. Some fear if trends hold, Utah will lose its competitive edge. Brian Maffly, Salt Lake Tribune, Nov. 11, 2010

Colleges Aim to Revive the Humanities

At college campuses around the world, the humanities are hurting. Students are flocking to majors more closely linked to their career ambitions. Grant money and philanthropy are flowing to the sciences. And university presidents are worried about the future of subjects once at the heart of a liberal arts education. In response, the leaders of many prestigious universities are espousing the virtues of the humanities. Tracy Jan, Boston Globe, Nov. 8, 2010

Want Students to Perform Well? Perhaps Give Them Money for Doing Just That

As colleges search for ways to improve student outcomes, a new study shows that using financial aid more strategically could be one approach. Researchers examined a program at three Ohio community colleges that gave low-income parents scholarships based on their performance—and they saw some encouraging results. Becky Supiano, Chronicle of Higher Education, Nov. 5, 2010

To Pump Up Degree Counts, Colleges Invite Dropouts Back

One idea for improving the nation's college-completion rate sounds simple enough: Find former students who have already earned enough credits to receive a degree, or need just a few more classes to do so, and encourage them to graduate. Jennifer Gonzalez, Chronicle of Higher Education, Oct. 24, 2010

College Grads Expand Lead in Job Security

Two classmates illustrate a divide between the fortunes of Americans with college degrees and those without. It's not only that the college educated earn more, but that they are far more likely to keep their jobs when times get tough. By some measures, recession has exacerbated the divide. The unemployment rate for workers 25-and-older with a bachelor's degree or higher was 4.6% in August, for example, compared with 10.3% for those with just a high-school diploma. By Conor Dougherty, Wall Street Journal, Sept. 20, 2010

More Women than Men Earning PhDs

For the first time, more women than men in the United States received doctoral degrees last year, the culmination of decades of change in the status of women at colleges nationwide. By Daniel de Vise, Washington Post, Sept. 14, 2010

UC online degree proposal rattles academics
Taking online college courses is, to many, like eating at McDonald's: convenient, fast and filling. You may not get filet mignon, but afterward you're just as full. Now the University of California wants to jump into online education for undergraduates, hoping to become the nation's first top-tier research institution to offer a bachelor's degree over the Internet comparable in quality to its prestigious campus program. Nanette Asimov, San Francisco Chronicle, July 12, 2010

The Next Degree
Twenty-five years ago, Minnesota became the first state to pay for high-school juniors and seniors to earn college credits that also counted toward their high-school diplomas. More than 110,000 Minnesotans have earned as many as two years of college credits without paying a dime toward the tuition. The dual-credit program, called Post-Secondary Education Options or PSEO, spawned efforts across the country to engage the bored, the brainy and the alienated. But now Minnesota — struggling with a persistent achievement gap between whites and minorities — finds itself somewhat behind the newest generation of programs, which focuses on under-represented, low-income and at-risk students. First of a series. Casey Selix, MinnPost.com, June 18, 2010

Education Dept. Will Release Stricter Rules for For-Profits but Delays One on 'Gainful Employment'
After an intense lobbying effort by for-profit colleges, the Education Department announced it will postpone the release of a rule that proprietary institutions said would shutter thousands of their programs. Kelly Field and Jennifer Gonzalez, The Chronicle of Higher Education, June 16, 2010

Regents order colleges to review students' citizenship status
The State Board of Regents waded deeper into the national debate over illegal immigration Wednesday by taking several steps to make sure undocumented students aren't charged the cheaper in-state tuition reserved for Georgia residents. Laura Diamond, Atlanta Journal Constitution, June 10, 2010

New Scrutiny for College Accreditation Groups
Groups that accredit colleges and universities are facing new scrutiny after the U.S. Department of Education's inspector general urged department officials to curtail the authority of the nation's largest regional oversight group. Melissa Korn, The Wall Street Journal, June 7, 2010

US college degrees: Still the best among world's top universities?
A US college degree has been the gold standard. But global economics and a crisis of confidence may be pushing the US down in rankings among top universities. Lee Lawrence, The Christian Science Monitor, June 3, 2010

For-profit colleges leave many students in debt
When Sarah E. Gagliano enrolled in 2006 at the Art Institute of Philadelphia - a for-profit college - she dreamed of a career in fashion design. Instead, she is nearly $100,000 in debt with no degree. With enrollment soaring at for-profit colleges, more students are taking on crushing debt, but students at these colleges default at higher rates and graduate at lower rates than their peers at nonprofit and public schools. Susan Snyder, Philadelphia Inquirer, May 7, 2010

Disappearing Departments
Kean University department chairs have spent a year on the endangered species list, and now they appear headed for all-but-certain extinction. A rough plan to eliminate chairs took shape last May amid heavy protest, and administrators now have a draft proposal they say could be carried out as early as July. The plan, which would replace departments with schools headed by presidentially-appointed “executive directors,” has been met with renewed furor from faculty, who view it as a power grab that leaves the future of many disciplines uncertain. Jack Stripling, Inside Higher Ed, May 7, 2010

Why Deep Tuition Discounts May Not Spell Financial Doom
Many colleges have taken a whack at their sticker prices with heavy tuition "discounts"—knocking off big dollar amounts with institutional grants to get students in the door.Paul Fain, Chronicle of Higher Education, May 2, 2010

More debt, lower salaries await many college graduates Christian Druce Jones was fairly certain he wanted to attend North Central College in Naperville to study psychology until his mother brought the College of the Ozarks to his attention. Druce Jones realizes what many other high school and college students are learning: A bachelor’s degree, once viewed as the gateway to a comfortable middle-class lifestyle, is becoming less of a sure bet in the face of rising college costs and a postgraduation job market under siege by the Great Recession. Sean F. Driscoll, Rockford Register Star, May 3, 2010

What Adjunct Impact?
One of the more controversial topics in the debate over the use of adjuncts has been the question of whether they have a negative effect on the student educational experience. Several recent studies have suggested such an impact, angering many adjuncts. Scott Jashik, Inside Higher Ed, May 3, 2010

N.J. colleges offer tuition discounts for summer sessions to boost revenue
Saint Peter’s College wants more students to enroll in its summer session, so the Jersey City school is offering a deal: Buy one course, get the second for half-price. A growing number of colleges throughout New Jersey are offering discounts on summer instruction, vying to capture a larger share of an expanding market while at the same time boosting revenue. Brian Whitley, The Star-Ledger, April 7, 2010

College remains elusive for many Hispanic men
Luis Rivera's life is a delicate balancing act — studying at the University of Illinois at Chicago for as long as 12 hours a day, caring for his two young children and working as a research assistant at the school's College of Medicine.Serena Maria Daniels, Chicago Tribune, April 6, 2010

Bank of Mom and Dad Shuts Amid White-Collar Struggle
Many families such as the Johnsons—upper-middle-class professionals—are suddenly downwardly mobile. For years, they used rising family wealth to help foot the bill for college, down payments for houses and start-up cash for children's careers. But pay cuts, layoffs and the decadelong flatlining of the stock market mean many families can no longer help their children. Mary Pilon, The Wall Street Journal, April 5, 2010

The Death of Liberal Arts
There's no denying that the fight between the cerebral B.A. vs. the practical B.S. is heating up. For now, practicality is the frontrunner, especially as the recession continues to hack into the budgets of both students and the schools they attend. Nancy Cook, Newsweek, April 5, 2010

The Human Element
Douglas E. Hersh's close crop of auburn hair and neatly trimmed goatee are clearly visible in an expandable window on my desktop. A growing body of research has all but obliterated the notion that distance education is inherently less effective than classroom education. But Hersh believes there is another major factor driving the gap between retention rates in face-to-face programs and those in the rapidly growing world of distance education: the lack of a human touch. Steve Kolowich, Inside Higher Ed, March 28, 2010

Women's colleges in N.J. look to define same-sex education
Jessica Ringo’s grandmother went to the College of Saint Elizabeth. So did her mother and two aunts. But when Ringo decided to enroll at the private women’s college in Morris County a few years ago, her friends at Phillipsburg High School looked at her like she was crazy. An all-women’s college? In the 21st century? Really? In an era when female students outnumber men on U.S. college campuses, women’s colleges are looking for ways to redefine same-sex education for the 21st century. Kelly Heyboer, The Star-Ledger, March 28, 2010

Transfers a hot commodity for colleges
Phylicia Bongiorno knew even before her freshman year at Edinboro University that she probably would not stay around long enough to graduate. Her first choice always had been to attend a small private college, but she could not afford it right out of high school. So like a shopper wandering in a supermarket aisle, she used her time at the state school near her hometown of Erie to select courses that would easily transfer -- a music class here, an accounting class there. Bill Schackner, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, March 29, 2010

No Child Left Behind embraces 'college and career readiness'
The current buzz phrase in education is 'college and career readiness.' It's even part of Obama's vision for a revised No Child Left Behind law. But what does it mean? Is it real progress in education reform? Amanda Paulson, The Christian Science Monitor, March 24, 2010

What if a college education just isn't for everyone?
Long before President Obama vowed last year that America will "have the highest proportion of college graduates in the world" by 2020, the premium placed on going to college was firmly embedded in the American psyche. And yet, there's an undercurrent of concern about a group of students — sometimes called "the forgotten half," a phrase coined 22 years ago by social scientists studying at-risk young people - who, for whatever reason, do not think college is for them. Mary Beth Marklein, USA Today, March 16, 2010

Express Lane to a B.A.
What was a year ago an emerging idea about how to reduce college costs and better serve students has begun to take hold at colleges across the United States, as more institutions introduce three-year bachelor’s degrees. Jennifer Epstein, Inside Higher Education, March 11, 2010

College and Career Standards Catching On in States
With President Barack Obama having recently proposed to tie federal aid for disadvantaged students to states’ adoption of “college- and career-ready” standards, a new report finds that the number of states that have such standards has mushroomed since 2005, and now stands at 31. Erik W. Robelen, Education Week, (subscription maybe required), March 2, 2010

Texas colleges looking for gold in California
In the cutthroat game of university recruiting, one state's fiscal crisis is another's opportunity.While the revered University of California is getting pounded by deep state budget cuts, the University of Texas System is trumpeting its robust fiscal fitness in print advertisements, a calculated bid to lure some of the nation's top scientists and professors to Texas while the getting is good. Melissa Ludwig, San Antonio Express News, March 1, 2010

No Experience Necessary
The Tennessee General Assembly is considering a bill that would make certain state government officials eligible to become the head of any public institution or statewide system, even if they do not hold an advanced or terminal degree.David Moltz, Inside Higher Education, Feb. 26, 2010

Boston colleges lagging on faculty diversity
The lack of black and Hispanic professors, highlighted in two recent reports critical of the faculty makeup at MIT and Emerson College, is a problem shared by the most prominent universities in the Boston area, a Globe survey reveals. Tracy Jan, The Boston Globe, Feb. 16, 2010

Student Data Systems, Unite!
Step by step, an infrastructure is emerging that would make it possible for dozens of states to share data about the students in their K-12 and postsecondary education systems, creating the equivalent of a national system of data on students' educational progress. Doug Lederman, Inside Higher Education, Feb. 16, 2010

The Devoted: She spent her life transforming Trinity. So where does Pat McGuire -- and the university she rebuilt -- go from here?
Pat McGuire is more than an endearing chief executive admired by her students and staff. She is known throughout the region as the woman who saved Trinity Washington University, by rebuilding a dying Catholic women's college into a multifaceted university that has reached out to the black and Hispanic women of Washington. She is among the longest-serving college presidents in the area -- having marked her 20th anniversary last summer. And, during those two decades, she has overcome the distrust and push-back of some alumnae over a bankrupt business model to teach Washington an object lesson in the education of urban students. Daniel de Vise, The Washington Post, Feb. 14, 2010

Race and Power in Mississippi
In November 2009, Gov. Haley Barbour proposed merging Mississippi's three historically black universities, infuriating supporters of the institutions and black leaders in the state. But many weren't that surprised -- and they talked about the proposal as part of a larger pattern of the state's white establishment either ignoring or actively undercutting institutions on which black students rely. Many students, faculty and alumni of the three black universities are furious once again -- and they are surprised this time. Since November, they have organized rallies and protests against the governor's merger plan and many believed that legislators were, as a result, committed to killing it. Scott Jaschik, Inside Higher Education, Jan,29, 2010

Tuition-Free University Gains a Following
One of the higher education world's boldest experiments began in September when 180 students from nearly 50 countries around the world logged on to their computers for their first day of school at the University of the People. At first glance, the school has many of the trappings of a modern university: a provost, department heads, even an admissions committee. Yet there are glaring differences—namely, a the lack of a campus or physical classroom and just a handful of paid staff—that set it apart from its bricks-and-mortar counterparts. Alison Damast, BusinessWeek, Jan. 25, 2010

Plano East graduate had to decide: stay and help family or go to Harvard
Luis Duarte left El Salvador for the United States when he was 7 years old, enrolling in school unable to speak English. Against all odds, Luis graduated in June from Plano East Senior High School ranked ninth out of 1,338 students. He also earned a diploma from the prestigious college prep International Baccalaureate program. Harvard University, but he was hesitant about going. Katherine Leal Unmuth, The Dallas Morning News, Jan. 6, 2010

Nutter to focus on increasing college admissions
In the year ahead, Mayor Nutter's administration will open an office to help more Philadelphia residents to and through college, and seek from area universities up to 100 new scholarships for city students. Susan Snyder and Kristen A. Graham, Philadelphia Inquirer, Jan. 4, 2010

AP Impact: For-profit colleges haul in gov't aid
Students aren't the only ones benefiting from the billions of new dollars Washington is spending on college aid for the poor. An Associated Press analysis shows surging proportions of both low-income students and the recently boosted government money that follows them are ending up at for-profit schools, from local career colleges to giant publicly traded chains such as the University of Phoenix, Kaplan and Devry. Justin Pope, The Associated Press, November 30, 2009

For-Profit Universities Want Some Respect
For-profit higher-education programs are booming -- even Jack Welch has signed on. Can market-driven schools award online diplomas that graduates are proud of? Anya Kamenetz, Fast Company Magazine November 25, 2009

Mixed Outlook on Foreign Students
The data being released today through the annual "Open Doors" study by the Institute of International Education might in any other year be cause for celebration for American educators. Record numbers of international students enrolling in the United States. Record numbers of American students traveling abroad for part of their education. Scott Jaschik, Inside Higher Education, Nov. 16, 2009