Media Center > Daily Higher Education News Digest

Quote of the day:
“It is not good enough to have a good mind; the main thing is to use it well.”
Rene Descartes

Relief and Confusion Mingle as State-Authorization Rules Are Delayed (Chronicle of Higher Education)
The U.S. Department of Education will delay the deadline for compliance with rules requiring colleges to be properly authorized by state governments.

Students scarred by war earn college degrees (CNN)
Rome, Georgia (CNN) - Mireille Kibibi's march to the graduation stage at Berry College was tough - laden with the burdens of war.

Should we let wunderkinds drop out of high school? (Daily Herald)
NEW YORK — It's one thing to say tech geniuses don't need degrees. After all, Bill Gates, Steve Jobs and Mark Zuckerberg all dropped out of college.

Instructor creates GPS game app for student visits to campus (Journal Gazette & Times-Courier)
MATTOON (JG-TC) — It’s no secret that when visiting the Lake Land College campus, it’s easy to get turned around.

SRC seeks alumni award nominations (McDonough County, The Voice)
CANTON -- The Spoon River College Alumni Association is seeking nominations of deserving individuals for its annual alumni awards.

Schools Add to Test Load, Just to Assess the Questions (The New York Times)
Students in New York State sweated their way through some of the toughest exams in state history this spring.

Student-founded business earns startup award (The Southern Illinoisan)
CARBONDALE - A growing business founded by three former Southern Illinois University Carbondale students and grown through assistance from the University is a winner in the Arch Grants 2013 Global Startup Competition.

'Eco Camp' nature camps bring summer fun, education (The Southern Illinoisan)
CARBONDALE, Ill. -- Hands-on learning will take on a whole new meaning in June as children immerse themselves in nature at Southern Illinois University Carbondale’s Touch of Nature Environmental Center.

Only 27 percent of college grads have a job related to their major (The Washington Post)
Here’s some interesting new data from Jaison Abel and Richard Dietz of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. The vast majority of U.S. college grads, they find, work in jobs that aren’t strictly related to their degrees:

Quote of the day:
"Wishes cost nothing unless you want them to come true."
Frank Tyger

Students have mixed feelings on proposed campus smoking ban (Bloomington Pantagraph)
NORMAL — Smokers at Illinois State University have adapted to a ban on smoking imposed earlier this year on the campus quad and certain high traffic areas.

NIU administrator, under federal investigation, returns to work (Chicago Tribune)
A Northern Illinois University vice president who has been part of a federal law enforcement

COMMENTARY - What Happens When 2 Colleges Become One (Chronicle of Higher Education)
Earlier this year, Moody's Investors Service released its annual assessment of higher education in the United States, a report that viewed the sector's short-term outlook as largely negative amid growing economic pressures. The analysts, however, applauded the efforts of a few states that were trying to merge or consolidate campuses because such efforts "foster operating efficiencies and reduce costs amid declining state support."

Universities support Madigan's pension cost shift plan (Daily Herald)
University and community college officials expressed support Thursday for a plan that would shift the cost of employee pensions their way.

COD paves new way to earn bachelor's degree (Daily Herald)
Nine students will walk across the stage today at Lewis University's commencement ceremony to receive bachelor's degrees in criminal justice. Yet, the students never took any classes at the school's campus in Romeoville. Through the so-called 3+1 program partnership between Lewis and College of DuPage, the students earned their four-year degrees from Lewis by taking all their classes at COD's campus in Glen Ellyn.

CLC would be part of test program meant to create jobs (Daily Herald)
College of Lake County and three other 2-year schools would be part of a test job-training program under a measure recently passed by the Illinois Senate.

Sen. Gillibrand Proposes Student Loan Refinance Plan (Diverse Issues in Higher Education)
NEW YORK — U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand is hoping to relieve the debt burden of millions of students who have borrowed to pay for their education especially New Yorkers, who average nearly $30,000 in student debt.

Missing the (Grade) Point (Inside Higher Ed)
A new study about grade inflation begins by quoting an 1894 report of a Harvard University committee that was distressed by grade inflation. Apparently at Harvard at the end of the 19th century, students were earning As for "work of not very high merit" and Bs "for work not far above mediocrity." Read more: http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2013/05/20/study-challenges-data-and-ideas-behind-grade-inflation-higher-education#ixzz2Tqyhl7Cy Inside Higher Ed

Less Academically Adrift? (Inside Higher Ed)
It's hard to think of a study in the last decade that has had a bigger impact on public discourse about higher education and the internal workings of colleges and universities alike than has Academically Adrift. Read more: http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2013/05/20/studies-challenge-findings-academically-adrift#ixzz2TqqQy1Lp

Smokers adapting to ban at Ill. State University (Journal Gazette & Times-Courier)
School officials and some students say a ban on smoking in high traffic areas at Illinois State University is going smoothly so far.

Shift would cost WIU about $650K (McDonough County, The Voice)
MACOMB -- A tentative agreement between the state legislature and state-supported universities and community colleges could mark the beginning of a gradual pension liability shift.

Deadbeat Illinois: Universities get fraction of what they’re due (Peoria Journal Star)
Nearly 11 months into this fiscal year, which ends June 30, Illinois’ nine public universities have received about $673.7 million — or about 65 percent — of the $1.2 billion appropriated, said Mike Dropka, spokesman for the comptroller’s office.

Augie Choice gives students international opportunities (Quad-City Times)
Graduating Augustana College senior Stormy Almanza knew she wanted to study abroad in college

Deadbeat Illinois: Universities get fraction of what they're due (Springfield State Journal-Register)
Although delayed payments from the state are to be expected these days, university officials say the predictability doesn’t make it any easier.

OPINION - Needed: A Mass Movement for College Debt Relief (The Huffington Post)
Austerity has failed in Europe, where the European Union just racked up 18 months of negative growth with no end in sight. It is failing in the United States, where this year's deficit reductions will cut the growth rate in half.

OPINION - Student Loan Debt -- It's Worse for Women (The Huffington Post)
How bad is the wage gap for women in the workplace? For college graduates, it's so bad that it begins even before women begin their careers.

Obama Urges Morehouse Graduates to ‘Keep Setting an Example’ (The New York Times)
President Obama came to Morehouse College, the alma mater of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., on Sunday to tell graduates, 50 years after Dr. King’s landmark “I Have a Dream” speech in Washington, that “laws and hearts and minds have been changed to the point where someone who looks just like you can somehow come to serve as president of these United States.”

Steve Jobs’s Widow Steps Onto Philanthropic Stage (The New York Times)
Marlene Castro knew the tall blonde woman only as Laurene, her mentor.

EDITORIAL - As college students struggle, college presidents prosper (The Plain Dealer)
As college tuition and fees soar, parents and students can't help but question the outsized salaries of public college presidents just reported in The Chronicle of Higher Education's annual survey.

Voice of The Southern: Pension reform close to reality (The Southern Illinoisan)
Our view: By focusing on broad goals, our state’s leaders can compromise and create an effective and fair pension reform program.

Commentary: Creative destruction meets higher education (The Washington Post)
I was invited to weigh in during the opening general session at the Education Technology Industry Summit in San Francisco this month, hosted by the Software & Information Industry Association. The topic: “What’s Next” in education. As a technology venture capital investor and parent of both a college student and a high school student, “What’s Next” in education is top of mind.

Quote of the day:
“Kindness is the language which the deaf can hear and the blind can see.”
Mark Twain

Madigan says universities, community colleges willing to share pension costs (Chicago Tribune)
House Speaker Michael Madigan on Thursday announced that he has struck a preliminary deal with the state's universities and community colleges that will require them to slowly pick up the cost of teacher pensions over several years even as tuition rates continue to rise.

Chicago State board stands behind embattled president (Chicago Tribune)
The Chicago State University board of trustees said this morning it supports President Wayne Watson, who earlier this year was on the verge of taking a yearlong sabbatical as the board started making plans for replacing him.

House Panel Approves Market Approach to Student-Loan Interest Rates (Chronicle of Higher Education)
With interest rates on some federal student loans set to double in just over six weeks, and members of Congress and President Obama scrambling to avert the increase, a key Congressional panel on Thursday approved legislation that it said would solve the problem for the long term.

Report Explores Diversity Gap Between College Graduates and Student Body (Chronicle of Higher Education)
The pool of college graduates who earned degrees in the 2007-8 academic year was considerably less diverse than the overall student body, and that finding presents challenges for colleges because more and more individuals seeking a higher education do not fit the prototype of a traditional student, concludes a broad analysis of student outcomes released on Thursday by the American Council on Education.

College Enrollment Fell by 2.3 Percent This Spring, Report Says (Chronicle of Higher Education)
College enrollment in the spring-2013 term dropped by 2.3 percent compared with the same term a year ago, according to a report released on Thursday by the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center.

DuPage adjunct professors get contract extension, raises (Daily Herald)
Adjunct professors at the College of DuPage are set to receive salary increases as part of a two-year contract extension approved Thursday by the college's board of trustees.

Universities support Madigan's pension cost shift plan (Herald & Review)
University and community college officials expressed support Thursday for a plan that would shift the cost of employee pensions their way.

Enrollment Decline Picks Up Speed (Inside Higher Ed)
The decline in college enrollments appears to be accelerating, with 2.3 percent fewer students enrolled on campuses this spring than there were in spring 2012, according to data published Thursday by the National Student Clearinghouse. Read more: http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2013/05/17/data-show-increasing-pace-college-enrollment-declines#ixzz2TZ4iZk00 Inside Higher Ed

So Much for Consensus (Inside Higher Ed)
WASHINGTON -- The House of Representatives Committee on Education and the Workforce approved legislation Thursday that would create a variable interest rate for student loans. Read more: http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2013/05/17/house-panel-votes-student-loan-interest-rates-transparency-study#ixzz2TZ5kCtMk Inside Higher Ed

DACC program helps combine GED with career instruction (News-Gazette)
DANVILLE — When the economy turned sour and her work as a photographer slowed, Mary Berver-Zimmerman began thinking about a new career.

State university heads agree to take on pension costs in time (Quad-City Times)
SPRINGFIELD — University and community college officials expressed support Thursday for a plan that would shift the cost of employee pensions their way.

Republicans advance bill to tie U.S. student loan rates to markets (Reuters)
Republicans in control of the House Education and the Workforce Committee voted on Thursday to advance legislation tying student loan interest rates to the financial markets, a plan they said would give borrowers a better sense of how much they must repay.

Lt. Gov. Simon promotes college scorecard measure (Springfield State Journal-Register)
Lt. Gov. Sheila Simon wants to see all colleges and universities in Illinois feature a link to the federal College Scorecard on their websites.

Illinois universities agree to slowly pick up pensions (St. Louis Post-Dispatch)
State universities and community colleges have agreed to gradually pick up their own retirement costs under a preliminary deal that emerged at a public hearing.

OPINION - College Enrollment Is Falling Faster Than We Thought (Good News!) (The Atlantic)
College enrollments ticked higher during the Great Recession and its ugly aftermath, but since 2012, what's gone up has come down. According to the National Student Clearinghouse, Spring 2013 enrollments fell 2.3 percent from last year. The drop-off has sped up since the Fall.

College Is Going Online, Whether We Like It Or Not (The Atlantic)
The United States has a problem: rapidly rising student debt. It also has a solution: online education. The primary reason for spiraling student debt is the soaring costs of a college education at a physical college. Online education strips away all of those expenses except for the cost of the professor's time and experience. It sounds perfect, an alignment of technology, social need and limited resources. So why do so many people believe that it is a deeply flawed solution?

Why Private Schools Are Dying Out (The Atlantic)
A few elite institutions at both the grade-school and college levels are doing better than ever. But their health conceals the collapse of private-sector options in the U.S.

College Is Pricey and Irrelevant. Really? (The Huffington Post)
Now that the Class of 2013 has secured their college plans, it's time for the next rite of spring -- a slew of articles popping up in May that question the cost, value, and necessity of college. This year's crop is particularly hardy, including one from a Nobel Prize winning economist, but the themes are universal.

Steve Jobs’s Widow Debuts on Philanthropic Stage (The New York Times)
Marlene Castro knew the tall blonde woman only as Laurene, her mentor.

'Eco Camp' nature camps bring summer fun, education (The Southern Illinoisan)
CARBONDALE, Ill. -- Hands-on learning will take on a whole new meaning in June as children immerse themselves in nature at Southern Illinois University Carbondale’s Touch of Nature Environmental Center.

College enrollment slides as more return to work (USA TODAY)
As economy improves, more Americans return to the workforce instead of enrolling in college.

Quote of the day:
“ A successful man is one who can lay a firm foundation with the bricks that others throw at him. ”
Sidney Greenberg

DePaul arena part of broader plan to boost Chicago tourism (Chicago Tribune)
Mayor Rahm Emanuel is expected to unveil Thursday a $173 million plan to build a 10,000-seat arena for the DePaul Blue Demons next to McCormick Place, couching it as part of a broader blueprint for boosting tourism, much of it to be publicly funded.

How Counselors Can Shape the College Plans of First-Generation Students (Chronicle of Higher Education)
High-school counselors can influence whether ninth-graders whose parents do not have bachelor’s degrees plan to attend college, suggests a report released on Thursday by the National Association for College Admission Counseling.

Helping Students Communicate Effectively (Chronicle of Higher Education)
Recently, I witnessed a Twitter conversation that pretty clearly demonstrated that the participants weren’t understanding one another very well on a key point.

Testy Battle Over Tests (Inside Higher Ed)
The GED no longer has a lock on the market for tests that serve as the equivalent of a high school degree. Three states have switched to new competitors from Educational Testing Service (ETS) and McGraw-Hill -- and many more are mulling a change. Read more: http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2013/05/16/ged-faces-competition-states-weigh-two-new-entrants#ixzz2TTKkQkjV Inside Higher Ed

Reaching Students Early (Inside Higher Ed)
College-going rates could go up significantly if students in high school received counseling as freshmen, and not just when they are juniors and seniors, a new study from the National Association for College Admission Counseling says. Read more: http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2013/05/16/nacac-study-says-counseling-can-affect-students-college-aspirations#ixzz2TTLCLrXK Inside Higher Ed

WIU to cut $4.5M from FY '14 budget (McDonough County, The Voice)
Western Illinois University will cut $4.5 million from the 2013-14 fiscal year budget, and during two public presentations held Tuesday WIU president Jack Thomas presented details to university employees.

Why American Colleges Are Becoming a Force for Inequality (The Atlantic)
We like to view higher education as the "great equalizer" that leads to social mobility. But selective colleges have long been accused of perpetuating class divides, rather than blurring them.

Student Debt Isn't Hurting the Economy the Way You Think (The Atlantic)
Last month, the Federal Reserve Bank of New York released a report that seemed to confirm the widespread suspicion that student debt had turned into a drag on the wider economy. More precisely, it argued that America's big bundle of education loans was taking a toll by preventing young adults from buying houses or cars, the twin pillars of consumer spending.

Jerry Brown wants college students to graduate faster. But how? (The Sacramento Bee)
Gov. Jerry Brown wants to get Californians through college faster, arguing that a speedier education will open up seats for others so more students can get a degree.

EDITORIAL: Making college affordable (The Washington Times)
Every parent with a college-age child worries about the spiraling cost of education. The price of a diploma can reach $150,000, even at a state school. A little cost-cutting is in order, and there’s no better place to start than at the president’s office.

Quote of the day:
“Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.”
Nelson Mandela

HCC grad boosted by scholarship worth up to $30,000 a year (Bloomington Pantagraph)
NORMAL - Mihir Patel is graduating Saturday from Heartland Community College in Normal with his eyes on the stars — and a major scholarship in his pocket.

ISU’s Peace Corps program ranked in the top 10 (Bloomington Pantagraph)
NORMAL — For the third time in less than five years, Illinois State University’s program for current and returning Peace Corps volunteers has earned a top ranking.

Education reform's next big thing: Common Core standards ramp up (Christian Science Monitor)
In an Algebra I class at Mountain View High School, a freshman girl is struggling with a new assignment: The students are working in small groups to try to find the number of different-shaped tiles needed to cover a certain size tabletop – and then how to find a pattern and extrapolate on that answer for other sizes.

Can a Mentorship Program for High-School Seniors Raise College Enrollment? (Chronicle of Higher Education)
Many programs designed to increase college access try to reach students early. And with good reason: Decisions made starting in middle school can play a large role in determining students’ college options.

Let's Bring Clarity to Undergraduate Admissions (Chronicle of Higher Education)
Talk with people who work in or around college admissions, and they'll probably tell you the system is broken, or, at the very least, badly in need of repair.

OPINION - Forgiving College Debt Won't Help Students (CNBC)
College is too expensive, graduates can't find decent jobs and pay off their loans, and students, parents and educators all share in the blame. Now, President Barack Obama's is proposing a plan that would forgive more student loan debt -- but that will only make a bad situation worse.

Students occupy college to keep tuition free (CNN)
(CNN) - For more than a century, Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art in New York provided free education to all admitted students. But the school isn’t immune to the money crunch forcing tuition increases at colleges across the country.

DeVry acquires Brazilian school Facid (Crain's Chicago Business)
(AP) — DeVry Inc. said Tuesday that it is acquiring a Brazilian education company, expanding its presence in the country as enrollments drop in the U.S. DeVry is buying privately-held Faculdade Diferencial Integral, known as Facid, for an undisclosed amount. Read more: http://www.chicagobusiness.com/article/20130514/NEWS13/130519904/devry-acquires-brazilian-school-facid#ixzz2TN9g5Fuo Stay on top of Chicago business with our free daily e-newsletters

Panel: U.S. Can’t Readily Replicate Educational Turnaround of Other Countries (Diverse Issues in Higher Education)
WASHINGTON — Education governance in the United States is too disjointed and too diffuse to achieve the kind of massive redesign needed to get the nation’s academic results on par with those in other top-performing countries.

Massive (But Not Open) (Inside Higher Ed)
The Georgia Institute of Technology plans to offer a $7,000 online master’s degree to 10,000 new students over the next three years without hiring much more than a handful of new instructors. Read more: http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2013/05/14/georgia-tech-and-udacity-roll-out-massive-new-low-cost-degree-program#ixzz2TNAagkpb Inside Higher Ed

Could Class Trump Race? (Inside Higher Ed)
College officials are anxiously awaiting a ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court on whether they may continue to consider race and ethnicity in admissions decisions. Many expect the court to limit the consideration of race, and some fear an outright ban. Read more: http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2013/05/15/study-suggests-class-based-affirmative-action-could-increase-racial-diversity#ixzz2TNB8u8gy Inside Higher Ed

Retired professor donates $3M to Eureka College (News-Gazette)
EUREKA, Ill. (AP) — A retired history professor has given Eureka College $3 million — the largest gift in the school's history.

These 2 Maps About Student Loans Explode One of the Biggest Myths About Student Loans (The Atlantic)
The media fixates on the overall size of student debt. But where you go to school, whether you graduate, and what kind of job you get later may matter much more.

OPINION - An education fix from maritime colleges (The Boston Globe)
Everyone who came to America knew that the most reliable path to financial success and status was hard work and higher education. That formula even worked for those born here. The rush to higher education started in 1947 when the GI Bill sent millions of Americans to college. In fact for years almost half of all those entering college were veterans (note: Merchant Mariners were not included in that benefit.)

Obama Student Loan Policy Reaping $51 Billion Profit (The Huffington Post)
The Obama administration is forecast to turn a record $51 billion profit this year from student loan borrowers, a sum greater than the earnings of the nation's most profitable companies and roughly equal to the combined net income of the four largest U.S. banks by assets.

OPINION - Invest in the Success of Low-Income Students (The Huffington Post)
For several years, I have watched the higher education community engage in hand-wringing over strategies for improving the educational outcomes for low- and moderate-income students. At present, low-income students remain less likely to enroll and complete college, when compared to their higher-income peers.

OPINION - The Big Profits Behind Student Loan Interest Rates (The Huffington Post)
If insanity is defined as repeatedly doing the same thing and expecting a different result, the student loan interest rate throwdown that's about to be reprised in Washington, D.C., warrants an intervention.

Student Loan Debt Tenacious As U.S. Households Shed Other Debt: Study (The Huffington Post)
Four years after the Great Recession, U.S. households are slowly repairing their balance sheets and shedding their debt -- except when it comes to student loans.

Are Community Colleges Really a Better Bet Than Harvard? (The Motley Fool)
A recent study reports that in Texas, "On average, a year after graduation, students with two-year technical degrees have first-year median earnings of more than $50,000, just over $11,000 more than graduates of bachelor's degree programs across the state."

COMMENTARY - A Team Approach to Get Students College Ready (The New York Times)
When Parker Sheffy, a first-year teacher in the Bronx Leadership Academy II, a high school in the South Bronx, talks shop with friends who are also new teachers, he often hears about the problems they are facing: students not showing up to class on time, not understanding their work, not doing homework. “I’m thinking: I don’t have that problem… I don’t have that problem…” Sheffy recalled.

COMMENTARY - Student Debt and the Crushing of the American Dream (The New York Times)
A CERTAIN drama has become familiar in the United States (and some other advanced industrialized countries): Bankers encourage people to borrow beyond their means, preying especially on those who are financially unsophisticated. They use their political influence to get favorable treatment of one form or another. Debts mount.

Back to School, but for the Degree, Not Just the Fun (The New York Times)
SCHOOL was out, and Jack Kaufmann, who teaches 8th and 9th grade Latin at the elite Hewitt School in Manhattan, was on his way to catch the train home to Westchester.

Penny-sized camera at University of Illinois offers view of how bugs see the world (The Washington Post)
URBANA, Ill. — A tiny new camera developed at an Illinois university is giving researchers a bug’s eye view.

Columbia University vows to end its ‘whites only’ scholarship (The Washington Times)
Facing mounting criticism, Columbia University has called for an end to a scholarship program established at the school decades ago that selects recipients based on skin color — Caucasians only. Read more: http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2013/may/15/columbia-university-vows-end-its-whites-only-schol/#ixzz2TNdhm2xY Follow us: @washtimes on Twitter

Earn a College Degree in Heavy Metal. Really. (TIME)
Were you the type of college student who preferred to hide in your dorm room blasting Metallica instead of studying? Did you skip class to travel to a Black Sabbath show? Or sleep through mathematics after a late night of headbanging? For some students at a UK college, watching and listening to heavy metal will be studying, because the university has just launched a degree in heavy metal music.

Quote of the day:
“The most effective way to do it, is to do it.”
Amelia Earhart

'Little Tricks' Help Disadvantaged Students Plot Career Paths (Chronicle of Higher Education)
Some students start college with such savvy parents and strong connections that landing well after graduation is all but guaranteed. For their less-advantaged classmates, translating a new degree into a solid career can be a challenge.

Lack of Financial Literacy Complicates Student-Aid Process, Report Says (Chronicle of Higher Education)
A lack of reliable and transparent data on college costs and a complicated financial-aid-application process create an information gap that makes it difficult for students to pay for their higher education, according to a new report on overhauling the federal student-aid system.

Instructure Offers Bounty for New Educational Apps (Chronicle of Higher Education)
Isolated. Too exclusive. Antisocial.

What’s at Stake With Grade Inflation? (Chronicle of Higher Education)
Truth, we’re told, is the first casualty of war. But as I hunker in my office bunker, the dull thud of history term papers landing on my desk, columns of sleep-deprived and anxiety-ridden students trudging past the door, I’m convinced that truth is also the first casualty of undergraduate paper writing. It is not only the historical truths trampled in the mangled and muddied papers written by my students.

Let's Bring Clarity to Undergraduate Admissions (Chronicle of Higher Education)
Talk with people who work in or around college admissions, and they'll probably tell you the system is broken, or, at the very least, badly in need of repair. The evidence is everywhere, and the greatest effect is on the people who have the biggest stake in it: students applying to college.

Galesburg student earns perfect ACT score (Daily Herald)
GALESBURG — A junior student at Galesburg High School has scored a perfect 36 on the ACT.

Interstate Reciprocity Plan Expected to Transform U.S. Distance Education (Diverse Issues in Higher Education)
Last month, the Commission on the Regulation of Postsecondary Distance Education, a nationally prominent group of accreditors, regulators and other higher education and state leaders, unveiled a comprehensive plan detailing how states could simplify and transform the regulation of U.S. distance education.

Experts Say Getting More Teachers of Color in Classrooms a Necessity (Diverse Issues in Higher Education)
When a group of education researchers, practitioners and activists gathered at Howard University in April to address the lack of diversity in the nation’s teacher workforce, Dr. Leslie T. Fenwick reminded her audience that such a time had already been foreshadowed.

New Indiana Law Gives Veterans More Access to College (Diverse Issues in Higher Education)
VINCENNES, Ind. — A bill signed into law last week allowing veterans greater access to a more-affordable college education will keep Vincennes University among the top schools for military and former military personnel.

Beyond Study Abroad (Inside Higher Ed)
The University of Pennsylvania is like most colleges and universities in wanting to increase the number of its students with international experiences. But while many institutions have focused on increasing their study abroad numbers -- and a select few colleges and schools have even implemented requirements that students study overseas Read more: http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2013/05/14/penn-pushes-international-internships-and-career-opportunities#ixzz2THbTZKPO Inside Higher Ed

Federal Spending That Works (Inside Higher Ed)
Most community colleges could easily put federal grant money to good use plugging up budget holes after years of slashing by states. But the U.S. Department of Labor’s $2 billion in workforce development funding for the sector was designed to encourage two-year colleges to make lasting, ambitious changes instead of just back-filling budgets. And that approach seems to be working.

Energy upgrades save LLC $112,687 (Journal Gazette & Times-Courier)
MATTOON — The Lake Land College Board of Trustees during Monday’s meeting learned that upgrades to the campus infrastructure have shown on average $112,687 in energy savings over the last four years.

WIU nursing program, public libraries recipients of 'Back to Books' grants (McDonough County, The Voice)
MACOMB -- Western Illinois University's School of Nursing, the Macomb Public Library and several local public school districts will benefit from Back to Books grants awarded by Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White.

Why are student loan rates so high? (MSN.com)
Some people scoffed at Sen. Elizabeth Warren's proposal to cut them, but it's worth debating why grads aren't benefiting the way homebuyers are.

Assembly Hall renovation, renaming now heads to trustees (News-Gazette)
The $165 million renovation of the Assembly Hall is one step closer to becoming a reality. A committee of University of Illinois trustees on Monday reviewed the administration's recommendation to approve design plans, the project budget and renaming of the iconic arena to the State Farm Center

Low costs lure U.S. college students abroad (Reuters)
(REUTERS) - Looking for a low-cost college option? Consider learning German.

How Colleges Are Selling Out the Poor to Court the Rich (The Atlantic)
A new report finds hundreds of schools are charging low-income students obscene prices, even while lavishing tuition discounts on their wealthier classmates.

Hispanic grads pass whites in college enrollment (The Hechinger Report)
Hispanic high school graduates are now more likely than whites to enroll in college, the Pew Research Hispanic Center reports. In the class of 2012, 69 percent of Hispanic graduates and 67 percent of whites enrolled in college that fall.

Half Of College Grads Work Jobs That Don't Require A Degree: Study (The Huffington Post)
A college degree might not be worth the hassle and expense, according to a new study.

Elizabeth Warren's Student Loan Petition Garners More Than 250,000 Signatures (The Huffington Post)
Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) is by no means alone in her belief that the U.S. government should give college students the big-bank treatment.

On a College Waiting List? Sending Cookies Isn’t Going to Help (The New York Times)
When Amanda Wolfbauer, a high school senior, received the admissions verdict from Hamilton College, in Clinton, N.Y., she posted on Twitter, “What does one do once they’re on a college waitlist? #frustrated #worsethanrejection.”

‘Thrilling and Maddening’ Senior Year Was an Adventure Worth Taking (The New York Times)
This Friday, I will be the third person in my entire family to graduate from high school.

Has the future of college moved online? (The New Yorker)
Gregory Nagy, a professor of classical Greek literature at Harvard, is a gentle academic of the sort who, asked about the future, will begin speaking of Homer and the battles of the distant past.

SIUE to offer dual diploma degree with Korean university (The Telegraph)
EDWARDSVILLE - Southern Illinois University Edwardsville is on the verge of signing an agreement with a South Korean university to establish a dual diploma degree program.

College Grads: Overqualified and Underprepared? (The Wall Street Journal)
College is big business. Nearly 2 million college students are set to graduate this year and enter the real world. There are many benefits to investing in a higher education, but with the cost of a degree skyrocketing and heavy debt loads weighing on graduates, a new study examines if students are receiving the most bang for their buck.

Private Colleges Sweeten Offers (The Wall Street Journal)
Private U.S. colleges, worried they could be pricing themselves out of the market after years of relentless tuition increases, are offering record financial assistance to keep classrooms full.

New College Lenders Step Up (The Wall Street Journal)
Credit unions are offering more private student loans, creating new choices for borrowers grappling with high college costs.

Elizabeth Warren: Students Should Get the Same Rate as the Bankers (TIME)
Consumer protection maven Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., introduced her first piece of legislation this week, a proposal that would allow students to take out government educational loans at the same rate that big banks pay to borrow from the federal government.

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