By John F. Ebersole, Jeanne Contardo, and Lisa Daniels. When President Obama took office in 2009, he proposed the U.S. regain its leadership in higher education by increasing college degree attainment from 40 percent to 60 percent, adding an additional 10 million Americans ages 25-34 with an associate or bachelor’s degree. Using government data and third party survey results, we have evaluated the president’s progress in moving toward his “Big Goal” along four dimensions: enrollments, degrees, cost, and advocacy. Read more...

By Mike Bush. A new trade and education office – New Mexico through and through – will open next week in the heart of Mexico City, a development expected to quickly become a win-win situation for all involved.
The city of Albuquerque, University of New Mexico and the state of New Mexico announced the opening of the New Mexico Trade and Higher Education Center of Mexico City on Wednesday at the Mexican Consulate in Albuquerque. The center is expected to boost commerce and employment, increase the number of international students and foster scientific research. More...

By Lee-Anne Goodman. Bell Mobility has at least temporarily scrapped a controversial program that recruits hundreds of interns each year to work without pay at the company, one of Canada's largest and most profitable telecommunications firms.
After callers were told earlier this week that Bell was not accepting applications for its so-called Professional Management Program, the phone number associated with the initiative now goes unanswered. Its recruitment and application web page is also down. More...

By Colleen Leahey and Cameron Chisholm. When graduates are unprepared for the working world, corporate America should work with universities to help solve the problem. Should college students spend the four years after high school merging their minds with their hearts and experiences, ultimately building a self? Or should they focus on skills and talents that will let them dive headfirst into the workplace as soon as the cap and gown come off? Former Yale University English professor William Deresiewicz argued the first case in last week’s The New Republic cover story, “Don’t Send Your Kid to the Ivy League.” But in 2013, Inc. magazine surveyed the CEOs of the Inc. 5000: 76% said finding qualified talent was a major problem. More...