A proposal to tie state funding of higher education to specific goals has the potential to encourage colleges and universities to double down on important objectives, like boosting the number of graduates.
So we support in broad terms the concept that Colorado House Speaker Mark Ferrandino is promoting in seeking to rewrite the higher education funding model. However, with less than eight weeks left in the session it's not clear there's enough time to fully vet the specifics. More...

By Charlene Crowell. Growing Student Debt Tied to Shortage of Public Support, Says Study.
As the nation’s trillion-dollar student debt continues to rise, a new analysis of public higher education’s funding finds dwindling state support is the key factor driving rising tuition costs and deepening student debt. According to Demos, a public policy organization advocating economic opportunity and inclusive democracy, over the last two decades state support for higher education funding shifted to a new paradigm. More...

New 'gainful employment' proposal targets training programs that saddle students with debt but provide few opportunities for success.
The Obama Administration announced today new steps to address growing concerns about burdensome student loan debt by requiring career colleges to do a better job of preparing students for gainful employment—or risk losing access to taxpayer-funded federal student aid.
The proposed regulations released by the U.S. Department of Education will help to strengthen students' options for higher education by giving all career training programs an opportunity to improve, while stopping the flow of federal funding to the lowest-performing ones that fail to do so. More...

Xavier Alexander Cole, who has nearly 20 years of experience shaping student life and development, is joining the Washington College staff as vice president for student affairs, according to a new release the college sent out Friday, March 14. He will manage the student affairs staff and oversee all aspects of student life, including athletics, student activities, career development, community service, drug and alcohol education, Greek life, health services, multicultural affairs, residential life and student conduct. More...

By John Finnerty. Opening an escape hatch for universities to flee the state’s higher education system is an idea that doesn’t seem to have much support outside the southeast corner of Pennsylvania.  But lawmakers and education officials say that doesn’t diminish the enrollment and financial crisis facing those schools.
A dozen of the 14 universities in the State System of Higher Education are enrolling fewer students. They are straining under two years of flat funding, which followed an 18 percent cut in state support during Gov. Tom Corbett’s first year in office, said system spokesman Kenn Marshall. More...

By Amy Zipkin. TWO and a half years ago, Kristine Rose enrolled full time at Mount Holyoke College and crammed her belongings into a 12-foot-square room.
She arrived on the campus in South Hadley, Mass., as a Frances Perkins scholar, a program established more than 30 years ago for women beyond traditional college age who sought an undergraduate degree. All bring previously earned college credit; Ms. Rose transferred in 57 of the 128 credits required for graduation. More...