The Kept-Up Academic Librarian

Vermont Establishes Program To Increase College Enrollment

At 15, Terri-Ann Zweeres is getting a glimpse of what it takes to go to college. While other teens are in study hall, she and about 14 other Bellows Free Academy High School students take a class every three days at Community College of Vermont called introduction to college studies that’s intended to prepare them to go on to higher education. It’s one of a number of strategies in Vermont to get more students to pursue higher education or training after high school. While students here do well academically compared with other states and the state’s high school graduation rate is the second highest in the country, its rate of those who go onto postsecondary education right out of high school is among the lowest at about 44 percent. Read more at:
http://articles.boston.com/2012-02-19/news/31077773_1_higher-education-national-student-clearinghouse-vermont-department

President Obama Will Roll Out His Plan To Curb College Tuition

President Obama is expected to use his budget unveiling today to flesh out his threat last month to curb runaway college tuition increases - potentially by withholding federal student aid from those colleges that fail to keep prices down. While Obama sought to allay parental concerns by announcing additional billions in financial aid to be distributed to schools that best hold down costs and graduate the neediest students, the president has set off alarms among higher-education officials sensitive to any proposals that resemble price controls. Read more at:
http://articles.boston.com/2012-02-13/news/31056051_1_student-loan-debt-neediest-students-tuition

Will Delaware Finally Have To Cut Higher Education Funding

Higher education leaders in Delaware have tried to decipher what the changes might mean here. Based on the details available, some aspects of what Obama proposes would not favor Delaware colleges and universities, many of which have costs exceeding the national average in their category. But at the same time, Delaware has also resisted cuts to funding of higher education the last two years, something only a handful of states can claim. In Gov. Jack Markell's recommended budget, UD, DSU and Delaware Tech all received modest increases in funding a year after funding remained flat. Read more at:
http://www.delmarvanow.com/article/20120208/DCP08/202080336

Legislators' Vested Interests In Florida's IHE Will Make Restructuring A Challenge

Amid a clamor to overhaul a state university system lawmakers say isn’t cutting it, Sen. John Thrasher wants to ban lawmakers from holding jobs with public colleges and universities they fund. Given past scandal, Thrasher said it’s best to eliminate the “conflict of interest.” But deeply vested interests, at universities and in the House and Senate, are among the most formidable walls to significant overhauls. Read more at:
http://www.miamiherald.com/2012/01/29/2614995/lawmakers-face-big-hurdles-in.html

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Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/2012/01/29/2614995/lawmakers-face-big-hurdles-in.html#storylink=cpy

 

Students Paying Too Much Because Utah's Public IHEs Are Underfunded

Utah has a long way to go to fund public colleges and universities at levels needed to meet degree-attainment goals embraced by state leaders, according to a new study. The study, commissioned by the State Board of Regents, found Utah schools generally receive less state funding than similar schools elsewhere. That means students bear much more of the financial burden for their education than their peers in other states. The National Center for Higher Education Management Systems (NCHEMS) conducted the study as part of Utah’s shift to a mission-based funding model. Read more at:
http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/home2/53240973-183/state-funding-utah-schools.html.csp

Legislator Suggests A Tax Break For Middle-Class College Students

As tuition steadily climbs at California's public universities, low-income students turn to financial aid for help. But middle-class students, who do not qualify for financial aid, often have nowhere to turn and simply don't enroll. A state lawmaker is hoping that a tax break of up to $500 per year for each student from a family earning $80,001 to $140,000 would help. It's not yet clear how much Beall's tax credit would cost the state. Read more at: 
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2012/01/08/BALP1MLEGQ.DTL#ixzz1j4ejEras

U.S. Government Asks Science Journals Not To Publish Dangerous Information

For the first time ever, a government advisory board is asking scientific journals not to publish details of certain biomedical experiments, for fear that the information could be used by terrorists to create deadly viruses and touch off epidemics. The panel cannot force the journals to censor their articles, but the editor of Science, Bruce Alberts, said the journal was taking the recommendations seriously and would probably withhold some information — but only if the government creates a system to provide the missing information to legitimate scientists worldwide who need it. Read more at:
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/21/health/fearing-terrorism-us-asks-journals-to-censor-articles-on-virus.html?hp

For-Profits' Lobbying Pays Off With Diluted Regulations

 Last year, the Obama administration vowed to stop for-profit colleges from luring students with false promises. In an opening volley that shook the $30 billion industry, officials proposed new restrictions to cut off the huge flow of federal aid to unfit programs. But after a ferocious response that administration officials called one of the most intense they had seen, the Education Departmentproduced a much-weakened final plan that almost certainly will have far less impact as it goes into effect next year. Read more at:
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/10/us/politics/for-profit-college-rules-scaled-back-after-lobbying.html?_r=1&partner=rss&emc=rss

IRS Plans To increase Its Review Of College And University Revenue

Not-for-profit universities are exempt from paying taxes on tuition or other money that relates directly to their educational mission. But the government has long required them to pay up on a class of revenue known as “unrelated business income.”  Although the regulation has been in place since 1950, the IRS has stepped up enforcement only recently. According to public tax filings and IRS correspondence obtained by Bloomberg News, more than 30 universities are coming under increased scrutiny.  Read more at:
http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/the-irs-takes-a-closer-look-at-colleges-11172011.html

Obama Administration Makes Policy Change To Increase Diversity In Higher Ed

The Obama administration on Friday urged colleges and universities to get creative in improving racial diversity at their campuses, throwing out a Bush-era interpretation of recent Supreme Court rulings that limited affirmative action in admissions. “Post-secondary institutions can voluntarily consider race to further the compelling interest of achieving diversity,” reads the 10-page guide sent to thousands of college admissions officials on Friday afternoon. In some cases, it says, “race can be outcome determinative.” Read more at:
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/03/education/us-urges-campus-creativity-to-gain-diversity.html?_r=1&nl=todaysheadlines&emc=tha2