Chillin? American College & University Presidents’ Climate Commitment to Mark Fifth Anniversary

The American College & University Presidents’ Climate Commitment (ACUPCC) will hold its fifth annual Climate Leadership Summit at American University in Washington, D.C., from Thursday, June 21 at 4 p.m. to Friday, June 22 at 4 p.m.In 2006, 12 college and university presidents agreed to become founding members of the ACUPCC. Today, nearly 700 institutions are actively engaged in creating...

DC Shuttle: Congress Begins Examining Obama Ed Proposals

U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan testified in support of the administration's recent proposed higher education reforms at a Tuesday hearing of the House Appropriations Committee's subcommittee with jurisdiction over education. Subcommittee Chair Denny Rehberg (R-MT) and Ranking Member Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) both criticized the administration for proposing level-funding for major formula grants wh...

Among Comings and Goings: Former UConn Chief Resigns after Short Stay with Illini; UVM Lands New Prez from Minnesota

Former University of Connecticut President Michael Hogan resigned as president of the University of Illinois less than two years after he was hired to repair damage done by an admissions scandal. He will be succeeded by longtime university administrator Robert Easter, who reportedly agreed to do the job for two years.****University of Vermont trustees selected E. Thomas Sullivan, currently senio...

DC Shuttle: Tuition Rose in 2011 to Make Up for Cuts in State Support; New Tools for College Readiness, Aid

State and local spending on higher education fell to an average of $6,290 per full-time student in 2011—its lowest level in 25 years, according to a study released by the State Higher Education Executive Officers Association (SHEEO). Total funding for higher education from state and local sources fell by $1.3 billion between FY2008 at the beginning of the recession and FY2011. During tha...

Warming up to a Tuition Freeze

The Federal Reserve Bank of Boston, in its recently released fourth quarter 2011 New England Community Survey, cited an emerging concern facing low- and moderate-income communities: the escalating cost of higher education.The New England region has the highest average tuition and fee rates for 2011-12 across institutional sectors, according to the College Board's most recent report on Trends in C...

Gov. Malloy, Sen. Kerry, Victoria Reggie Kennedy Among Newly Announced NE Commencement Speakers

American writer, commentator and bioethicist Ruth Levy Guyer will keynote Southern Vermont College's 85th commencement on Saturday, May 12. Working as a consultant for the President's Commission for the Study of Bioethical Issues, Guyer is developing a guide for the commission's recent report on unethical experiments conducted by U.S. Public Health Service researchers in Guatemala after World War ...

DC Shuttle: Fed Watchdog Now Accepting Complaints on Private Loans

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) announced March 5 that it will now accept complaints from borrowers about problems with their private student loans. These problems could include difficulty with taking out a loan, repaying an existing loan or handling a loan which has gone into default. Under the Dodd-Frank financial reform law, the CFPB has the authority to oversee private, non-ban...

DC Shuttle: Credit Hours and Online Programs

On Tuesday, the House voted 303 to 114 to pass legislation (H.R. 2117) repealing two recent Education Department regulations, with 69 Democrats voting for the bill. As part of its program integrity proposal, the Education Department included a definition of a credit hour for the purposes of distributing federal student financial aid. The bill would rescind that definition and prevent the departmen...

Among Spring Events: Goddard Explores Occupy; Kuttner to Speak at USM; New England Ed Opportunity Assn. to Meet in Stowe, Vt.

 Playing up its activist roots, Goddard College announced it will host a conference to explore the role of higher education in the Occupy Wall Street (OWS) movement. The conference will take place on Saturday, March 10, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Haybarn Theatre on Goddard's  Plainfield, Vt. campus.****Robert Kuttner, co-editor of The American Prospect (which he co-founded wi...

Addressee Unknown: One in Three College Students Transfer Within Five Years

One-third of all students who began their postsecondary education in 2006 transferred (before earning a degree or certificate) to a different institution within a five-year period, according to a new report from the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center.The report reveals that the majority of transfers occurred in students' second year, regardless of the direction of transfer (vertical, ...