CT Regents - Interim President's Report to the Board of Regents (December 20, 201) - Interim president Dr. Robert A. Kennedy presents "Looking Back, Moving Forward"...

UCONN Today - UConn Named One of the 30 'Best Value' Public Schools by Kiplinger's (January 5, 2012) - Kiplinger's Personal Finance magazine has announced its list of the 100 public colleges and universities that offer the best value for a top-notch education, with the University of Connecticut coming in at number 30. UConn ranked 32nd last year...

Inside Higher Ed - Who Comes First? (January 5, 2012) - A debate over priorities at California's community colleges is heating up, as the system considers putting more emphasis on first-time students who are working toward a credential or transferring to a four-year institution. The debate has deep national relevance, as the "completion agenda" may hinge on the 2.6 million students who attend the state's community colleges...

New England Journal of Higher Ed - Multiple Pathways for All Students (January 4, 2012) - Maine has been focusing on the importance of postsecondary training. As the Maine Department of Education's Pre-K-16 Task Force noted: "To guarantee a more promising future for Maine youth and to ensure economic vitality in our state, we need to dramatically increase the number of citizens with either an associate or a baccalaureate degree...

Inside Higher Ed - Veterans Only (January 4, 2012 ) - At a 2009 national conference of student affairs professionals, Michelle D. Cyrus, assistant director of the Center for Student Empowerment at Central Washington University, asked why the agenda didn't include any sessions on student veterans. Nobody could give her a good answer...

Community College Times - Credentials give prospective firefighters an edge in finding jobs (January 4, 2012) - It takes a unique person to become a firefighter. It's a dangerous career that's physically demanding and requires a huge dedication of time and persistence. Bill Deruyter, captain of the fire department at Coeur d' Alene, Idaho, described it as fast-paced, dirty and hot...

Hartford Business Journal - Final 'Reinvent CT' workshops set (January 3, 2012) - Connecticut economic development authorities are pressing registration for their four final workshops for updating businesses about various state financial and information resources aimed at promoting job development...

Community College Times - Meeting the demand for workers with social media skills(January 1, 2012) - Community colleges have long taken pride in their ability to adjust to changing workforce needs. The local plumbers union requires a new certification. No problem. Adjust. A biotechnology manufacturer seeks workers to staff its state-of-the-art research facility. Not a problem. Adjust...

Chronicle of Higher Ed - Aspen Competition Drives Innovative Ideas for Community Colleges (January 1, 2012) - When Valencia College became the first recipient of the Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence last month, an unsung sector earned uncommon recognition. Now that the speeches are over and the prize money has been awarded, the Aspen Institute is sharing early lessons from its yearlong effort to determine the top community college in the country. In a way, that is the real goal of the group's effort...

Wall Street Journal - Time to get started on college financial aid (January 4, 2012) - Financial aid may be tougher to get this year - at a time when college costs are rising and some families need aid more than ever...

Newington Life - College assignment evolves into a new enterprise (December 29, 2011) - In March, Nathalie Inho was given an assignment in her marketing class at Manchester Community College to design and market a new product. Six months later, she's opened a new business that is ready to sell the Krutch Kaddy...

Journal Inquirer - Trio's goal to share love of art (December 29, 2011) - After several months of renovations to their new gallery and many more hours at their easels, three local artists have officially opened their doors...The three women met several years ago while taking art classes at Manchester Community College, and previously rented workspace in a building on Hartford Road...

CT Mirror - Heading into tumultuous education reform year, 'Common ground' on education reform highlighted (January 3, 2012) - Teachers unions and education officials will soon begin butting heads as the Malloy administration tries to reform teacher tenure and other laws the unions have worked hard to protect...

CT News Junkie - Teachers Union Takes On Tenure (January 3, 2012) - The state's largest teachers union didn't shy away from overhauling the tenure system and teacher evaluation process Tuesday when it released its reform plan at a Capitol press conference...

CT Mirror - As expected, graduation rates drop drastically (December 30, 2011) - Two reports released Thursday give disappointing figures in two key categories in Connecticut education: the number of students dropping out of high school, and the number of high school graduates who go on to college...

Hartford Business - Lembo: State health costs could put budget surplus at risk (January 3, 2012) Comptroller Kevin Lembo said Tuesday the state's latest year end surplus projection for fiscal 2012 is $83.7 million, but he warned that number carries several risk factors including higher than expected health care costs...

Inside Higher Ed - Writing in the Office (January 4, 2012) - I'm working on the executive summary for an annual report on a major grant. Much of the report involves importing budget numbers from wherever, and I have help with that, but the summary part is my own...

Inside Higher Ed - The Uses of January (January 3, 2012) - I'm wondering if there are other productive ways of using January. Like many, my college doesn't start the Spring semester until after Martin Luther King day. (This year, it's actually the week after that.) And the Fall semester ends before Christmas...

Chronicle of Higher Ed - Stop Letting High-School Courses Count for College Credit (January 1, 2012) - It has been 25 years since I ended administrative service to return to the joys of full-time teaching and research in a science department at a major research university. One of the assets I brought back to my department was a thorough familiarity and appreciation of the teaching and research done by colleagues in the humanities and social sciences...