Inside Higher Ed - Common Sense on Completion (May 23, 2012) - One way to boost graduation rates is to issue degrees to students who've already earned them, which often doesn't happen with associate degrees...

Inside Higher Ed - Score One for the Robo-Tutors (May 22, 2012) - Without diminishing learning outcomes, automated teaching software can reduce the amount of time professors spend with students and could substantially reduce the cost of instruction, according to new research...

Chronicle of Higher Ed - How the Campus Crumbles: Colleges Face Challenges From Deferred Maintenance (May 20, 2012) - If there is one thing Steven C. Ender wants you to understand about the money he needs to fix up Grand Rapids Community College, it's this: "This is not about new carpet." Mr. Ender, the college's president, can tick off the $2-million in repairs needed in the applied-technology center alone...

Community College Times - At Texas college, academies put students on STEM paths(May 21, 2012) -South Texas College's (STC) dual-enrollment academies for medical science, engineering and computer science are part of its larger effort to "raise expectations with support" in the predominantly Hispanic communities along the U.S.-Mexico border...

Inside Higher Ed - Santa Monica Part II? (May 21, 2012) - The fight over two-tiered pricing at California's community colleges isn't over. Leaders at Santa Monica College in March unveiled a controversial plan to create a self-supporting private foundation to help meet student demand by offering courses at four times the cost of overbooked state-financed courses...

Community College Times - Eyeing large-scale changes to boost completion (May 21, 2012) - To understand what Completion by Design (CbD) means by "starting with scale" consider this: South Texas College plans for its CbD initiative to affect all of its 11,000 dual-enrollment students and 3,000 first-time-in-college students. These two groups of students are expected to comprise one-third of the college's total enrollment next fall...

Chronicle of Higher Ed - 'I Never Thought I'd Get to Go to College'(May 20, 2012) - Long before sunrise, Ron Shriver takes a seat at the dining-room table of his family's large, yellow farmhouse. As he pores over handwritten notes, the lighted windows behind him cast a glow into the chilly darkness of the surrounding valley. Two old dogs nap near the front door...

Inside Higher Ed - What We Don't Know About Debt (May 18, 2012) - On the new "college scorecard," a proposed federal tool intended to give a one-page picture of a college's tuition prices and financial aid policies, one factor is considered crucial -- and unavailable...

Inside Higher Ed - Play Games for Tuition: For Real? (May 18, 2012) - All those hours students spend playing on Facebook and other social gaming sites might actually be paying off - literally....

Manchester Patch - MCC Student Named International Scholar (May 23, 2012) - This summer, outstanding college students from across the United States and over 30 countries around the world will take part in unique career exploration programs in China, Australia and the United States. Manchester Community College Student Rowan Holness has been accepted to the 2012 International Scholar Laureate Program (ISLP) Delegation on Business in Australia...

Hartford Courant - Manchester Community College Student Picked As Member Of All-Connecticut Academic Team (May 17, 2012) - Jacquelin (Jackie) Jackter, was one of eleven students from Connecticut's community and junior colleges recognized as a member of the All-Connecticut Academic Team at an awards ceremony last month at the State Capitol Building. Team members are selected based on their scholarly achievements, leadership accomplishments and nominations from their college...

CT Mirror - Teacher evaluation panel moves its work behind closed doors (May 22, 2012) - After a contentious public meeting last week on developing a new teacher and principal evaluation system, the state Department of Education has closed its meetings on the topic to the public and the media...

Hartford Courant - Greater Hartford School Choice Fair Set For Wednesday (May 21, 2012) - The state has scheduled a school choice fair for Wednesday to promote several new magnet programs in Greater Hartford ahead of the latest lottery deadline...

CT Mirror - School districts paying big money for online programs (May 18, 2012) - The Connecticut General Assembly's promise last week of $39.5 million in extra funding for school districts that enact certain reforms wasn't just a cause for celebration for teachers, administrators and student...

Inside Higher Ed - Romney's Higher Ed Platform (May 24, 2012) - The presumptive presidential Republican nominee Mitt Romney pledged Wednesday that, if elected, he would reshape or do away with two major Obama administration higher education policy initiatives: the overhaul of the federal student loan program and tighter regulations on for-profit colleges...

Inside Higher Ed - College as a Service (CaaS) (May 24, 2012) - Henry Ford used to say that "they can have any color car they want as long as it is black." This is industrial age, or goods-dominant, logic at work. Unfortunately, too many policy makers are using this same kind of logic as they attempt to address funding, performance and accountability issues in higher education...

Inside Higher Ed - Grant Math (May 22, 2012) - How is it that a multimillion dollar grant offered to an underfunded community college system can make a minimal difference on the ground? The answer is in the math...

Chronicle of Higher Ed - Help Community Colleges Help Adult Students (May 20, 2102) - The economy is showing signs of life, but unemployment remains high, with millions of Americans out of work or underemployed. Many people have turned to community-college vocational programs to strengthen their skills and better prepare themselves to return to the work force. But while this pays off for many, too many others receive little return on their additional education and training....

Chronicle of Higher Ed - What Colleges Can Bring to the Table (May 20, 2012) - When it comes to encouraging the development of a healthy and sustainable food-production system in the United States, colleges are in a unique position to nourish young minds, both nutritionally and intellectually, in ways that can change things for the better...