Hartford Courant - Manchester Community College Graduates Largest Class Ever (June 1, 2012) - Manchester Community College graduated its largest class ever on Thursday. At the 48th annual commencement, the college conferred degrees on 809 graduates, 61 of whom received multiple degrees and certificates, according to a news release. The youngest graduate was 16; the oldest was 70...

Inside Higher Ed - One-Stop Shop (June 7, 2012) - The GED will soon attempt to measure college readiness as well as being the learning equivalent of a high-school diploma, thanks to an upgrade the GED Testing Service hopes will make it a substitute for the ACCUPLACER, a popular placement test used by community colleges...

Inside Higher Ed - Not Just Degrees (June 6, 2012) -The certificate is the odd man out in the debate over college completion. But the rarely discussed and little-understood certificate is the fastest-growing form of college credential, and a key component of work force development and the "completion agenda...

Community College Times - Report examines value of certificates (June 6, 2012) - Certificates pay off, according to a new report from the Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce (CEW). People with certificates earn, on average, 20 percent more than workers with only high school diplomas. They also can out-earn workers with two-year and four-year degrees...

Magna Publications - The Registrar's Role in Retention and Student Success (June 4, 2012) - Perhaps because I began my higher education career in a registrar's office, I have a great respect for the work of that office and its impact on retention and student success plans. A first-semester freshman's course schedule can contribute to a smooth transition to college, or it can present logistical and time management problems for the new student...

New England Journal of Higher Ed - Higher Education Needs a Dialogue with the 99%(June 4, 2012) - Higher education is at a crossroads, not only in the U.S. but also globally. This challenge is prompting an immigrant union, on the centennial anniversary of the "Bread and Roses" strike at Lawrence Mills, to once again take up the labor movement's historic role of speaking for the common good and the broad interests of working people...

Chronicle of Higher Ed - Online Classes See Cheating Go High-Tech (June 3, 2012) - Easy A's may be even easier to score these days, with the growing popularity of online courses. Tech-savvy students are finding ways to cheat that let them ace online courses with minimal effort, in ways that are difficult to detect...

Associated Press - Obama highlighting student loan repayment option (June 6, 2012) - President Barack Obama is taking steps to help thousands of Americans better manage their federal student loan debt. Details of Obama's plan were announced by the White House on Wednesday and include streamlining the application process for those who want to enroll in income-based repayment plans, which set a cap on loan payments based on discretionary income...

Chronicle of Higher Ed - Education Dept. to Ease Applications for Income-Based Loan Repayment (June 6, 2012) - Student-loan borrowers applying to the federal government's Income-Based Repayment program will soon be able to provide their tax information with the click of a button, the Obama administration announced on Wednesday...

Hartford Courant - Artist's Corner (June 3, 3012) - Justin C. Comolli grew up in Manchester. He had a pencil and paper in hand before he could walk. Always doodling, he took some studio art courses while attending Manchester Community College...

CT Mirror - Cash flow report sparks fears state may need to borrow to pay bills on time (June 6, 2012) - A new report showing state government continues to tap into its capital project accounts to pay its operating bills sparked bipartisan fears Wednesday that Connecticut may need a loan later this year to keep its finances running smoothly...

New York Times - Fight Reignited Over Student Loan Rates (May 31, 2012) - With the Senate in recess and the House just back in action after its week off, the fight over how to deal with an impending increase in some student loan rates was reignited Thursday when Congressional Republicans sent a letter to the White House offering some suggestions on how to pay for an extended lower loan rate...

Inside Higher Ed - A No-Cost Interest Rate Fix (June 7, 2012) - A no-cost solution to the impasse on extending the 3.4 percent interest rate on some federal student loans is hiding in plain sight...

CT Mirror - State school board: Must we define chronic absenteeism? (June 6, 2012) - Facing a July 1 deadline to create a statewide standard of when a student's absences from school can be considered "excused," and when districts will be required to step in and do something about habitual absenteeism, State Board of Education members are questioning why it's necessary...

Inside Higher Ed - What Should a Year of College Cost? (June 5, 2012) - What should a year of college cost? We answer this question every single year, construing "should" in the narrow sense of "next year." But after several years of awful hand-wringing over annual increases caused primarily by the collapse of state support, we're starting to try to get a longer-term handle on it...