Media Center > Daily Higher Education News Digest

Quote of the day:
“Kindness is the language which the deaf can hear and the blind can see.”
Mark Twain

Madigan says universities, community colleges willing to share pension costs (Chicago Tribune)
House Speaker Michael Madigan on Thursday announced that he has struck a preliminary deal with the state's universities and community colleges that will require them to slowly pick up the cost of teacher pensions over several years even as tuition rates continue to rise.

Chicago State board stands behind embattled president (Chicago Tribune)
The Chicago State University board of trustees said this morning it supports President Wayne Watson, who earlier this year was on the verge of taking a yearlong sabbatical as the board started making plans for replacing him.

House Panel Approves Market Approach to Student-Loan Interest Rates (Chronicle of Higher Education)
With interest rates on some federal student loans set to double in just over six weeks, and members of Congress and President Obama scrambling to avert the increase, a key Congressional panel on Thursday approved legislation that it said would solve the problem for the long term.

Report Explores Diversity Gap Between College Graduates and Student Body (Chronicle of Higher Education)
The pool of college graduates who earned degrees in the 2007-8 academic year was considerably less diverse than the overall student body, and that finding presents challenges for colleges because more and more individuals seeking a higher education do not fit the prototype of a traditional student, concludes a broad analysis of student outcomes released on Thursday by the American Council on Education.

College Enrollment Fell by 2.3 Percent This Spring, Report Says (Chronicle of Higher Education)
College enrollment in the spring-2013 term dropped by 2.3 percent compared with the same term a year ago, according to a report released on Thursday by the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center.

DuPage adjunct professors get contract extension, raises (Daily Herald)
Adjunct professors at the College of DuPage are set to receive salary increases as part of a two-year contract extension approved Thursday by the college's board of trustees.

Universities support Madigan's pension cost shift plan (Herald & Review)
University and community college officials expressed support Thursday for a plan that would shift the cost of employee pensions their way.

Enrollment Decline Picks Up Speed (Inside Higher Ed)
The decline in college enrollments appears to be accelerating, with 2.3 percent fewer students enrolled on campuses this spring than there were in spring 2012, according to data published Thursday by the National Student Clearinghouse. Read more: http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2013/05/17/data-show-increasing-pace-college-enrollment-declines#ixzz2TZ4iZk00 Inside Higher Ed

So Much for Consensus (Inside Higher Ed)
WASHINGTON -- The House of Representatives Committee on Education and the Workforce approved legislation Thursday that would create a variable interest rate for student loans. Read more: http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2013/05/17/house-panel-votes-student-loan-interest-rates-transparency-study#ixzz2TZ5kCtMk Inside Higher Ed

DACC program helps combine GED with career instruction (News-Gazette)
DANVILLE — When the economy turned sour and her work as a photographer slowed, Mary Berver-Zimmerman began thinking about a new career.

State university heads agree to take on pension costs in time (Quad-City Times)
SPRINGFIELD — University and community college officials expressed support Thursday for a plan that would shift the cost of employee pensions their way.

Republicans advance bill to tie U.S. student loan rates to markets (Reuters)
Republicans in control of the House Education and the Workforce Committee voted on Thursday to advance legislation tying student loan interest rates to the financial markets, a plan they said would give borrowers a better sense of how much they must repay.

Lt. Gov. Simon promotes college scorecard measure (Springfield State Journal-Register)
Lt. Gov. Sheila Simon wants to see all colleges and universities in Illinois feature a link to the federal College Scorecard on their websites.

Illinois universities agree to slowly pick up pensions (St. Louis Post-Dispatch)
State universities and community colleges have agreed to gradually pick up their own retirement costs under a preliminary deal that emerged at a public hearing.

OPINION - College Enrollment Is Falling Faster Than We Thought (Good News!) (The Atlantic)
College enrollments ticked higher during the Great Recession and its ugly aftermath, but since 2012, what's gone up has come down. According to the National Student Clearinghouse, Spring 2013 enrollments fell 2.3 percent from last year. The drop-off has sped up since the Fall.

College Is Going Online, Whether We Like It Or Not (The Atlantic)
The United States has a problem: rapidly rising student debt. It also has a solution: online education. The primary reason for spiraling student debt is the soaring costs of a college education at a physical college. Online education strips away all of those expenses except for the cost of the professor's time and experience. It sounds perfect, an alignment of technology, social need and limited resources. So why do so many people believe that it is a deeply flawed solution?

Why Private Schools Are Dying Out (The Atlantic)
A few elite institutions at both the grade-school and college levels are doing better than ever. But their health conceals the collapse of private-sector options in the U.S.

College Is Pricey and Irrelevant. Really? (The Huffington Post)
Now that the Class of 2013 has secured their college plans, it's time for the next rite of spring -- a slew of articles popping up in May that question the cost, value, and necessity of college. This year's crop is particularly hardy, including one from a Nobel Prize winning economist, but the themes are universal.

Steve Jobs’s Widow Debuts on Philanthropic Stage (The New York Times)
Marlene Castro knew the tall blonde woman only as Laurene, her mentor.

'Eco Camp' nature camps bring summer fun, education (The Southern Illinoisan)
CARBONDALE, Ill. -- Hands-on learning will take on a whole new meaning in June as children immerse themselves in nature at Southern Illinois University Carbondale’s Touch of Nature Environmental Center.

College enrollment slides as more return to work (USA TODAY)
As economy improves, more Americans return to the workforce instead of enrolling in college.

Quote of the day:
“ A successful man is one who can lay a firm foundation with the bricks that others throw at him. ”
Sidney Greenberg

DePaul arena part of broader plan to boost Chicago tourism (Chicago Tribune)
Mayor Rahm Emanuel is expected to unveil Thursday a $173 million plan to build a 10,000-seat arena for the DePaul Blue Demons next to McCormick Place, couching it as part of a broader blueprint for boosting tourism, much of it to be publicly funded.

How Counselors Can Shape the College Plans of First-Generation Students (Chronicle of Higher Education)
High-school counselors can influence whether ninth-graders whose parents do not have bachelor’s degrees plan to attend college, suggests a report released on Thursday by the National Association for College Admission Counseling.

Helping Students Communicate Effectively (Chronicle of Higher Education)
Recently, I witnessed a Twitter conversation that pretty clearly demonstrated that the participants weren’t understanding one another very well on a key point.

Testy Battle Over Tests (Inside Higher Ed)
The GED no longer has a lock on the market for tests that serve as the equivalent of a high school degree. Three states have switched to new competitors from Educational Testing Service (ETS) and McGraw-Hill -- and many more are mulling a change. Read more: http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2013/05/16/ged-faces-competition-states-weigh-two-new-entrants#ixzz2TTKkQkjV Inside Higher Ed

Reaching Students Early (Inside Higher Ed)
College-going rates could go up significantly if students in high school received counseling as freshmen, and not just when they are juniors and seniors, a new study from the National Association for College Admission Counseling says. Read more: http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2013/05/16/nacac-study-says-counseling-can-affect-students-college-aspirations#ixzz2TTLCLrXK Inside Higher Ed

WIU to cut $4.5M from FY '14 budget (McDonough County, The Voice)
Western Illinois University will cut $4.5 million from the 2013-14 fiscal year budget, and during two public presentations held Tuesday WIU president Jack Thomas presented details to university employees.

Why American Colleges Are Becoming a Force for Inequality (The Atlantic)
We like to view higher education as the "great equalizer" that leads to social mobility. But selective colleges have long been accused of perpetuating class divides, rather than blurring them.

Student Debt Isn't Hurting the Economy the Way You Think (The Atlantic)
Last month, the Federal Reserve Bank of New York released a report that seemed to confirm the widespread suspicion that student debt had turned into a drag on the wider economy. More precisely, it argued that America's big bundle of education loans was taking a toll by preventing young adults from buying houses or cars, the twin pillars of consumer spending.

Jerry Brown wants college students to graduate faster. But how? (The Sacramento Bee)
Gov. Jerry Brown wants to get Californians through college faster, arguing that a speedier education will open up seats for others so more students can get a degree.

EDITORIAL: Making college affordable (The Washington Times)
Every parent with a college-age child worries about the spiraling cost of education. The price of a diploma can reach $150,000, even at a state school. A little cost-cutting is in order, and there’s no better place to start than at the president’s office.

Quote of the day:
“Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.”
Nelson Mandela

HCC grad boosted by scholarship worth up to $30,000 a year (Bloomington Pantagraph)
NORMAL - Mihir Patel is graduating Saturday from Heartland Community College in Normal with his eyes on the stars — and a major scholarship in his pocket.

ISU’s Peace Corps program ranked in the top 10 (Bloomington Pantagraph)
NORMAL — For the third time in less than five years, Illinois State University’s program for current and returning Peace Corps volunteers has earned a top ranking.

Education reform's next big thing: Common Core standards ramp up (Christian Science Monitor)
In an Algebra I class at Mountain View High School, a freshman girl is struggling with a new assignment: The students are working in small groups to try to find the number of different-shaped tiles needed to cover a certain size tabletop – and then how to find a pattern and extrapolate on that answer for other sizes.

Can a Mentorship Program for High-School Seniors Raise College Enrollment? (Chronicle of Higher Education)
Many programs designed to increase college access try to reach students early. And with good reason: Decisions made starting in middle school can play a large role in determining students’ college options.

Let's Bring Clarity to Undergraduate Admissions (Chronicle of Higher Education)
Talk with people who work in or around college admissions, and they'll probably tell you the system is broken, or, at the very least, badly in need of repair.

OPINION - Forgiving College Debt Won't Help Students (CNBC)
College is too expensive, graduates can't find decent jobs and pay off their loans, and students, parents and educators all share in the blame. Now, President Barack Obama's is proposing a plan that would forgive more student loan debt -- but that will only make a bad situation worse.

Students occupy college to keep tuition free (CNN)
(CNN) - For more than a century, Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art in New York provided free education to all admitted students. But the school isn’t immune to the money crunch forcing tuition increases at colleges across the country.

DeVry acquires Brazilian school Facid (Crain's Chicago Business)
(AP) — DeVry Inc. said Tuesday that it is acquiring a Brazilian education company, expanding its presence in the country as enrollments drop in the U.S. DeVry is buying privately-held Faculdade Diferencial Integral, known as Facid, for an undisclosed amount. Read more: http://www.chicagobusiness.com/article/20130514/NEWS13/130519904/devry-acquires-brazilian-school-facid#ixzz2TN9g5Fuo Stay on top of Chicago business with our free daily e-newsletters

Panel: U.S. Can’t Readily Replicate Educational Turnaround of Other Countries (Diverse Issues in Higher Education)
WASHINGTON — Education governance in the United States is too disjointed and too diffuse to achieve the kind of massive redesign needed to get the nation’s academic results on par with those in other top-performing countries.

Massive (But Not Open) (Inside Higher Ed)
The Georgia Institute of Technology plans to offer a $7,000 online master’s degree to 10,000 new students over the next three years without hiring much more than a handful of new instructors. Read more: http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2013/05/14/georgia-tech-and-udacity-roll-out-massive-new-low-cost-degree-program#ixzz2TNAagkpb Inside Higher Ed

Could Class Trump Race? (Inside Higher Ed)
College officials are anxiously awaiting a ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court on whether they may continue to consider race and ethnicity in admissions decisions. Many expect the court to limit the consideration of race, and some fear an outright ban. Read more: http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2013/05/15/study-suggests-class-based-affirmative-action-could-increase-racial-diversity#ixzz2TNB8u8gy Inside Higher Ed

Retired professor donates $3M to Eureka College (News-Gazette)
EUREKA, Ill. (AP) — A retired history professor has given Eureka College $3 million — the largest gift in the school's history.

These 2 Maps About Student Loans Explode One of the Biggest Myths About Student Loans (The Atlantic)
The media fixates on the overall size of student debt. But where you go to school, whether you graduate, and what kind of job you get later may matter much more.

OPINION - An education fix from maritime colleges (The Boston Globe)
Everyone who came to America knew that the most reliable path to financial success and status was hard work and higher education. That formula even worked for those born here. The rush to higher education started in 1947 when the GI Bill sent millions of Americans to college. In fact for years almost half of all those entering college were veterans (note: Merchant Mariners were not included in that benefit.)

Obama Student Loan Policy Reaping $51 Billion Profit (The Huffington Post)
The Obama administration is forecast to turn a record $51 billion profit this year from student loan borrowers, a sum greater than the earnings of the nation's most profitable companies and roughly equal to the combined net income of the four largest U.S. banks by assets.

OPINION - Invest in the Success of Low-Income Students (The Huffington Post)
For several years, I have watched the higher education community engage in hand-wringing over strategies for improving the educational outcomes for low- and moderate-income students. At present, low-income students remain less likely to enroll and complete college, when compared to their higher-income peers.

OPINION - The Big Profits Behind Student Loan Interest Rates (The Huffington Post)
If insanity is defined as repeatedly doing the same thing and expecting a different result, the student loan interest rate throwdown that's about to be reprised in Washington, D.C., warrants an intervention.

Student Loan Debt Tenacious As U.S. Households Shed Other Debt: Study (The Huffington Post)
Four years after the Great Recession, U.S. households are slowly repairing their balance sheets and shedding their debt -- except when it comes to student loans.

Are Community Colleges Really a Better Bet Than Harvard? (The Motley Fool)
A recent study reports that in Texas, "On average, a year after graduation, students with two-year technical degrees have first-year median earnings of more than $50,000, just over $11,000 more than graduates of bachelor's degree programs across the state."

COMMENTARY - A Team Approach to Get Students College Ready (The New York Times)
When Parker Sheffy, a first-year teacher in the Bronx Leadership Academy II, a high school in the South Bronx, talks shop with friends who are also new teachers, he often hears about the problems they are facing: students not showing up to class on time, not understanding their work, not doing homework. “I’m thinking: I don’t have that problem… I don’t have that problem…” Sheffy recalled.

COMMENTARY - Student Debt and the Crushing of the American Dream (The New York Times)
A CERTAIN drama has become familiar in the United States (and some other advanced industrialized countries): Bankers encourage people to borrow beyond their means, preying especially on those who are financially unsophisticated. They use their political influence to get favorable treatment of one form or another. Debts mount.

Back to School, but for the Degree, Not Just the Fun (The New York Times)
SCHOOL was out, and Jack Kaufmann, who teaches 8th and 9th grade Latin at the elite Hewitt School in Manhattan, was on his way to catch the train home to Westchester.

Penny-sized camera at University of Illinois offers view of how bugs see the world (The Washington Post)
URBANA, Ill. — A tiny new camera developed at an Illinois university is giving researchers a bug’s eye view.

Columbia University vows to end its ‘whites only’ scholarship (The Washington Times)
Facing mounting criticism, Columbia University has called for an end to a scholarship program established at the school decades ago that selects recipients based on skin color — Caucasians only. Read more: http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2013/may/15/columbia-university-vows-end-its-whites-only-schol/#ixzz2TNdhm2xY Follow us: @washtimes on Twitter

Earn a College Degree in Heavy Metal. Really. (TIME)
Were you the type of college student who preferred to hide in your dorm room blasting Metallica instead of studying? Did you skip class to travel to a Black Sabbath show? Or sleep through mathematics after a late night of headbanging? For some students at a UK college, watching and listening to heavy metal will be studying, because the university has just launched a degree in heavy metal music.

Quote of the day:
“The most effective way to do it, is to do it.”
Amelia Earhart

'Little Tricks' Help Disadvantaged Students Plot Career Paths (Chronicle of Higher Education)
Some students start college with such savvy parents and strong connections that landing well after graduation is all but guaranteed. For their less-advantaged classmates, translating a new degree into a solid career can be a challenge.

Lack of Financial Literacy Complicates Student-Aid Process, Report Says (Chronicle of Higher Education)
A lack of reliable and transparent data on college costs and a complicated financial-aid-application process create an information gap that makes it difficult for students to pay for their higher education, according to a new report on overhauling the federal student-aid system.

Instructure Offers Bounty for New Educational Apps (Chronicle of Higher Education)
Isolated. Too exclusive. Antisocial.

What’s at Stake With Grade Inflation? (Chronicle of Higher Education)
Truth, we’re told, is the first casualty of war. But as I hunker in my office bunker, the dull thud of history term papers landing on my desk, columns of sleep-deprived and anxiety-ridden students trudging past the door, I’m convinced that truth is also the first casualty of undergraduate paper writing. It is not only the historical truths trampled in the mangled and muddied papers written by my students.

Let's Bring Clarity to Undergraduate Admissions (Chronicle of Higher Education)
Talk with people who work in or around college admissions, and they'll probably tell you the system is broken, or, at the very least, badly in need of repair. The evidence is everywhere, and the greatest effect is on the people who have the biggest stake in it: students applying to college.

Galesburg student earns perfect ACT score (Daily Herald)
GALESBURG — A junior student at Galesburg High School has scored a perfect 36 on the ACT.

Interstate Reciprocity Plan Expected to Transform U.S. Distance Education (Diverse Issues in Higher Education)
Last month, the Commission on the Regulation of Postsecondary Distance Education, a nationally prominent group of accreditors, regulators and other higher education and state leaders, unveiled a comprehensive plan detailing how states could simplify and transform the regulation of U.S. distance education.

Experts Say Getting More Teachers of Color in Classrooms a Necessity (Diverse Issues in Higher Education)
When a group of education researchers, practitioners and activists gathered at Howard University in April to address the lack of diversity in the nation’s teacher workforce, Dr. Leslie T. Fenwick reminded her audience that such a time had already been foreshadowed.

New Indiana Law Gives Veterans More Access to College (Diverse Issues in Higher Education)
VINCENNES, Ind. — A bill signed into law last week allowing veterans greater access to a more-affordable college education will keep Vincennes University among the top schools for military and former military personnel.

Beyond Study Abroad (Inside Higher Ed)
The University of Pennsylvania is like most colleges and universities in wanting to increase the number of its students with international experiences. But while many institutions have focused on increasing their study abroad numbers -- and a select few colleges and schools have even implemented requirements that students study overseas Read more: http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2013/05/14/penn-pushes-international-internships-and-career-opportunities#ixzz2THbTZKPO Inside Higher Ed

Federal Spending That Works (Inside Higher Ed)
Most community colleges could easily put federal grant money to good use plugging up budget holes after years of slashing by states. But the U.S. Department of Labor’s $2 billion in workforce development funding for the sector was designed to encourage two-year colleges to make lasting, ambitious changes instead of just back-filling budgets. And that approach seems to be working.

Energy upgrades save LLC $112,687 (Journal Gazette & Times-Courier)
MATTOON — The Lake Land College Board of Trustees during Monday’s meeting learned that upgrades to the campus infrastructure have shown on average $112,687 in energy savings over the last four years.

WIU nursing program, public libraries recipients of 'Back to Books' grants (McDonough County, The Voice)
MACOMB -- Western Illinois University's School of Nursing, the Macomb Public Library and several local public school districts will benefit from Back to Books grants awarded by Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White.

Why are student loan rates so high? (MSN.com)
Some people scoffed at Sen. Elizabeth Warren's proposal to cut them, but it's worth debating why grads aren't benefiting the way homebuyers are.

Assembly Hall renovation, renaming now heads to trustees (News-Gazette)
The $165 million renovation of the Assembly Hall is one step closer to becoming a reality. A committee of University of Illinois trustees on Monday reviewed the administration's recommendation to approve design plans, the project budget and renaming of the iconic arena to the State Farm Center

Low costs lure U.S. college students abroad (Reuters)
(REUTERS) - Looking for a low-cost college option? Consider learning German.

How Colleges Are Selling Out the Poor to Court the Rich (The Atlantic)
A new report finds hundreds of schools are charging low-income students obscene prices, even while lavishing tuition discounts on their wealthier classmates.

Hispanic grads pass whites in college enrollment (The Hechinger Report)
Hispanic high school graduates are now more likely than whites to enroll in college, the Pew Research Hispanic Center reports. In the class of 2012, 69 percent of Hispanic graduates and 67 percent of whites enrolled in college that fall.

Elizabeth Warren's Student Loan Petition Garners More Than 250,000 Signatures (The Huffington Post)
Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) is by no means alone in her belief that the U.S. government should give college students the big-bank treatment.

Half Of College Grads Work Jobs That Don't Require A Degree: Study (The Huffington Post)
A college degree might not be worth the hassle and expense, according to a new study.

On a College Waiting List? Sending Cookies Isn’t Going to Help (The New York Times)
When Amanda Wolfbauer, a high school senior, received the admissions verdict from Hamilton College, in Clinton, N.Y., she posted on Twitter, “What does one do once they’re on a college waitlist? #frustrated #worsethanrejection.”

‘Thrilling and Maddening’ Senior Year Was an Adventure Worth Taking (The New York Times)
This Friday, I will be the third person in my entire family to graduate from high school.

Has the future of college moved online? (The New Yorker)
Gregory Nagy, a professor of classical Greek literature at Harvard, is a gentle academic of the sort who, asked about the future, will begin speaking of Homer and the battles of the distant past.

SIUE to offer dual diploma degree with Korean university (The Telegraph)
EDWARDSVILLE - Southern Illinois University Edwardsville is on the verge of signing an agreement with a South Korean university to establish a dual diploma degree program.

College Grads: Overqualified and Underprepared? (The Wall Street Journal)
College is big business. Nearly 2 million college students are set to graduate this year and enter the real world. There are many benefits to investing in a higher education, but with the cost of a degree skyrocketing and heavy debt loads weighing on graduates, a new study examines if students are receiving the most bang for their buck.

Private Colleges Sweeten Offers (The Wall Street Journal)
Private U.S. colleges, worried they could be pricing themselves out of the market after years of relentless tuition increases, are offering record financial assistance to keep classrooms full.

New College Lenders Step Up (The Wall Street Journal)
Credit unions are offering more private student loans, creating new choices for borrowers grappling with high college costs.

Elizabeth Warren: Students Should Get the Same Rate as the Bankers (TIME)
Consumer protection maven Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., introduced her first piece of legislation this week, a proposal that would allow students to take out government educational loans at the same rate that big banks pay to borrow from the federal government.

Quote of the day:
To accomplish great things we must not only act, but also dream; not only plan, but also believe.
Anatole France

Army mom surprises son at ISU graduation (Bloomington Pantagraph)
NORMAL — On the eve of Mother’s Day, a lot of moms traveled great distances to see their children graduate from Illinois State University on Saturday.

Carrie Hightman is not afraid to take chances (Chicago Tribune)
Huddling with business and community leaders last month to recommend legal and financial advisers for development of Gary/Chicago International Airport, Carrie Hightman smiled as Adela Cepeda, an acquaintance from Chicago business circles, pitched her firm for one of the jobs.

After scandal, U. of I.'s former chancellor isn't teaching but still makes $212,000 (Chicago Tribune)
Richard Herman doesn't have to do much teaching as part of his $212,000 faculty job at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Science revolution heading to Illinois schools (Chicago Tribune)
Science education is undergoing a revolution that could hit Illinois classrooms as early as next school year, the Tribune has found. It's a transformation designed to bolster science achievement and better engage students, though the reforms will face challenges and resistance, educators agree.

NIU to search nationally for new police chief (Chicago Tribune)
In an effort to move beyond the troubles of this academic year, Northern Illinois University officials announced Tuesday that they are conducting a national search for a new police chief.

Student loans: Could GOP, White House strike a compromise on interest rates? (Christian Science Monitor)
It’s déjà vu time for college students who are wondering what the interest rates on their federal loans will be for the coming year. For many, there’s a good chance the rates will end up being lower, at least in the short term.

4 Public-College Presidents Pass $1-Million Mark in Pay (Chronicle of Higher Education)
Public higher education's million-dollar club just got bigger. Four public-college presidents earned more than $1-million in 2011-12, up from three a year earlier, a Chronicle analysis has found.

Report Examines Burden of Federal Student-Aid Programs' Rules on Colleges (Chronicle of Higher Education)
Numerous information-gathering requests that colleges must complete to receive federal student-aid funds can divert time and money from their mission to educate students, says a recent report from the Government Accountability Office.

Student-Loan Report Prompts Calls for Refinancing Options (Chronicle of Higher Education)
Frustrated borrowers with private student loans have often said they feel trapped in their debt, struggling with high monthly payments and few options to ease the burden. Their concerns received backing from a report released on Wednesday by a federal consumer-protection agency.

Ex-U of I President Hogan tops highest-paid list (Crain's Chicago Business)
Michael Hogan, the former president of the University of Illinois, was the highest paid leader among the state's public universities last year. Read more: http://www.chicagobusiness.com/article/20130512/NEWS13/130519973/ex-u-of-i-president-hogan-tops-highest-paid-list#ixzz2TBcxqyeF Stay on top of Chicago business with our free daily e-newsletters

Some COD part-time faculty will get health care (Daily Herald)
Though the full impact of new federal health care guidelines remains unclear, College of DuPage

ISU president’s last day is May 15 (Daily Herald)
NORMAL — Illinois State University President Al Bowman has scheduled his last day in office.

Editorial: The time for pension reform is at hand (Daily Herald)
We arrive here, in the middle of May, with momentum building for real public pension reform but still with it being anyone's guess whether anything meaningful will happen.

Perspective: Beyond Borders—STEM Education as a Global Priority (Diverse Issues in Higher Education)
In less than a month, I will be traveling to Australia as a 2012 recipient of an Australian Endeavour Award, an international scholarship sponsored by the Australian government that provides study, research and professional development opportunities between Australia and the world.

ISU chooses Timothy Flanagan as new president (Edwardsville Intelligencer)
Illinois State University has chosen a new president.

Illijnois State announced tuition increase (Herald & Review)
Tuition and fees for undergraduates entering Illinois State University this fall will be about 2 percent higher than what new students paid last year, following action by the ISU board of trustees on Friday.

NCEE: Rethink readiness (The Hechinger Report)
What Does It Really Mean to Be College and Work Ready? Community colleges expect little of first-year students — and get even less, concludes the National Center on Education and The Economy.

Report Ranks Universities by Individual Subjects (The New York Times)
QS, a British education company that produces an established international university ranking system, rated institutions based on specific majors in its latest report published last week. Prospective students can search 30 individual subjects to see how 200 top universities fare.

Student Debt Slows Growth as Young Spend Less (The New York Times)
The anemic economy has left millions of younger working Americans struggling to get ahead.

Students honored for academic achievement (The Southern Illinoisan)
CARBONDALE, Ill. -- More than 400 students will wear special medallions and cords during Southern Illinois University Carbondale commencement ceremonies this weekend that reflect significant academic achievement.

Ceremonial mace forges new graduation tradition (The Southern Illinoisan)
CARBONDALE, Ill. -- Time-honored traditions are helping to forge new paths at Southern Illinois University Carbondale. Chancellor Rita Cheng commissioned Rick Smith, professor of blacksmithing, and professor emeritus silversmith Richard Mawdsley, with the creation of a ceremonial mace for use in commencement ceremonies.

Quote of the day:
"Nothing happens quite by chance. It's a question of accretion of information and experience."
Jonas Salk

First generation college students: Often last to know (Atlanta Journal-Constitution)
A class officer ranked in the top 10 percent of the class at her California high school, Jessica Chevallier boasted a 4.o grade point average. She had everything she needed to gain admission to a top university — except $50.

SIUE tuition up 5 percent in fall; SIUC students will see 3 percent increase (Belleville News-Democrat)
CARBONDALE — Tuition at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville will go up 5 percent, with a 3 percent increase at the Carbondale campus.

Hundreds honor retiring President Bowman, learn ‘Bowmanisms’ (Bloomington Pantagraph)
NORMAL — Hundreds of people gathered Thursday afternoon at the Bone Student Center to, as Illinois State University Provost Sheri Noren Everts put it, “say farewell but not goodbye” to retiring President Al Bowman.

Flanagan chosen as new president of Illinois State University (Bloomington Pantagraph)
NORMAL – Framingham State University President Timothy Flanagan has been selected to succeed retiring Al Bowman as president of Illinois State University.

Lawmakers Propose Long-Term Solutions for Student-Loan Interest Rates (Chronicle of Higher Education)
Members of Congress introduced two bills on Thursday that propose long-term fixes to keep student-loan interest rates affordable, even as some legislators pushed to extend the current low rates.

Latino High-School Graduates Outpace Whites in College Enrollment (Chronicle of Higher Education)
Hispanic high-school graduates enrolled in college at greater rates than did their white counterparts last year, according to a new analysis of Census Bureau data by the Pew Research Hispanic Center.

Struggling Borrowers Share Experiences of Private Student Loans (Chronicle of Higher Education)
For some borrowers, private student loans can mean carrying large balances at high interest rates, dealing with unhelpful lenders, and waiting to buy a house or start a family.

Republicans to Back President Obama’s Plan (Diverse Issues in Higher Education)
WASHINGTON — House Republicans are willing to give President Barack Obama a rare win, the chairman of the Education and Workforce Committee said Thursday in outlining a deal that would let college students avoid a costly hike on their student loans.

Wisconsin Ideals (Inside Higher Ed)
About 61,853 students graduated from high school in Wisconsin in spring 2012. About 8,400 of those students applied to the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and 3,515 ended up enrolling. About 2,760 students from outside the state joined them. Read more: http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2013/05/10/uw-madison-faculty-call-student-body-be-more-socioeconomically-representatve#ixzz2SuDDF0Nj Inside Higher Ed

New Ideas on Interest Rates (Inside Higher Ed)
WASHINGTON -- With just over seven weeks remaining until the interest rates on some federal student loans are set to double, Republicans in the House of Representatives introduced legislation to avert the increase and change how student loan interest rates are determined. Read more: http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2013/05/10/student-loan-interest-rate-proposals-house-republicans-and-some-senate-democrats#ixzz2SuDhLYLP Inside Higher Ed

UI prepares to use fewer search firms (News-Gazette)
URBANA — The University of Illinois is preparing to implement a new policy that aims to cut down on the use of search firms to recruit certain employees.

Bills Would Prevent Rise in Student Loan Rates (The New York Times)
Congress now has an array of legislative options to prevent the interest rate on student loans from doubling to 6.8 percent on July 1, as scheduled.

As Latinos Make Gains in Education, Gaps Remain (The New York Times)
After lagging behind other Americans in education for generations, Latinos have significantly narrowed the gap, and last year they passed a milestone, with new Hispanic high school graduates more likely than their white counterparts to go directly to college, according to a new study.

Peace comes to SIU board (The Southern Illinoisan)
CARBONDALE — In what SIU President Glenn Poshard described as the “healthiest meeting” in a while, the university’s long-embattled board of trustees Thursday elected executive officers and enacted fee and tuition increases on both the Carbondale and Edwardsville campuses.

OPINION - Maybe college isn’t for everyone. But it’s probably for you. (The Washington Post)
Stephanie Owen’s and Isabel Sawhill’s Brookings report, “Should Everyone Go to College?” is getting a great deal of well-deserved attention. But some of the coverage misses the report’s main implication. The Wall Street Journal opened their article, “Even in a weak job market, the old college try isn’t the answer for everyone.” The LA Times’ headline was, “College is a bad financial bet for some, study says.”

We’re Doing a Lousy Job of Getting Poor Kids to College (TIME)
For low-income students in the United States, the college math is bleak: only one-third of kids from families at or below the poverty line attend college, and even fewer graduate. The Department of Education has committed to improving those numbers, but a new report casts serious doubt on the effectiveness of the government’s efforts.

Veterans Weigh Pros, Cons of Online Education (U.S. News & World Report)
Online programs can provide flexibility for veterans but may also have drawbacks.

Record rate of Hispanic students heading to college (USA TODAY)
In the span of just 12 years, the percentage of Hispanic students headed to college has exploded, for the first time surpassing that of white classmates, a new report shows.

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