DeVos says free college amounts to a ‘socialist takeover’
Associated Press
In a veiled swing at President-elect Joe Biden’s education plans, Education Secretary Betsy DeVos on Tuesday blasted the push for free college as a “socialist takeover of higher education” that could damage the nation’s economy.
Reinventing workers for the post-Covid economy
New York Times
Austin Urick, 31, went back to school last year after he lost his job selling equipment for the oil and gas industry. He enrolled at San Jacinto College near Houston to learn instrumentation and electrical systems and expects to graduate this month.
Texas enrollment and FAFSA applications down, as education leaders worry pandemic is disrupting college plans
Texas Tribune
According to the National College Attainment Network’s FAFSA tracker, just 24% of Texas seniors have filled out the vital Free Application for Federal Student Aid as of November 20, a 14.6% decline compared to the same time last year.
How one Ohio college bucked the enrollment trend as other colleges weathered steep declines
Dayton Business Journal
Edison State Community College saw its credit-hour enrollment increase by 12% this year. Headcount enrollment swelled by 7.5%. That growth, President Doreen Larson said, stems largely from a campus-wide course overhaul that began four years ago.
In Oregon, community college enrollment dives in pandemic
Jefferson Public Radio
Clackamas Community College took a double hit from the pandemic and the September wildfires, which closed it for a time, according to President Tim Cook.
Enrollment plummets at Maricopa Community College for fall semester
Arizona Republic
Heading into the spring, a few community colleges in the Maricopa district appear to be on track to increase enrollment, including GateWay Community College, Scottsdale Community College and Rio Salado College.
Manufacturers’ optimism lower, fear of recession higher
Mankato Free Press
“The most important near-term and long-term thing the state can do is give support to high schools and technical colleges that are learning industry needs and giving high school students information about these good-paying jobs,” says Tim Penny, president and CEO of Southern Minnesota Initiative Foundation and a former congressman.
