Ready for recovery
The latest unemployment rate for El Paso, Texas, is about 17 percent, compared to 3.8 percent in February prior to the coronavirus pandemic. It’s likely to approach and even surpass 20 percent when final figures…
Campus Issues
Funding roundup
In Connecticut, Middlesex Community College’s (MxCC’s) Magic Food Bus project has partnered with Stop & Shop’s School Food Pantry Program. To launch the new partnership, the grocery store chain donated $2,500 in gift cards to…
Higher ed groups launch Dreamers website
Fifteen higher education organizations, including the American Association of Community Colleges, have joined together to launch the Remember the Dreamers website under the leadership of the American Council on Education. The site is the latest…
Newsmakers
New CEO Willie E. Smith is now chancellor of Baton Rouge Community College (BRCC) in Louisiana after serving as interim chancellor since July 2019. Smith has worked in the Louisiana Community and Technical College System…
Washington Watch: Push to bolster higher ed funding
The American Association of Community Colleges (AACC) is working on a bipartisan effort to ensure that forthcoming stimulus legislation includes the association’s request for $47 billion in support to respond to COVID-19. The effort…
e-Headlines
State expanding food benefits for 90,000 career and technical college studentsOakland PressThe Michigan Department of Health and Human Services announced this week a change that would allow 90,000 students enrolled in career and technical education…
Tribal colleges stay strong but face challenges
Tribal colleges and universities (TCUs) are vital to the communities they serve. Campuses don’t only offer college courses, but also serve as gathering places for the community. Many – 31 out of 35 accredited TCUs…
Washington Watch: A look at ED’s final Title IX regs
The U.S. Education Department (ED) on Wednesday released its long-awaited final regulations on sexual assaults. The regulation is scheduled to take effect on August 14, but that implementation date is uncertain as the regulations are…
e-Headlines
Education Department watchdog unveils plan to oversee coronavirus reliefPoliticoAt the U.S. Education Department, the Inspector General’s office coronavirus relief oversight plan calls for audits and reviews of the department’s implementation of the CARES Act, as…
Reporter’s notebook
250,000 fewer low-income FAFSA renewalsNew reporting requirements for CARES Act fundsIllinois college launches contact tracer training programRolling out plans for the fall 250,000 fewer low-income FAFSA renewals A significant drop in federal student aid applications…