Community colleges are under increasing pressure today from a number of directions. Student demand is at an all-time high, fueled by demographics, student and employer need for new and increased skills; structural changes in labor markets have pushed the under- or unemployed to community colleges to acquire new job skills; and students who would…

Describes selection of the first recipients of Gates Millennium Scholarships and examines philanthropy's role in overall spending on higher education and student aid. Asserts that while private efforts are important for the individual students they help, they have a negligible impact on access to higher education and cannot be counted on to…

Student borrowing for higher education has increased dramatically, and some students begin their adult lives with considerable debt. Financial burden measures should be incorporated into student loan repayment requirements and used to adjust either monthly or annual repayments or the period of repayment. Reducing debt burden would help make…