Even as the recession eases, we are confronted by two realities: state budgets that are deeply in the red and a rising demand for higher education. The President says we need more success in higher education to stay economically viable. and learners are voting with their feet, returning to school in record numbers.  If, however, our objective is to open higher education to more qualified and capable people, and to succeed with them, what is the actual impact of the recession and state budget deficits on most students and colleges? continue reading

A co-worker recently shared with me this YouTube video:

Maybe you’ve already seen this clip (more than 3.8 million folks have viewed it … I admit to being a bit behind the times, technologically speaking). If you haven’t, then I encourage you to check it out. continue reading

I am officially depressed about the economy. What finally did me in was this triple whammy of bad news:

• The Dow Jones industrial average fell below 7,000 for the first time since 1997.
• The unemployment rate rose to 8.1%, the highest since 1983.
• Even Warren Buffett had a bad year, with Berkshire Hathaway’s net worth declining by $11.5 billion in 2008. (Here’s the link for Mr. Buffett’s always entertaining annual shareholders letter. I particularly like the way he summed up last year: “By yearend, investors of all stripes were bloodied and confused, much as if they were small birds that had strayed into a badminton game.” Quite the visual, huh?) **

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