MATC Matters

Here’s a sample of what’s news on MATC’s Environmental Scan blog this week:

32 Percent of Network Security Failures in 2007 Happened in Education Sector
According to the non‑profit Identity Theft Resource Center (ITRC), one‑third of all network security breaches reported in 2007 have happened at educational institutions, leaving over 900,000 individual records vulnerable to unauthorized personnel.

Culinary Students Crushed by Student Loan Debt
For culinary graduates, few jobs pay enough for them to retire their student loans. Consequently, as many as 11 percent of graduates at some culinary schools are defaulting on federal student loans, (nearly double the national average), and the collusion between schools and private lenders is exacerbating the problem.

Analyst says University of Minnesota Losing $7.5 Million Per Year On Reciprocity Deal
An analyst for the University of Minnesota recommended that the Board of Regents vote against renewing the long‑standing reciprocity agreement with Wisconsin, saying that the University loses $7.5 million annually from the deal. The Board will make their decision June 27. They are also expected to vote on proposals to reduce tuition for Californians and Texans, hoping that it will encourage them to remain in Minnesota after graduation.

Users Discuss the State of Computer Science in Academia
Last week, Associated Press reported on how colleges like Georgia Tech are reinventing their curriculums to counter falling enrollments in Computer Science. The story then made the front page at Digg.com, where over 300 comments were made about the story, most written by CS students and grads. The comments reflect growing unease about not just the job market, but also curriculums that may concentrate more on theory and less on applying that knowledge in the workplace. (Note: Link contains some coarse language.)

Massachusetts Governor Proposes Free Community Colleges
Last fall, a UW commission proposed free tuition for college students who stay in Wisconsin. This year, Indiana\’s governor proposed free merit‑based scholarships funded by lottery income. Now Massachusetts, which has a shortfall of workers for jobs requiring an associate’s degree, is entering the fray with a proposal to offer free community college education to all of their state’s high school graduates.

Bill to Reduce Tuition for Illegal Immigrants Passes in Connecticut
Illegal immigrants who graduate from Connecticut high schools will be eligible for the resident tuition rate at the state’s public universities and colleges if the governor signs a bill that the Senate narrowly passed on Friday. Connecticut would join 10 other states that allow illegal immigrants to pay the in‑state rate. Illegal immigrants now often pay twice as much to attend Connecticut’s taxpayer‑supported colleges and universities.

Environmental Scan is the news blog from MATC’s Institutional Research & Effectiveness Dept. Written by MATC employees, our mission is to keep you udpated on the latest trends and challenges in higher education. If you see an interesting news article on the web regarding academia, please submit your story here. If you’d like to become a regular contributor to Environmental Scan, please contact Dan McCormick at djmccormick@matcmadison.edu or 246‑6412.

New stories will be posted every week, so be sure to bookmark our site: www.environmentalscan.org.