Of the 18 state-run college savings plans in the United States, 16 have reported losses over the past year, according to The New York Times. More than a million families have invested in these state funds, which provide families with tuition credits to cover the cost of attending their state's public colleges and universities, effectively providing insurance against tuition increases. The current economic climate and rising tuition costs, however, have placed these pledges in jeopardy, according to The Times. Some states have developed contingency plans to cap the amount of money families would receive if the program is forced to shut down, The Times reported.
Ithaca College is facing unforeseen expenses as it seeks to make accommodations for its over-enrolled freshman class, The Chronicle of Higher Education reported. More than 2,000 students accepted Ithaca's offer of admission to the Class of 2013, a 20-percent increase over the 1,700 to 1,750 the college anticipated. Ithaca has allocated up to $1.2 million to hire additional instructors, and has spent $2.5 million to construct a temporary residence hall. The college also increased its financial aid spending to cover the additional students' costs, and provided monetary incentives for admitted students to defer enrollment. Ithaca has subsequently adjusted its admissions policies, including the reinstatement of its early decision program, and will aim for smaller classes in the future, The Chronicle reported.
Countries in East Asia are gaining ground on the United States in the field of scientific research, The Chronicle of Higher Education reported. China, Taiwan, South Korea and Singapore have outpaced the United States in research growth since 1995, although the United States still leads all four countries in absolute terms, according to a 2008 study by the National Science Foundation and reported on by The Chronicle. China saw the largest relative growth while universities in the United States awarded 26,535 doctorates in 1995 to China's 3,417, by 2004, the United States' numbers had fallen to 26,272 and China's had jumped to 14,858. The average annual growth in published science and engineering journal articles from 1995 to 2005 was 0.6 percent in the United States, 8.6 percent in Taiwan, 12.2 percent in Singapore, 15.7 percent in South Korea and 16.5 percent in China, according to the study. Researchers in the United States authored 28.9 percent of all articles published in 2005, while Chinese authors penned 5.9 percent.
