Community colleges across the country are reporting significant budget strains and are having difficulties managing increased student enrollment, according to The New York Times. The situation is worsening despite the introduction of the American Graduation Initiative by President Barack Obama in 2009, which allocates $12 billion over the next decade towards strengthening the nation's community colleges and aims to produce five million more community college graduates by 2020, according to The Times and a White House press release. While the number of students enrolled in community colleges has increased steadily over the past decade, community colleges across the nation have reduced their course offerings and downsized their faculty boards due to state budget cuts, according to The Times. Graduation rates at community colleges are low compared to other higher education institutions, and only about a quarter of students receive their community college degree in six years, according to The Times.
A campus-wide energy conservation event was held yesterday afternoon by the Independent System Operator for the Electrical Utility Grid in New England, according to an e-mail to students from Frank Roberts, director of operations of Facilities Operation and Management. The event was part of the Electrical Demand Energy Management Program, in which the College will assist the Independent System Operator in minimizing its electrical consumption "during an emergency event or during times of electrical power peak events," Roberts said in the e-mail. The event was scheduled to last two to three hours. The College will receive money for its participation, which will be determined by the amount of electricity conserved by Dartmouth during the event.
New Orleans students relocated to new schools in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina were more academically successful than predicted, according to a study conducted by economics professor Bruce Sacerdote, The Independent reported. Although students typically spent a year catching up on materials missed during their relocation, improvements in test scores were seen in those who stayed out of New Orleans for two years, according to The Independent. When struggling students from poor school districts in the Louisiana state system were integrated into schools with more typical socioeconomic conditions, they received more help with academics, according to The Independent. The exposure to more experienced students in the new schools also raised academic standards for the new students without cost to those already enrolled in the receiving schools, The Independent reported.
