Lumina Foundation At Work To Establish Frameworks To Measure Student Learning

Lumina Foundation for Education reports that they have released a proposed version of a Degree Profile, a framework for defining and ultimately measuring the general knowledge and skills that individual students need to acquire in order to earn degrees at various levels, such as associate, bachelor’s and master’s degrees.
http://www.luminafoundation.org/newsroom/news_releases/2011-01-25.html
To read the executive summary:
http://www.luminafoundation.org/publications/Degree_Profile-Executive_Summary.pdf
To read the full report:
http://www.luminafoundation.org/publications/The_Degree_Qualifications_Profile.pdf

Community College Newswire

You can subscribe to a free newsletter from Paper Clip Communications entitled Community College Newswire.  Scroll to the bottom of the page on the link and provide your email information.
http://www.paper-clip.com/ME2/Default.asp

The First Step Towards Measuring Student Success Taken By AACC

Inside HigherEd has an article about the initial step being taken by the Voluntary Framework of Accountability, a project of the American Association of Community Colleges, that aims to create national metrics gauging how well two-year institutions serve their students and fulfill their assorted missions.  Four New Jersey community colleges are among the 40 pilot institutions. (Raritan Valley, Hudson, Passaic, and Burlington)
http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2011/01/19/voluntary_framework_of_accountability_releases_first_set_of_community_college_standards

The Federal Budget and Community Colleges, What's the Forecast?

The Chronicle of Higher Education warns of federal funding challenges looming in the future. As they reported, "Republican leaders, in control of the House of Representatives, have vowed to significantly cut domestic spending. Because they are unlikely to trim budgets for the military, domestic security, and programs for veterans, the federal presence in areas like education and transportation is vulnerable.  Community-college officials worry that money for the Pell Grant program, which three million community-college students rely on annually, could be reduced, or that funds could be siphoned from the $2-billion career-training program approved last year."
http://chronicle.com/article/With-Budget-Cutting-Ascendant/125950/?key=SDghKFRkOXQTYilnbTYVYz9XbX04Mxp1ayFOOi52bl5cFg%3D%3D
(Off campus access to this article will require authentication on the Brookdale website.)

Horizon Report -- 2010 -- Emerging Technologies In Higher Education

The Horizon Report, an ongoing annual publication of the EDUCAUSE Learning Initiative and the New Media Consortium, has issued its 2010 edition.  In each issue of these reports, six emerging technologies or practices are described that are likely to enter mainstream use on campuses over the next one to five years.  Do you see something in the latest edition which is related to your academic division or service area at Brookdale?  Do you see something new you would like to explore?  Mobile computing, open coursework, and electronic textbooks are three of the technologies discussed in this report. 
http://www.nmc.org/pdf/2010-Horizon-Report.pdf

2010 -- A Banner Year For Community Colleges

Community College Week provides an annual report on the state of community colleges across the United States:
http://www.ccweek.com/news/templates/template.aspx?articleid=2250&zoneid=7

Residency Bill

Recently bill A-2478 moved forward from the Assembly to the governor's desk.  If it passes, any public employee hired after the bill's effective date will be required to either remain in the state or move to New Jersey within one year of being employed by his/her public employer.  Though current public employees will be grandfathered, any break in service will result in an employee being subject to the bill's requirements. 

What are the repercussions of such a law?  Does any of it have any relevance or value to education or is it purely an economically driven initiative?  If it passes, how will it affect the pool of candidates we regularly attract for faculty, staff, administrative, and custodial positions.  Read more from the link below and feel free to share your thoughts.

http://www.courierpostonline.com/article/20101210/NEWS01/12100334/Assembly-committee-OKs-state-residency-bill