In This Issue
·Experts offer solutions to the rising cost of college
·New essays posted at www.collegecosts.info
·Setting the research direction

College cost crisis:
Solutions offered
Higher education experts have proposed solutions to rising college costs in Course corrections: Experts offer solutions to the college cost crisis. The solutions are in response to Lumina Foundation's Call for Solutions and include increased use of distance learning, outsourcing, "unbundled" certificate programs and more. These solutions will be featured at an upcoming invitational summit.

College cost discussion at www.collegecosts.info
Gov. Bob Wise, president of the Alliance for Education, offers the latest essay on the college cost crisis at www.collegecosts.info. Read his blog, Time travel and other ways to reduce college costs and essays from Sandy Baum, Gov. Jim Hunt and Bob Dickeson.

College tuition increases slow, but still top inflation rate
Annual tuition at public universities rose on average by 7.1 percent this fall, and private universities increased tuition by 5.9 percent, according to the College Board's annual survey. The report also shows that tuition at two-year community colleges increased on average by about 5.4 percent. Read Trends in College Pricing.

College Board releases report on student aid trends
The fastest-growing form of student aid in the past year was private student loans, according to the College Board's annual survey. The report states that "the volume of student borrowing from private sources has skyrocketed and now equals 22 percent of federal education loan volume." Read Trends in Student Aid.

ACCESS & SUCCESS: PREPARATION
Report identifies policy levers for sustained K-16 reform
A policy report offers recommendations to help states improve transitions between high school and college. The National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education report provides details of the steps four states have taken and implications of these policy decisions. Read The Governance Divide: A Report on a Four-State Study on Improving College Readiness and Success. 

ACCESS: PREPARATION, INFORMATION & ENCOURAGEMENT
Half empty or half full?
Native Americans have made significant gains in access to postsecondary education, according to a recent National Center for Education Statistics report. However, the data also indicates these students are less likely than other students to enroll in and graduate from college. Read Status and Trends in the Education of American Indians and Alaska Natives.

SUCCESS: STUDENT ENGAGEMENT
Strategies for promoting student success
Project DEEP has documented programs, policies and practices that successfully engage students and promote their success. The project examined about 20 colleges and universities with higher-than-predicted graduation rates and better-than-predicted scores on National Survey of Student Engagement benchmarks. Learn more about strategies for promoting student success in Project DEEP practice briefs. 

College Costs Summit set for Nov. 2
Lumina Foundation has announced a summit to develop and implement higher education policies and practices that can lower the cost of higher education.  More...

Achieving the Dream grants announced
Lumina Foundation has granted $28.9 million to six organizations in support of their work to help more community college students succeed. More...

Bob Dickeson to retire from Lumina Foundation
Dr. Robert C. Dickeson, a long-time leader in higher education, philanthropy, policy, research and institutional management, will retire from Lumina Foundation at the end of this year. More...

MDRC Web site highlights postsecondary education projects
MDRC recognizes the importance of improving rates of college attendance and completion.  Learn about MDRC's five new projects dedicated to postsecondary education. More...

A commitment to success
Lumina Foundation is committed to reducing barriers to success and helping students achieve their long-term educational goals. More...