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The article reports on updates in the higher education sector in the U.S., particularly the surveys showing that a growing number of Americans appreciate the value of higher education. Also cited are the studies on the issue of who should pay for college education, the recognition by President Joe Biden of the role the government should play in supporting college students, and his announcement of a plan to cancel student loan debts.

The article discusses Portugal's efforts to promote economic growth by investing in scientific research and development at its higher-education institutions. The article mentions the University of Coimbra's relationship with several U.S. universities, such as Carnegie Mellon University and the Harvard Medical School, to engage in research and academic exchange programs. Government spending has increased in these fields due to a commitment by the country to become a knowledge economy through innovation in science and technology. Relationships between Portuguese and U.S. universities have brought jobs to the country, attracted high-achieving students, and attracted business investments, but leaders fear funding from the federal government may decrease.

The article discusses the level of U.S. resources devoted to higher education compared with major efforts in Asian countries. Charles M. Vest, president of the National Academy of Engineering and formerly president of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, says China, Korea and Singapore are engaging in major efforts to build higher education. In the U.S., he says, the same sense of urgency does not exist. He likens the situation to the obliviousness of American manufacturing during the time Japan was building its industry. Patrick M. Callan, president of the National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education, says the U.S. system was not designed to educate most Americans, and that education should be linked with public policy. Federal versus state planning efforts are discussed.

This article reports that when Louisiana faced a fiscal crisis in the immediate aftermath of last year's destructive hurricanes, higher-education officials were ordered by Governor Kathleen Babineaux Blanco to slash $71.4-million from the budgets of public colleges and universities. College leaders, led by E. Joseph Savoie, the state's higher-education commissioner, have embarked on a comprehensive examination of the mission and offerings of each institution in Louisiana's four university systems. Hurricanes Katrina and Rita could lead to the most extensive reform of higher education in Louisiana, a state where colleges have grappled with low graduation rates and chronic budget problems, since a Constitutional amendment created the statewide Board of Recents in 1974. INSET: Failed Efforts to Remake State-College Systems.

The article examines the implication of the failure of the U.S. to regain its international education dominance. Topics discussed include the effect of the America First policies of the administration of former President Donald Trump and the COVID-19 pandemic on international student enrollment, concerns of foreign students such as the cost of college and safety in the U.S., and possible impact of the decline in international education standing of the U.S. on its diplomacy and economy.

Highlights the Republican agenda on higher-education policy in the U.S. with the re-election of President George W. Bush in 2004. Reaction of the student-loan industry to the possibility that presidential candidate John Kerry would win in the elections; Information on the academic bill of rights proposed by David Horowitz, president of the California-based Center for the Study of Popular Culture; Role of social issues in science policy.

The article reports on the challenges facing the next U.S. president in setting the federal agenda for research and science education, in which the U.S. is beginning to lag behind other developed countries. President George W. Bush has already signed a law implementing a number of recommendations in a report released by the National Academies warning of a coming shortage of scientists and engineers. Business and higher education leaders say the law is an important first step, but that the next president must move to increase federal spending on academic research and training.

The article focuses on the financial health of Southern Oregon University and the efforts of president Mary Cullinan. Cullinan's plan is to remove academic programs, discontinue the German major and lay-off or ask faculty and staff members to take early retirement. Other public colleges in Oregon face the same budget crises but regional schools are especially hard hit. Oregon has no state sales tax and limits on property-tax increases so raising funds for the schools is unlikely and the state government has decreased spending on higher education. Also, the size of the school coupled with the necessity of cutting programs does not make the school attractive to prospective students, so the administration cannot count on raising enough revenue through tuition.

The article reports that the Saudi government's restrictions on whether students in its King Abdullah Scholarship Program can enroll in online or hybrid courses, leading to confusing among American colleges where approximately 44,570 Saudi students are studying.

The author reports on changes that may be made to the higher education system in India by Kapil Sibal, the minister in charge of higher education in India. Actions that Sibal has taken during his first month in office are mentioned, including taking steps to expand educational opportunities between the U.S. and India. The author states that Sibal has promised to work on legislation that would allow foreign universities to open campuses in India.

The article discusses a March 2009 conference on how to rebuild Iraq's higher-education system. Academics at the conference said that the government's plan to send large amounts of students abroad would reduce the chances of the nation's top talent returning to the country. Prime Minister Nuri al-Malaki originally proposed sending the students to five year programs in the United States and Britain. Conference attendees like Qais Al-Awqati, a professor of medicine at Columbia University, said that this would be disastrous for the country's academics.

The article discusses the Senator Paul Simon Study Abroad Foundation Act, a proposed U.S. law intended to increase foreign study for U.S. students. The law would allocate funds to support foreign study programs and create a government agency to supervise foreign study. The legislation had previously been rejected by the U.S. Congress but may gain additional support from U.S. President Barack Obama, who had initially co-sponsored it.

The article reports on the results of a State of the Field Survey by the Forum on Education Abroad which found that study-abroad officials haven't changed their practices substantially despite questions into their business arrangements by the Connecticut and New York State attorneys general. The survey was completed by 136 association members and asked about health and safety concerns. The investigation of the student-loan business by Andrew M. Cuomo, New York's attorney general, is discussed.

The article discusses research on faculty pay across international borders and academic careers during increasing global mobility. The research found that highest average salaries occurred in Saudi Arabia and the lowest in China. Other topics include the discrepancy between faculty income and other wages, full time employment, and gross domestic product.

The article discusses the rules set forth by the U.S. Department of State to regulate the process of sanctioning the foreign education programs at U.S. colleges and universities. The department is able to impose sanctions on university's student exchange programs more easily and can even end such programs if it is believed that the activity violates national security. Critics of the rules believe that there is not enough of an appeal process and that the sanctioning process will not be suitably transparent.

The article discusses California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, who has vetoed bills related to the financial aspects of higher education. In order to control compensation to California State University, Schwarzenegger halted a bill that would have made some of the state's illegal immigrants eligible for tuition assistance from the state. Schwarzenegger vetoed the bill on compensation packages so that universities would not be hindered when hiring administrators. A bill to allow the public to attend meetings of the California State University and University of California at which salaries and long-term plans are the focus was signed into effect.

The article provides news briefs related to education and government in the U.S. The Kentucky General Assembly has passed a bill to repay the student loans of energy industry employees who stay in the state after graduation and lawyers in the state are lobbying for the same deal. U.S. presidential candidate and former Senator Fred Thompson has said that U.S. colleges should produce more nurses and that certain people on college campuses should be allowed to carry concealed weapons.

The article reports that the Kansas Board of Regents, the statewide governing board for higher education, has agreed to a five-year $400 million plan to finance repairs on the state's college campuses. The legislative plan is in response to a proposal offered by Governor Kathleen Sebelius, who wanted to charge higher tolls on the state's turnpike to help pay down the maintenance backlog, a plan which faltered under opposition from motorists. While the legislation is a good start, it will only deal with about 14 percent of campus backlogs.

The article informs that the U.S. government's spending on student financial aid rose by more than 8 percent in the 2004-5 academic year, according to a survey. This shows that efforts by states to expand financial assistance may be catching up with the growth in public-college tuition. The rate of increase picked up from 2003-4, when state spending on student aid rose by just 6 percent. Most the 2004-5 assistance, about 85 percent of all state-based student aid, was as grants, which do not have to be repaid. At the same time, tuition increases seem to be leveling off. Spending on programs that award aid based on academic merit has surged in the past decade, climbing 348 percent between 1994-5 and 2004-5. In the states where spending on student aid decreased in 2004-5, most of the reductions were less than 10 percent. And many of the declines were due to technicalities or reporting changes. Student financial-aid programs must compete for state money with spending obligations in other areas, like health care, corrections, and elementary and secondary education.

This article reports that spending for public colleges is on the rise in the U.S. as most states regain their financial footing. State support for higher education increased in 2005-06 by 5.3 percent, to $66.6-billion, from the previous fiscal year, according to the Center for the Study of Education Policy, at Illinois State University. Public-college leaders are making a bid for a larger share of the growing state coffers. In Louisiana, public colleges have already slashed their budgets by $71.4-million and are preparing to cope with additional cuts as state leaders try to erase a $959-million deficit caused by the recent hurricanes.

This article reports on the confrontation between the two boards that oversee higher education in Florida. The State Board of Education, which oversees community colleges as well as elementary and secondary education, wants the community colleges to offer more bachelor's degrees. The Board of Governors of the state's 11 universities fears an erosion of its turf. The disagreement has heated up this fall as members of the two groups worked together on a commission to find ways to increase access to higher education.

This article reports that a tough budget environment may lead colleges to develop new and innovative approaches to raising revenue, according to college leaders and higher education policy makers who gathered in New York for a conference this month. Several speakers said that institutions could seek unconventional sources of financial support, including private-sector partnerships and online course offerings, but that institutions must also work to reinvigorate a deteriorating relationship between higher education and the public in order to gain greater public-sector support.

The article presents information on developments in the field of education in various U.S. states. The State Board of Community Colleges in North Carolina should review and approve employment contracts for presidents of the state's 58 two-year colleges, according to a report released last week by the state auditor. The Board of Governors of Florida's public-university system has named Mark Rosenberg, the longtime provost and vice president for academic affairs at Florida International University, as chancellor of the statewide system.

This article informs that according to a report released in August by two nonprofit research groups, the percentage of Latino students receiving financial assistance to attend college is at an all-time high, but they receive the lowest average student-aid awards of any racial or ethnic group. Asian students received the largest awards, an average of $7,260, according to the report "How Latino Students Pay for College," which was published by Excelencia in Education and the Institute for Higher Education Policy. Federal financial aid is a critical source of assistance for Latino students.

The article reports that a new Colorado law that gives public colleges greater operating flexibility but less direct financial support from the state is drawing national attention, but it is too early to determine the measure's full impact. Under the law, which took effect on July 1, Colorado becomes the first state to provide a substantial portion of public funds for higher education directly to undergraduates, through a $2,400-a-year stipend. Supporters hope that the voucher-like program, called the College Opportunity Fund, will encourage more people to attend college because the state will be able to say it is setting aside money for them to use.

The article reports that the political popularity of merit-based scholarships has prompted both new efforts to protect funds for the HOPE program in Georgia and the expansion of eligibility for a similar program in Tennessee. Governor Sonny Perdue of Georgia, a Republican, has called for a Constitutional amendment preventing state legislators from using revenue from the state lottery for anything other than the scholarships and pre-kindergarten programs. In 2004 the General Assembly set tougher academic standards for students and established a mechanism for cutting spending on books if lottery revenue declines.

Presents the findings of a survey on student financial aid in the U.S. in 2003 to 2004 to be released by the National Association of State Student Grant and Aid Programs (NASSGAP). Increase in state spending on student financial aid; Importance of state assistance to education according to NASSGAP president Theresa Antworth; Percentage of grants received by undergraduates and graduate students; Effects of tuition fee increases on efforts to increase financial aid.

Presents news briefs on issues and events related to the U.S. educational system as of May 6, 2005. Legislation that would allow parents to have easier access to college records of their children being considered by Tennessee lawmakers; Higher-education budget passed by the Washington legislature; Program approved by New York lawmakers that would able private colleges to tap into public funds to pay for construction projects.