In the following Q&A, NEBHE's [New England Board of Higher Education's] Fellow for Open Education, Lindsey Gumb, takes the pulse of Open Education in Rhode Island with two key leaders in the field: Dragan Gill, who is a Rhode Island College reference librarian and co-chair of the Rhode Island Open Textbook Initiative, and Daniela Fairchild,…

Tuition-free college policies have gained momentum since the implementation of the Tennessee Promise, which provides financial aid to students pursuing two-year post-secondary degrees in Tennessee. While previous research has addressed the effects of similar programs on student outcomes, scholars have yet to thoroughly investigate potential…

With the growing demand for improving college completion rates has come a need for more thorough information about just how well or poorly colleges and their students are performing on a variety of measures. In a growing number of states, that data is being used to improve the number of students who finish their degrees. Some states and…

As states struggle to close deficits, direct taxpayer support to private colleges and student aid programs are in jeopardy in many states. Provides examples of reductions in state funds to private colleges and discusses the likelihood that increases in student grants will not make up the difference for private colleges. (SLD)

Florida is becoming a favored environment for the college fund raiser. Fund-raising statistics suggest that Florida relies on donors who are not their alumni, and an increasing number are older citizens who have moved to the state or who spend the winter months there. (MLW)

The Massachusetts college tuition prepayment program has been praised by many as helping families pay for college, but a few elite institutions have not joined, saying the program does not fit their financial aid policies and philosophies. Supporters feel the program could be even stronger if they joined. The plan differs from most state plans by…

Private colleges and universities are now under pressure from many directions. The potential benefits of statewide planning agencies in building cooperation between the public and private sectors of higher education are examined. This compendium of suggestions for finding alternatives to often wasteful competitive relationships is drawn from a…

The student financial aid mechanism has been considered the form of subsidy more likely to provide both access and choice since it can target aid to students most in need of it and lets student choose the college of their choice. The Tuition Assistance Program in New York is discussed. (MLW)

Virginia will pilot a program to send some community college graduates to several rural private colleges in an effort to improve educational access and help meet the anticipated growth in enrollments in the next decade. Some feel the state should expand existing public institutions instead. (MSE)

Describes the development, current status, and future goals and plans of library and information networks in Ohio. Highlights include OCLC; OhioLINK, incorporating state-assisted universities, two-year colleges, the state library, and private university libraries; a school library network; a public library information network; a telecommunications…

Includes nine articles that discuss cooperative library networking in Illinois. Highlights include library systems as cooperative agencies; PALI (Private Academic Libraries of Illinois); rural school and public library development; systemwide users; regional medical libraries; virtual libraries and the Coalition for Networked Information; a…

The Rhode Island Children's Crusade for Higher Education, funded by state and private sources, is an ambitious, large-scale, long-term effort to prevent dropouts, illegal drug use, and pregnancy among low-income and minority groups. Recruitment of volunteer "mentors" has been highly successful, suggesting strong public support. (MSE)

Reviews information technology and resource sharing projects in Indiana. Topics include ACCESS INDIANA, an information infrastructure developed to expand Internet access, improve online access to government information, and accelerate the development of community networks; library automation; cooperative library services; high school library media…

Describes GALILEO (Georgia Library Learning Online), a statewide information system started by the state university library system and being expanded to include private colleges, public libraries, and school libraries. Electronic information resources range from full text or bibliographic data of academic journals to census data and state…