Podcast Series: Innovations in Education

Explore the full series of eCampus News podcasts hosted by Kevin Hogan—created to keep you on the cutting edge of innovations in education.

Colleges sign up for Obama’s interfaith program

More than 250 colleges, universities and seminaries have submitted plans to the White House for yearlong interfaith service projects in response to a campaign launched by the Obama administration, the Huffington Post reports. Joshua DuBois, director of the White House Office of Faith-based and Neighborhood Partnerships, said officials had hoped for 100 participants.

“They don’t have to agree about their different beliefs but we feel like they can agree on issues of service and strengthening our communities,” he said Tuesday (Aug. 2). “And so many of them are responding and saying … we want to take you up on this challenge.”

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Debt debate: Obama addresses concerns of college students in unannounced conference call

In the midst of tense negotiations to raise the debt ceiling, President Obama participated in a conference call with a group of college student body presidents from across the country on Tuesday, the Huffington Post reports. Although the call was not announced in advance–indeed, there was little-to-no public mentioning of it–White House sources confirmed the president took time to speak with students who are concerned that young people would shoulder much of the burden of spending cuts in a deal to raise the debt ceiling…

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Community Colleges: Where’s our $12 billion?

The Obama administration has touted community colleges as the one institution in higher education that can best adapt to the nation’s economic realities and still deliver the education and training Americans so desperately need, reports NPR. During a 2009 speech, President Obama promised $12 billion for community colleges. But they never saw any of that money because the president couldn’t sell his plan to Congress. Now the ongoing cuts in state funding for higher education are so deep that community colleges are struggling to deliver the very services they’ve been praised for…

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Obama to highlight benefits of college tax credit

President Barack Obama wants Congress to make permanent a $2,500 college tuition tax credit that’s set to expire at the end of the year, reports the Associated Press. The American Opportunity Tax Credit was part of the $814 billion economic stimulus bill Obama signed early in 2009. He had proposed making the tax credit permanent in his 2011 budget proposal, but Congress has not acted on his request. Obama planned an event Wednesday at the White House with area college students to discuss how they benefited from the tax credit, and why it should be made permanent…

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