A generation ago, according to the President, the U.S. had the highest college graduation rate in the world. Today, the U.S. ranks 12th in graduation rates.

"That's unacceptable," President Obama said last week at the University of Texas in Austin. "But it's not irreversible."

The U.S. is still held in high regard throughout the world for its institutions of higher learning.

According to a 2007 report by the Institute of Higher Education at Shanghai Jiao Tong University, China, 17 of the top 20 universities and more than half of the top one hundred universities in the world were in the United States.

The government plans to release student loan repayment rates for for-profit schools on Friday, identifying institutions by name, as part of efforts to tighten scrutiny of federal student aid.

The step underscores how the Department of Education is trying to strengthen links between federal student aid and students' ability to repay loans after completing their education.

Federal student aid is a major source of income at for-profit colleges.

For-profit education companies, including bellwether Apollo Group Inc (APOL.O), DeVry Inc (DV.N) and Career Education Corp (CECO.O), are closely watching a debate over proposals that would require profit-generating schools to prove ex-students are capable of repaying loans.

Some members of Congress have joined in the crusade against for-profit colleges, and not for nothing. Some publicly traded companies are reaping billions in profits--much of it fueled by federal student aid programs--while saddling many students with burdensome debt loads and degrees that aren't leading to the income streams many students anticipated when they enrolled. This has made it increasingly difficult for borrowers to repay their non-dischargeable student loans, as evidenced by rising student loan default rates.

By Amir Moghadam

MaxKnowledge Performance TV Interview: Lowell Frame, Senior Vice President of Regulatory Affairs at Harrison College discusses compliance as a quality improvement tool and shares strategies that are being used successfully at Harrison College.

Watch this interview.

Florence, KY (August 11, 2010) -- In the sanctity of Courtroom 4A in the Boone County Justice Center, Judge Steven R. Jaeger, Senior Judge of the Kentucky Court of Justice, presided over the induction of eleven (11) students from Beckfield College into the Lambda Epsilon Chi National Honor Society on July 26, 2010.

"This ceremony truly acknowledges the strength and dedication of students who have gone the extra mile in and out of the classroom," noted Jerry Linger, Attorney at Law and Dean of Legal Studies at Beckfield College. "It is so fitting to see these men and women be recognized for their academic achievement in the courtroom."

A major for-profit college targeted in last week's stinging Government Accountability Office report has announced it will change the way its student recruiters are compensated, a reform that could neutralize the high-pressure sales tactics revealed in the undercover investigation.

Westwood College, a career college company based in Denver with 17 campuses, says in a release it will "implement a compensation policy more restrictive than the current regulations permit by converting its admissions representatives' compensation to fixed salary effective August 21, 2010, thereby eliminating enrollment targets as a component of compensation."

In other words, Westwood recruiters henceforth will not be rewarded for bringing more students in the doors.

President Obama recently spoke to students, faculty and staff at the University of Texas at Austin. The speech, which focused on college access and completion, reiterated the point that President Obama has championed since taking office -- that the U.S. would once again have the highest rate of college graduates by 2020. Ironically, at the same time the president is encouraging access, the Department of Education has proposed a rule known as "gainful employment" that will limit educational options for Hispanic students and decrease their ability to complete a college education.

His younger brother is an American citizen. His parents were illegal immigrants, deported to Bangladesh and India. For two years, Yves Gomes, who spent all but 14 months of his 17 years in Silver Spring, lived in limbo, wondering in which direction his path lay.

On Monday, it looked like Kolkata.

Late Tuesday, he began to think it might be College Park.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement granted him a rare last-minute reprieve. His deportation to India, scheduled for Friday, was put on hold. He could pursue his stalled application to the University of Maryland.

Ohio Technical College (OTC) has partnered with Edelbrock to host a Carburetor Challenge during the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca in Monterey, Calif., on Saturday, Aug. 14, 2010.

During the challenge, 19 high school teams from San Andreas, Hollister, San Diego, Lodi, Visalia, Monterey, Seaside and Castroville, California, will tear down, inspect and re-assemble an Edelbrock carburetor. OTC will award $1,500 to each participant, while the four fastest teams will compete in a final challenge to earn prizes including Edelbrock gear, Matco tools and tuition scholarships. The 1st place winner will receive a $5,000 scholarship; 2nd place $4,000; 3rd place $3,000; and 4th place $2,000.

By Kevin Kuzma

The "for-profit" education sector is indefensible -- at the moment. After last week's Senate hearing in which damaging "secret shopper" footage unearthed perceived "systemic" violations in admissions and financial aid practices at 15 career college campuses throughout the United States, no one cares to hear a counter argument right now, and that goes for some career college executives.