By Ryan Penneau, Take Back College

"Life does not obey our expectations. Life obeys our intentions." Lloyd Strom said that. I like to think he meant it.

I attended a conference two years ago where I met a woman who I cannot describe in any way other than eccentric. Eccentric may be an understatement but I digress. At one point during the conference I bumped into her during a break. "Ryan!" she says, "isn't this whole thing wonderful!?" She continued, "I'm just learning so much, and meeting so many great people. Great stuff, Ryan! This is great stuff! We are going to do big things!"

She was extremely enthusiastic about the conference. Just as I was about to walk away, she pulled me back by the shoulder and said, "Ryan, what's your intention going into the next session?"

My intention? I had no idea what she was asking. I was kind of at a loss for words partly due to her extremely big question and partly due to her awe-inspiring eccentricity.

Ultimately, I had no answer but since that moment, INTENTION is in the air everywhere I look around. Meeting with a recent mentor of mine one of his statements was in regards to how very intentional he is with his time. "Time is precious, invest yours intentionally. You have to be picky about where your time goes." A few days later a friend and I were talking about professional development and he mentioned about how he is a very 'intentional networker'. Then again I met a highly successful woman who owns and operates her own sales-consulting business in Colorado. What do you know she starts every client with a training module that is completely based on 'selling with intention' and now, whenever I work with students, I always start with asking "what's your intention?"

Massive open online courses continue to gain popularity

The massive open online course (MOOC) industry continues to grow rapidly. As the Chronicle of Higher Education states, this is the “year of the mega-class.”  MOOCs are large online classes that support hundreds of learners offered for little to no cost to the student. MOOCs have generated buzz in higher education as universities such has Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Harvard have committed to providing MOOCs. Currently, no colleges offer credit for students enrolled in MOOCs. A MOOC offered last spring by MIT had an enrollment of 154,000 students from 160 countries. To learn more about MOOC’s, check out these articles:

National Public Radio, Chronicle of Higher Education, and Inside Higher Ed.

New technology helps colleges train students for current employer needs

Software that uses real-time labor market data is being tested by colleges to develop curricula that is tailored to meet workforce needs. Ten public two-year colleges in six states are currently working with the new software. The software, developed by a non-profit called Job for the Future, seeks to bridge the gap between the 13 million unemployed Americans and the employers who cannot find qualified workers. The program reviews and compiles hundreds of online job postings to identify workforce trends. State governments and economic development agencies have also begun using this new technology. Click here to read about the job placement software.

Minnesota Legislature Special Session scheduled for August 24

The Minnesota State Legislature is preparing for a special session focused on flood relief following the June flooding in northern Minnesota.  Governor Dayton has offered a $190 million package to address the damage. It is expected that the House and Senate will vote on a final bill on August 24. To learn more about the special session, click here.

Higher One returns $11 million in excessive charges to students

The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) ordered financial aid disbursement company Higher One to return more than $11 million to 60,000 student users who were overcharged between 2008 and 2011. The FDIC fined Higher One Wednesday for violating federal law by charging multiple overdraft fees on a single transaction to students using the company’s “One Account” checking accounts. In addition to the repayment to student users, Higher One also faces an $110,000 fine. Students impacted by FDIC decision will either get credit on an existing account or receive paper checks on closed accounts.

Additionally, the Consumer Finance Protection Bureau (CFPB) issued a consumer advisory statement Thursday on third party financial companies like Higher One working with colleges and universities to disburse financial aid. The Minnesota State Colleges and Universities (MnSCU) system is under contract with Higher One to provide financial aid and student payroll disbursements for 17 colleges and universities. To view the CFPB advisory, click here.  Click here for the FDIC press release.

Cost of higher education poses a challenge to American families across the income spectrum

A recent National Public Radio report highlights the struggles that families from various socioeconomic backgrounds face in financing higher education. The article highlights the experiences of a few middle class families, including a mother still paying her own student loan debt while helping her children finance college. Another family featured in the article struggles to afford the high cost of tuition, despite stable incomes and college savings. To read the NPR article, click here.