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What We’re Reading, February 2nd

Here’s a selection or articles we are reading this week.

Hitting Home – What does Obama’s 2016 Budget Means for States and Localities? The president’s budget would be a boon in a host of areas (infrastructure, certain block grants) but also includes cuts to popular programs. Read it at Governing.

Agreed! – Five Things Republicans can Agree to in Obama’a Budget: simplifying student aid makes the list. Read it at The Washington Post.

Growing Locally – Brookings released a report of the three sectors of advanced industry that will sustain a region’s local economy. Read an overview at GoverningView an interactive map showing growth and loss of these sectors. Read the Brookings report here.

Follow the $$ – Every year, groups release reports and charts of the college majors that make the most money. The message is clear: here are the subjects you should major in if you want to get rich quick (or at least pay off your student loans). The answer is “you should major in petroleum engineering,” almost always. Read about it at Vox.

Student Loan Stress – As the use of student loans escalates, so too do conversations about the possible ramifications of increasingly-high debt for young Americans. It’s widely known that inability to pay student debt can result in a host of problems, like damaged credit or garnished wages, but a new study from the University of South Carolina suggests that some ill effects, such as increased stress levels or feelings of depleted health, can surface just from accumulating student-loan debt. Read about it at The Atlantic.

Ch-ch-cha-changes! – Preparing campus for the new FAFSA. Read about it at University Business.

Helping Hand – Burried in the FY16 President’s Budget Request is a little known $21.8 billion shortfall. The main cause of the shortfall was President Barack Obama’s recent efforts to provide relief for borrowers drowning in student debt. Read more at Politico.

Disenfranchising – One central complaint about the Administration’s proposed college rating system is the unintended consequences of select universities being less inclusive and more exclusive to rate better. Read more at diversityeducation.com.

?uestions – Key questions on President Obama’s Budget Request for FY16. Read more at Ed Central.