Linkpile for Wednesday, January 4, 2012:

• A January 4, 2012 Huffington Post article reports that "For-Profit College Students Face Higher Debt, More Unemployment, Report Finds." "The study, conducted by a group of Harvard researchers, examines a bevy of federal data tracking student graduation rates, federal loan repayment rates and student success in securing jobs. The researchers ask one central question: Are for-profit colleges 'nimble critters' responding to higher demand for college degrees, or 'agile predators' that target low-income students with the intent of reaping profits through federal student aid dollars?"
• Boffo profits for online higher ed. in 2012: "Industries to boom and bust in 2012." "Online universities and training course are expected to do really well this year with the industry expected to soar by 10.6 per cent in 2012, to be worth just under $4.9 billion."
• A January 3, 2012 New York Times opinion piece measures The Reach of Distance Learning." "Opponents of distance learning cite several problems with it, like a lack of face-to-face student-teacher relationships, inconsistent access to technology resources (i.e., equipment and broadband Internet) for low-income and rural students, and even lack of sufficient teacher training."
• A January 1, 2012 Chronicle of Higher Education article announces that "MIT Will Offer Certificates to Outside Students in Online Courses." "The first course will begin around the spring of 2012. MIT has not yet announced its subject, but the goal is to build a portfolio of high-demand courses - the kind that draw more than 200 people to lecture halls on the campus, in Cambridge, Mass. The institute is investing 'millions of dollars' in the project, said L. Rafael Reif, the provost, and the plan is to solicit more from donors and foundations."
• A January 3, 2012 FoxBusiness.com article offers advice on how you can keep your eyes on the price and your bottom line at the same time: " "Most likely, your 529 plan and equity in your home are still down, but tuition keeps rising. Still, there's money out there for students who need help with college financing. Here are 12 tips to help you attend school for less in 2012."
• "Was I Completely Wrong About For-Profit Education?", asks Brian Stofell of The Motley Fool. "I spent the better part of my first year at the Fool raging against the for-profit education community. And it was for good reason: Enrollment is dropping, they get too much money from the government, and students are defaulting on their loans at alarming rates. But after watching a recent speech by innovation guru Clayton Christensen, I'm starting to wonder if I am reading the situation completely wrong."
• Will 2012 be a Jubilee year for the 99 Percenter? "Ed. in the Red: Onerous Student-Loan Debt Threatens to Swamp an Entire Generation." "Mounting debt represents a ticking time bomb - not just for student loan borrowers, but for entire nations. 'As the amount of unserviceable debt balloons, the system becomes ever more ripe [sic] for financial disaster,' write Nouriel Roubini and Stephen Mihm in their 2010 book, 'Crisis Economics.' The way to avoid financial disaster, then, is to deflate this debt balloon before it pops. Student loan debt forgiveness could help the U.S. to avoid disaster, as it would surely become a cause celebre that would inspire calls to other forms of debt forgiveness, say, for home mortgages or credit cards. With enough popular support 2012 could become a Jubilee year, and then developed nations could truly set about devising ways of 'winning the future,' as the slogan for President Obama's reelection campaign puts it."