
The Capital Region Needs More Skilled Laborers
Make no mistake: The Capital Region boasts some of the nation’s finest colleges and universities. Many a regional leader is a proud alum of UC Davis or Sacramento State. Yet in 2015, it might behoove us to ask some scary questions: Does a 4-year college degree guarantee a good job? If so, can that good job be reconciled with the staggering debt that currently accompanies a college diploma.

You Can’t Work Your Way Through College Anymore
Working to pay for college doesn’t work. Despite the fact that 40 percent of undergraduates work at least 30 hours per week while in college, tuition is too high for those hours to make much of a difference, a new report shows.

Working with Autism
Meristem, a new school in Fair Oaks, bridges the education gap to job-readiness
Business owners looking for new hires might want to keep on eye on Meristem. Twenty minutes east of Sacramento, the new school opened in September with a mission to help young adults with ASD or other developmental differences find jobs. Developed in the U.K., this postsecondary transition program uses practical courses to teach transferable work skills such as problem-solving, teamwork and communication.

Learning Curves
Robert Nelsen has taken charge at Sacramento State, and he’s focused on a road map for student success
Before coming to Sacramento, Nelsen was instrumental in turning around the struggling University of Texas Pan-American — growing enrollment, raising revenue and boosting the university’s role in the community. We sat down with him recently to discuss his vision for California’s only true capital university.

Sac State President Robert Nelsen on Diversity
Faculty members must be a reflection of a multicultural student body
Sacramento State has long been known as a campus rich in cultural diversity. According to the U.S. News & World Report, it is the 15th most diverse campus in the west, while Collegefactual.com ranks it 24th in the nation. Robert Nelsen, Sac State’s new president, says that diversity is precisely why he came to the university.

California Teachers’ Pension Scolds Volkswagen on Emissions Dupe
California’s $184-billion pension fund for school teachers chided Volkswagen AG for rigging some diesel engines to cheat on U.S. emission tests and said it is evaluating its exposure to losses from the scandal.

University of California Sells $200 Million Fossil Fuel Holdings
Students representing the university’s 10 campuses have protested and collected petitions urging the school to divest from fossil fuels that include coal and oil sands, a mix of sand, clay, water and a heavy oil called bitumen. Fossil Free UC, a coalition of students, faculty, staff and alumni has asked the university to adopt a five-year plan to freeze new fossil fuel investments.

Plight Of the Novice Nurse
Nurses are in high demand, but only if they’re seasoned
A nursing shortage has been looming like a storm cloud, warning the country’s health care industry of impending change. The health care and education industries prepared for it by training novice graduates, advocating for advanced degrees and expanding the roles of nurses. The question now is whether the newbies will be ready in time.

Out-of-State Students Provide Valuable Diversity
Expanding nonresident enrollment is not an option that can be rejected without careful consideration
Given the importance of a degree or certificate from a publicly supported California college — a community college, a California State University or the University of California — some taxpayers may ask why California colleges should serve any student who isn’t a state resident.