Employers value a four-year college degree, many of them more than ever. Yet half of those surveyed recently by "The Chronicle" and American Public Media's "Marketplace" said they had trouble finding recent graduates qualified to fill positions at their company or organization. Nearly a third gave colleges just fair to poor marks for producing…

The recession has complicated the path in life that many students had envisioned. As a result, campus mental-health counselors say more students are expressing anxiety about the economy's effect on their future. Visits to campus counseling centers have been climbing for several years, according to the Association for University and College…

As students and alumni have crowded into campus career centers seeking help in their job searches, corporate recruiters have made themselves scarce. According to a recent survey by the National Association of Colleges and Employers, these are common symptoms during the economic downturn. Of the 50 or so colleges and universities the group surveyed…