The new academic year is at hand . . . and the headlines have not been encouraging: 

Economy Sending Students Back Home

Admissions Officers Await 'Summer Melt'

Money Matters in College Choice

In July, Bloomberg news reported that "almost a third of U.S. private colleges expect freshman enrollment to decline in the 2009-2010 school year as families struggle to pay bills and hold down debt . . ." 

Now, into the new academic year, the stories continue to report the strain U.S. collegs are facing.