Be it from ticket sales, memorabilia, television rights, or donors, college sports generate over $6 billion in annual revenue. Yet while coaches are receiving larger and larger contracts — the average college football coach's salary in 2010 was $1.36 million — the money doesn't trickle down to the players. The discrepancy has led many to call for stipends or other methods of paying college athletes for their work on the field. On January 14, the National Collegiate Athletic Association will review the issue.

First, there was Penn State and Jerry Sandusky. Now there is Syracuse and Bernie Fine. Last night, Syracuse University announced it had fired Fine, assistant basketball coach of more than 30 years. The decision came after a third man came forward, alleging he had been molested by Fine. And like the Penn State scandal, these accusations are years old.

Penn State University has been in full-fledged crisis management mode this week. On Wednesday, football coach Joe Paterno and university president Graham Spanier were both removed from their positions. It was an attempt to answer criticism that the university and football program did not do enough to stop assistant coach Jerry Sandusky from sexually abusing young boys on camps over a span of 15 years.

Some shocking news about Penn State's football program broke this weekend when Jerry Sandusky, a former Penn State assistant defensive coach, was arrested on charges of sexually abusing eight boys over a 15 year period. Two top university officials — Gary Schultz, the senior vice president for finance and business, and Tim Curley, the athletic director — are expected to turn themselves into authorities today. They have been charged with perjury and failing to report what they knew about allegations against Sandusky. Still hanging in the air is the question of what Penn State coach Joe Paterno knew about the accusations against his assistant defensive coach.  

This year the price of college reached a record high. According to figures from an annual College Board report, the average cost of per year of tuition is up more 8.3 percent for public 4 year colleges and up 4.5 percent for private schools. The average college student now finishes school with between $22,000 and $28,000 of debt. In total, Americans currently owe nearly a trillion dollars in student loans — that's more than they owe on credit cards. President Obama addressed the issue of student debt in a speech in Denver on Wednesday, announcing a new program to lower monthly student loan payments.

A new novel by Pulitzer Prize-winning author Jeffrey Eugenides follows three college students graduating in the midst of an economic downturn. With unemployment around 10 percent, the characters try to find ways to cope — moving home, busing tables, applying to graduate school. One flees the country entirely, running from the recession at home to volunteer in India. It sounds like a novel set in 2011, until Eugenides' characters start calling each other from land line phones and writing letters home from abroad. 

In-state tuition and fees at public four-year colleges and universities rose 7.9 percent between the 2010-11 and 2009-10 school years. At private four-year schools, the average cost rose 4.5 percent. Are these rising costs improving education? Stephen Trachtenberg, president emeritus of George Washington University, presided over a 300 percent increase in tuition and fees over his two decades as president at GWU. He recently defended the high costs of tuition in an article for The Atlantic.

Historically black colleges and universities were established prior to the establishment of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which made previously established "separate but equal" racial segregation laws null. The schools were intended to provide higher education to the black community, at a time when black students weren't permitted to attend many institutions. Today, 105 historically black colleges and universities still exist in America, but many of them are now actively looking to enroll non-black students. Why is this? And how will this initiative change historically black colleges?

In the state that put the country on wheels, car ownership is as American as apple pie. But there are a growing number of people in Michigan who are giving up their vehicle titles and turning to Zipcar, one of the better known of a growing number of car-sharing services.

The job market has been tough for college grads in the past few years. As we near yet another cycle of transitions, we’re taking a look at the current state of the job market, and checking in with recent graduates about what they’ve been facing. Takeaway contributor Beth Kobliner is here. Author of "Get a Financial Life,” she is also an appointee to the President’s Advisory Council on Financial Capability.

It’s the season of college acceptance and rejection letters, and all this week, we’ve been talking about college-related topics.

Today, we’re talking again with Beth Kobliner, Takeaway contributor and appointee to the President's Advisory Council on Financial Capability. Beth was here on Tuesday to walk us through the ABCs of college loans, financial aid, and debt.

Beth is back today to answer all the listener questions that have come in since her appearance on Tuesday.

It’s college acceptance letter season, and all this week, we’re talking about college-related issues. Up until the 1960s, historically black colleges were the primary higher learning institutions available to African-Americans. Some of the most famous black people in the U.S., from Oprah Winfrey to Spike Lee, have attended them and went on to achieve great success. But in our seemingly less-segregated times, are these colleges really a good educational option?

High school seniors are glued to their mailboxes this week as they await college acceptance letters. However, after they get in, the question of how to pay for college looms. Personal finance expert and Takeaway contributor Beth Kobliner has some advice on how to get the right financial aid and to tell us about some affordable options for a college education.

More than 140 million people have been watching the NCAA men’s basketball tournament this year. And nearly everyone involved with March Madness is profiting handsomely from the games. That is, everyone but the players. "Frontline" correspondent Lowell Bergman investigates NCAA labor issues in his new documentary, “Money and March Madness,” which airs on PBS tonight. Sonny Vaccaro believes that student athletes should benefit; he signed Michael Jordan to his first shoe contract.

High school seniors across the country begin to receive their college acceptance letters this month, and many will be breathing a sigh of relief. Getting in is the hard part, right? But the process of paying for college is just as tough for many families – and it shouldn’t be an afterthought.

What is more useful a technical degree or a liberal arts degree. And, which is likely to help you get a job? Two people who stand on opposite sides of the fence. Brian Fitzgerald is the executive director of the Business Higher Education Forum. He stands in favor of science, technology, engineering, and math — or “STEM” degrees. And Mark Bauerlein is an English professor at Emory University. He believes you can’t go wrong with a liberal arts degree.

Earlier this week in Chicago, Mayor Richard Daley said that he wants to close the “open-door” admissions policy at the City Colleges, which allows students to enroll in classes regardless of past academic performance. He says the system can’t afford to keep spending $30 million a year on remedial classes for students who aren’t prepared to handle college level work.

But for many students, remedial classes are their way into higher education, better jobs and more opportunities. 

A new AP-Univision poll says more than eight out of ten Latinos in America believe the most important goal for high school graduates is to continue their educations.  94 percent of the more than 1,500 Latinos polled said they expect their children to go to college.

With the unemployment rate for people in their twenties hovering around 15 percent, it’s tempting for recent college grads to just skip the terrible job market and stay in school. And many of them are doing just that. Last year, there was a 6 percent increase in graduate school enrollment, and this year, 27 percent of college grads will go to grad school instead of entering the job market. But Takeaway work contributor Beth Kobliner says it might not be the best choice for everyone.

The unemployment rate remains sky-high at almost 10 percent, and for 20 to 24-year-olds it’s 15 percent — ­ which makes graduate school attractive to recent college grads. Pretty tempting to just skip the terrible job market and stay in school! But before you head to grad school, it’s vital to consider the debt you’ll incur — and whether you’ll even get a better job out of it. Is grad school really worth the money?