In today’s fast-paced world, it’s sometimes challenging to keep up with the latest news and trends. We reached out to community college presidents to find out which blogs are required reading.

Thom Chesney, president of Brookhaven College, in Dallas, Texas

“I start many a morning with The Chronicle of Higher Education (CHE) blogs, such as The Ticker, Lingua Franca, Vitae and Wired Campus. From InsideHigherEd.com, I’m partial to Confessions of a Community College Dean and Technology and Learning. In my position, it’s often valuable to possess thumbnail-sketch-level knowledge of and interest in the many topics which might arise in the course of dialogue beyond the proverbial strategy and visioning circles that otherwise fill my day. Blogs often provide starting points to more deliberate research and reading as well.”

Stephen Scott, president of Wake Technical Community College, in Raleigh, N.C.

“I read many blogs daily and find the Education Advisory Board (EAB) Daily Briefing particularly interesting because of the in-depth research they include on community colleges.”

David Harrison, president of Columbus State Community College, in Columbus, Ohio

“The publications that I consider ‘go-to’ on a daily basis are The Chronicle of Higher Education and Inside Higher Ed. Each is useful in its own way. Inside has historically covered activity at peer institutions (and schools with whom I’ve worked) more closely than other publications. The Chronicle is helpful in that it produces niche versions of its periodic e-newsletters, one of which is focused on community colleges.”

The List

The Chronicle of Higher Education Blogs

The Ticker: Reports breaking news and trending topics from across the nation

Lingua Franca: Focuses on language and writing

Vitae: Opinion and advice columns, essays and weekly roundups from the CHE’s discussion forums

Wired Campus: News about education technology

EAB Daily Briefing: Presented by the EAB and accessible only to EAB members, the briefing rounds up highlights of higher-education news and posts them Monday through Friday. The blog also includes summaries of research and insights from the main EAB website, announcements of Web conferences and other events, and commentary from EAB experts.

Insider Higher Ed Blogs

Confessions of a Community College Dean: The author, Matthew Reed, vice president for learning at Brookdale Community College, uses the pen name “Dean Dad.” You get a good idea of his writer’s voice from the blog’s description:

In which a veteran of cultural studies seminars in the 1990s moves into academic administration and finds himself a married suburban father of two. Foucault, plus lawn care.

Technology and Learning: Joshua Kim, director of digital learning initiatives at the Dartmouth Center for the Advancement of Learning, contributes to this blog.

What are you reading? Tell us in the comments.