When students at Granite Hills High School return for classes Sept. 4, they’ll have education’s equivalent of a few shiny new toys to play with: a new TV studio, photography lab and digital media arts center.

At a time when arts education is taking a budgetary hit in California, students at Helix Charter High School in La Mesa will soon be beneficiaries of a state-of-the-art performing arts facility.

It's not easy expanding a campus in tough budgetary times, but planners at California State University, San Marcos have had success over the past few years.

The new high school being built in Carlsbad is more than halfway done and is on schedule to be completed by February 2013.

With its improved planetarium and Industrial Technology building, Palomar College's campus is undergoing a renaissance this year.

In the last year, the San Diego Community College District has spent approximately $200 million on improving its three main campuses and continuing education campuses.

Construction is moving forward and projects continue to be awarded on Proposition S work at the San Diego Unified School District.

At 206,000 square feet, the new Math and Science Building at San Diego Mesa College is taking shape as the roughly $110 million giant on campus.

On Sept. 22, 2012, the city of Temecula, the business community, local school districts, colleges and universities will join forces in sponsoring the Fourth Annual Temecula Valley College and Vocational Invitational held at the Promenade Regional Mall in Temecula. The event attracts thousands of prospective students and their families throughout Riverside County. Representatives from more than 170 colleges, military academies, as well as vocational and trade schools will be on hand to introduce their schools, provide information and answer any questions.

When it comes to developing visionary programs that meet a local work force need, California State University, San Marcos at Temecula has it covered.

The quality of a high school is often measured by how prepared graduates are for higher education or the world of work. Not only must today's graduates be proficient in core academic subjects, but they also need to be critical thinkers, problem solvers and effective communicators. In other words, they need 21st century skills.

San Diego State University’s College of Extended Studies will continue to offer online certificate classes for the construction industry during the fall semester.

The University of California, San Diego will host its annual Dinner in the Library fundraiser Sept. 14 at 5:30 p.m., according to a release. The eveningís festivities ó which will take place in the iconic Geisel Library building — will include a gourmet dinner, a silent auction and a keynote talk on “The Lost Art of Reading” by Los Angeles Times book critic David Ulin. Proceeds from the event will help support the UC San Diego library’s collections, resources and services.

The University of California, San Diegoís international research program Pacific Rim Undergraduate Experiences recently received a $100,000 gift from young alumna Haley Hunter-Zinck, according to a release. The funds will support the greatest needs of the program, including assistance for future students who travel to the Pacific Rim to conduct research. Hunter-Zinck made the donation in memory of her late mother, Jennifer Zinck.

There’s about $177 million worth of major construction in progress at San Diego State University right now. When it’s done, both the eastern and western sides of campus will have a new look.

Thomas Jefferson School of Law's student-run Volunteer Income Tax Assistance Clinic (VITA) helped more than 300 people and saved them a total of nearly $15,000 in tax preparation fees.

Thomas Jefferson School of Law Professor William Slomanson, the author of a widely used casebook on international law, traveled this month to several countries along the East European/Southwest Asian border known as the South Caucasus, lecturing on the topic of “Remedial Secession in South Caucasus.”

Christine Probett was named interim assistant dean for student affairs at the College of Business Administration at San Diego State University (SDSU).

The CYMO Foundation on Sunday will donate 150 backpacks to children at the San Diego Rescue Missionís Women and Children’s Center and Nueva Vida Haven emergency shelter, as well as to children from Toussaint Academy and the Set Free Ministry. The CYMO Foundation seeks to improve the lives of youth by spreading the message of drug awareness, according to a release.

The San Diego chapter of the Associated General Contractors of America announced Wednesday that more than $3,500 worth of donated school supplies has reached the classrooms of Sweetwater Springs Community School, chosen by the trade organization to be its partner in AGC San Diego’s new “Adopt-a-School” program.