Alcino Donadel

Alcino Donadel is a UB staff writer and first-generation journalism graduate from the University of Florida. He has triple citizenship from the U.S., Ecuador and Brazil.

One in three grad schools leave students with more debt than when they started

The HEA Group and Student Defense found that graduate schools leave students with over $100 million more in debt than what they entered repayment with.

How admissions offices worked around court rulings and tech trends to uphold core values

The Common App marks the latest front for colleges and universities to maintain their dedication to diversity and integrity amid emerging roadblocks.

House and Senate education budgets differ wildly, reflecting party lines

The House targeted organizations it found to "undermine the unity of our country," proposing to reduce the Office for Civil Rights budget by 25%.

More than 80% of students are at least as stressed as last year with fall semester looming

The Supreme Court's rulings this summer had strong implications for a recent survey by TimelyCare. More than half of students reported stress or anxiety around its decisions on striking down affirmative action (53%) and denying Biden's student loan forgiveness (60%). Students submitted responses in July 2023, when the rulings were still top of mind.

President moves: Resignations and early retirements reigned in July

The average tenure among the six presidents to step down or retire in this list is three and a half years, a starkly shorter timeline than the 5.9-year average ACE reported in its annual president survey.

Africa’s student visa denials exceed every continent despite growing U.S. enrollment

A report published by the Higher Ed Immigration Portal found that U.S. immigration denied 50% of African student visas between 2015 and 2022. This, despite the fact "the growth in the world’s labor market is in Africa," according to Rebecca Winthrop, director of the Center for University Education at Brookings. "As other parts of the world age, Africa will grow its population and today’s children will be the talent tomorrow’s global companies will be recruiting."

Automation is top of mind as a means to combat shrinking dining service revenue

“Just as many of our programs have adapted to both an on-campus and remote element, we are seeing many opportunities to use mobile technology to collaborate with our surrounding communities to provide dining services to our students in the years ahead," said Mike Henderson of the University of Tennessee at Knoxville.

‘Affirmative action made us complacent’: Leaders on their back heels get real on equity

"The higher education system is broken," said Colorado College President Song Richardson at the Department of Education's summit discussing the end of affirmative action.

Stay in school! Rate of first-year students persisting rivals pre-pandemic

National Student Clearinghouse found first-year students have a 67.2% retention rate, besting pre-pandemic averages. NSCRC defines retention as students who remain at a given institution for their second year instead of transferring, which counts toward persistence.

President’s corner: David Decker embraces tech trends to keep enrollment rolling at Franklin U

"You have to be open to fertility," Decker says. "You can’t just sit there and say, 'Nothing’s good except what we’ve been doing for the last 40 years.'"

Nearly 90% of staff report major barriers between traditional and emerging academic programs

In the American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers' (AACRAO) new survey on how institutions are mediating PCE units' coexistence with the academic registrar, they found that one-siloed PCE units that are now converging with the academic registrar are causing internal tension and confusion.

Top 1% students are twice as likely to being admitted to Ivy-Plus schools, per report

While test scores are no longer a requirement across many institutions, such as the majority of Ivy Leagues, most students would not miss out on a chance to tip the scales in their favor. However, 99% of candidates must face an additional roadblock to their admission: not being sufficiently wealthy.

Texas A&M’s botched faculty hiring reaches top of the ladder, claims president’s job

"We don't exhibit a very good image of competence to the outside world," said materials science and engineering professor Raymundo Arroyave in a special Faculty Senate meeting.

“Overlooked and underbudgeted”: Why the time to improve faculty affairs is now

Revamping how leaders approach faculty affairs is essential for an institution's vitality in the face of political hostility, decline in spending power and poor public perception.

Struggling to develop AI programs? Look no further than these 4 schools

The need for AI extends beyond student sentiment. PwC predicts AI's economic impact in North America will reach $3.7 trillion by 2030, translating to a 14.5% boost in the country's GDP.