What’s more important in higher education: preparing for a profession or attaining a well-rounded liberal arts education? The answer is that in today’s world both are critical. The cost of a higher education is high and the workplace demands not only the capacity for critical thinking associated with liberal arts, but new skills like “design […]
What are some ways that you’ve seen student services within residence halls grow to meet student needs and expectations? “Letter-centric mailrooms are not prepared to handle the packages and the expectation of doorstep-service associated with e-commerce. Students want low-touch retail, and administrators want to offer streamlined, cost-effective and safe services. “Modern mail processes can automatically […]
Students used to trek across campus to reach resources such as counseling, health services and study areas—or to simply pick up packages in the mail room. They had to leave campus altogether to find specialty services such as dry cleaning and dog grooming. And then, of course, there were the endless trips to the basement […]
President Lyle Roelofs likes to buy running shoes for his students at Berea College—as long as they get some exercise with him twice weekly before class. Starting at 7 a.m., students—along with faculty, staff and community members—can run four miles with him or walk two with his wife.
Faced with rising costs of higher education, many students are deciding not to purchase required course materials, therefore going through their semester without the tools they need to learn and succeed. Fifty percent of students say avoiding or delaying these purchases negatively impacts their grades. As a result, more institutions are taking advantage of digital […]
An increasing number of institutions are taking advantage of mobile technology to help recruit, engage and enroll prospective and admitted students. Mobile apps are being used for self-guided campus tours, open houses, recruitment events, college nights and more, providing a highly effective way for admissions and enrollment departments to meet the needs of these students. […]
Colleges and universities have become a favorite target of cybercriminals because of the sheer volume of student information they handle. This is because payment processing happens all over campus, from the ticketing office to the bursar’s office to the cafeteria. In addition to endangering students and damaging the reputation of the institution, the financial costs […]
Over 100 schools have joined Great Lakes Educational Loan Services’ ScholarNet for Private Loans network this past year to connect with lenders who will streamline private student loan data and fund exchanges. Eastern Oregon University and Revature are providing students and alumni with free online and in-person coding programs that teach technology skills sought by […]
Despite the big push for STEM majors and career-focused skills in recent years, the liberal arts seem to be making a resurgence. Liberal arts degree programs in 2016 ranked No. 1 for most completions as well as for the biggest increase in completions, higher ed consulting firm Gray Associates found in a recent analysis of […]
Lori Fulton, director of institutional effectiveness, Pacific Northwest University "In the beginning, I was focused on developing systems and processes to capture and collect data for analysis and reporting purposes with the aim of becoming the central source for institutional data. Now, I see that role becoming more of a mentor and facilitator of performance improvement—helping […]