Community colleges have traditionally focused on helping students earn credentials for employment. But are they now also preparing students for the looming dynamic, disruptive and entrepreneurial environments ahead? Rebecca Corbin says—increasingly—they are. Corbin is president and CEO of the National Association for Community College Entrepreneurship (NACCE). She and former community college president Ron Thomas have […]
For generations, the American public has been told by venerable think tanks like Brookings, Pew and other educational research foundations and professional associations that American students lag significantly behind their global counterparts when it comes to math and science aptitude. This research suggests that over the past 20 years, the US has only marginally improved […]
Today's universities are challenged with pretty intense competition for the best and brightest students, while retaining and nurturing those students throughout their college careers. It's important to make sure students are the right fit from the start, while easing their transition to college and providing as much support as possible–a pretty tall order under any […]
While a college’s general education curriculum touches every student, officials may go many years without touching those requirements in any significant way. In fact, some institutions are still using general ed programs developed between 20 and 30 years ago, before the digital revolution transformed the lives of students. “There’s a sense of urgency in addressing some […]
Virginia Tech: Pathways Apply ethical reasoning and intercultural and global awareness across the entire curriculum. Take one of 10 interdisciplinary minors to earn up to 18 of the 45 required general ed credits. Participate in high-impact learning experiences by studying abroad, or doing undergraduate research or a cocurricular activity. University at Buffalo (N.Y.): UB Curriculum […]
The number of higher ed institutions rethinking how they screen and accept new students continues to grow. In recent months, Stanford, Princeton and Brown universities announced that they would make SAT and ACT scores optional in the admissions process. Since 2005, more than 1,000 accredited colleges and universities have made the scores optional—or have ignored […]
Once meant to supplement full-time and tenured faculty, adjunct faculty were often viewed as “the others.” But times and economics have changed and this contingent force has become the majority of faculty in American higher education. One result of this shift is a new push to unionize adjunct professors for better pay, benefits and working […]
There are many programs that call themselves "college in prison." Most lean toward job training and teaching skills that prisoners can use upon their release. Bard College's Prison Initiative, also known as BPI, focuses instead on the importance of the liberal arts in public life. Daniel Karpowitz, the prison initiative's director of policy and national […]
The "perfect storm" of a weak economy, the expansion of for-profit schools and greater competition for fewer students has forced many colleges to become more strategic about their survival, and to avoid previously unthinkable options, including closing their doors for good. In Consolidating Colleges and Merging Universities (2017, Johns Hopkins University Press), James Martin and […]
Disabilities services administrators at Greenfield Community College in Massachusetts, University of Connecticut and Landmark College in Vermont recommend the following assistive technology for students with executive dysfunction: Read & Write software makes websites, documents and files more accessible. It’s an intuitive toolbar that assists students with everyday tasks such as reading text aloud, understanding unfamiliar […]
