Community college leaders who have launched campaigns to rebrand career and technical education say they face a generational challenge. Today, parents and even many high school guidance counselors cling to a perception that these vocational programs appeal only to less ambitious students or lead to low-paying careers. "For an entire generation, we had the idea […]
This is the second in a trilogy of commentaries on rising Early College Stars. Our focus this month highlights successful Early College best practice case studies that optimize Early College aspiration, preparedness, and achievement. School Superintendents tell us that Early College preparedness promotes high school academic success and self-confidence. Not surprisingly, the intellectual curiosity and […]
Who is today's college student? A new student is emerging. Fewer than half of today's students fit into the 18- to 22-year-old demographic—now they are 18 to 80. Many students work part time or full time, or have families. They are digital natives. Ninety percent of them have smartphones and half have access to tablets […]
Every week at the University of Washington in Seattle, the registrar’s office staff comes across at least three fraudulent diplomas. Every month, they uncover about two fraudulent transcripts. “And these are just the ones we see,” says Helen Garrett, registrar and chief officer for enrollment information services. “Our student database has not been hacked and […]
One of the most fertile areas for collaborative problem-solving between colleges and their K12 counterparts may be the mission they share: education. When edtech developers at Carnegie Mellon University in Pennsylvania asked K12 teachers to wish for a superpower, the teachers imagined student data hovering in midair before their very eyes. Wish granted. Lumilo, the artificially […]
The near weekly occurrence of school shootings has students, faculty and staff feeling like potential victims. Academic administrators are hurriedly seeking ways to keep their campuses from being in tomorrow's headlines. Conversations with education professionals reveal a pervasive fear, an absence of answers and a sense of powerlessness. But it doesn't have to be that […]
The challenge: Reduce summer melt for incoming freshmen at Georgia State University. The method: Use an artificially intelligent chatbot to help students complete pre-enrollment tasks, such as submitting transcripts and taking care of immunization requirements. The results: Summer melt for 2016-17 was 21 percent less than in the prior year. The hero: Pounce the text-based […]
Managing change may be part of the job description for any higher ed administrator, but it's seldom easy. And nowhere is this more evident than with the core of any college or university: its academic programs. In fact, the process can be something of a minefield, with faculty feeling threatened and the media poised to […]
As financial aid administrators know, there’s no shortage of free and fee-based programs designed to help students get a handle on personal finance and keep up loan payments when the time comes. Increasingly, colleges are working with their institutional banking partners to develop engaging, accessible and trusted financial literacy content. Banks have access to nationwide […]
In your experience, how are higher ed institutions doing in their efforts to teach students to be responsible about their finances while in school and in future stages of life? Is there a particular area you believe needs to be covered more? “Higher education institutions provide extensive assistance to both prospective and current students relating […]
