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 […]
Admissions, enrollment, marketing, retention and financial aid administrators surveyed generally have a sunny outlook about the student population in 2018—with 62 percent anticipating an enrollment increase. International student enrollment is in a less positive place, however, with only about one-quarter of the 92 respondents expecting an increase this year. Regarding the online student population, 47 […]
Free community college spreads: New York introduced its Excelsior scholarship for students from families with income less than $100,000. The challenges of free tuition also became apparent, as Oregon and other states grappled with fewer budget dollars than needed to accept every applicant. Greek life endangered?: The true worth of fraternities and sororities was scrutinized […]
In a year defined by on-campus and national controversy, higher ed institutions worked to become more nimble. Here, we reflect on the major events in 2017 that will continue to shape the higher ed landscape in 2018 and beyond. Federal action and guidance President Donald Trump and the Republican-controlled Congress brought change and a new […]
Higher ed leaders love an opportunity to tout the beauty of their campuses, and continuous construction gives them a lot to talk about. One-third of the 72 presidents, chancellors and provosts surveyed by UB named capital projects as one of their institution's biggest priorities for 2018. At nearly half of their campuses, ground will break […]
Clouds that emerged throughout 2017 are hanging over the heads of campus administrators, posing potentially huge impacts to higher ed as a whole. Just a few of the significant national developments include: the proposed $9 billion in cuts to the U.S. Department of Education for fiscal year 2018—which if implemented will affect Stafford Loan financing, […]
While relying less on student tuition and fees is the ideal situation for many higher ed institutions, it's not surprising that finance administrators anticipate tuition revenue as the biggest funding boost for 2018. Other areas with a starring role in additional funding projections are student fees and advancement income, from both philanthropic and corporate donors. The 66 […]
"No margin, no mission!" is how one respondent to UB's 2018 Outlook survey of campus leaders described the high stakes involved in raising more tuition revenue, non-tuition revenue and fundraising dollars in 2018. Controlling costs is one of the top two institutional priorities noted by the survey's 72 president, chancellor and provost respondents. Nearly 6 […]
An increase in technology spending is the gift that about 4 in 10 campus technology administrators are unwrapping to start the new year. Sixteen percent of the 96 respondents to a UB survey, however, must deal with a decrease in spending. The top area getting significant investment in 2018 is academic technology. One respondent (from an […]
We asked: What are your predictions, hopes and concerns for 2018? Administrators and experts who have recently contributed to UB answered. A link to each contributor's recent column appears under their name. "College students are wired to think about their future. Higher education must start early to create meaningful career development experiences for students by […]
