Rapid changes in technology, the dissolution of boundaries in the global marketplace, and innovation in research all demand a new approach to higher education. Universities must blur the lines—between public and private, between not-for-profit and commercial, between the liberal arts and STEM—by working with industry and nonprofit organizations to create unique training, research opportunities and […]
At Niagara College in Ontario, Canada, a new state-of-the-art Advanced Manufacturing Innovation Centre is providing unique opportunities for students, faculty and local businesses to collaborate in innovative ways. 3D printing plays an important role in a variety of projects at the Centre, providing students with valuable real-world experience, faculty with professional development and research opportunities, […]
Helicopter parents celebrate commencement with pride and increasing expectations of their kids' academic achievements and career preparedness. These lofty expectations are justified – given degree inflation, spiraling tuition and fees, and mounting family debt. Naturally, parents want to believe their children's college and university experience will translate into gainful employment and career advancement. As helicopter […]
Faculty and students at Bridgewater College in Virginia complained increasingly in recent years about the unavailability of textbooks at the campus bookstore. To control inventory, the store stocked only a percentage of materials required if everyone purchased what was expected. Campus business officers also noted a rapid decline in textbook revenue and related commissions, as […]
Despite the economic and demographic factors that indicate challenging times ahead for higher ed, campuses across the country are busy building, according to a survey of college and university leaders by UB. The survey took a look at the inspiration behind campus construction efforts and the overall institutional impact of the projects. With student enrollment […]
As the definition of student success continues to expand beyond retention and graduation rates, its physical presence on many campuses is also beginning to sprawl. Student success centers have been emerging for years, and the trend is expected to continue. For each school considering one, decisions involve how to structure and design the space, as […]
When a school hears from the FBI, the news is not likely to be good. Two years ago, FBI agents informed Maricopa County Community College District administrators that data from the 10-college system in Arizona had been posted on the internet. With a possible data breach underway, the system's website was shut down immediately and […]
Higher ed institutions are expanding interdisciplinary research activity by hiring groups of faculty from multiple disciplines at the same time. The idea, pioneered by the University of Wisconsin-Madison in the late 1990s and sprouting up elsewhere since then, is to formalize the expectation of working collaboratively across the university. It may involve a variety of […]
Web analytics by itself won't do everything a school might want, says Alan Etkins, a research and analytics associate at consultancy Ruffalo Noel Levitz. "It will give you counts, it may give you hypotheses, but it won't give you full understanding [of metrics]." He recommends that those serious about web analytics integrate tools to enhance […]
The growing view of higher education as a global commodity has driven many ambitious institutions to deepen their international presence by setting up shop overseas. While still far from common practice, international branch campuses have risen from a worldwide total of 15 in 1995 to 231 in 2015, according to the Cross-Border Education Research Team […]
