A retired nursing professor traveled to India to compile a how-to book for the country's nurses. A one-time professor of religion took up digital photography. A former drama school dean helped a local theater company stay afloat. Janette Brown, assistant vice provost at the University of Southern California, has seen the phenomenon often: faculty members finding […]
Under age-discrimination laws, college professors, like most American workers, can't be forced into retirement. Congress ended mandatory age-70 faculty retirement in 1994, after the National Academy of Sciences predicted the change wouldn't increase professors' average retirement age. But that prediction was wrong, data suggests. A 2013 study by New York University researchers found the average […]
From construction workers and machinists to occupational therapists and fire fighters, skilled laborers are in high demand. And shortages of employees like these are making it difficult for companies to fill jobs. In a July 2016 survey, the National Association for Business Economics found that 31 percent of its members experienced labor shortages; and the […]
Universities welcome media coverage of college sports, groundbreaking research and alumni achievement—all of which generate recognition and revenues supporting their educational mission. Too often, however, racially charged events at universities have dominated those headlines. Racial diversity, inclusion and equality in higher education are hot topics. Low numbers of minority faculty, students and administrators, as well […]
When Lisa Severy became a career counselor in the mid-'90s, the dominant philosophy in serving students was this: "I'll help you catch your first fish." Now the idea has evolved to: "I want to teach you to catch fish so you'll be able to do this forever." The process involves meeting students' needs—and providing what […]
Early alert systems. Transfer credit assessment tools. Adaptive technologies. Apps to push student reminders. Career assessment software. Colleges and universities nationwide use these and many other success technologies to help students improve grades, increase involvement and persist to graduation with as little debt as possible. Driven, in part, by pressure from new federal regulations, campus […]
While most libraries have cleared out hundreds, if not thousands, of books from their shelves, that doesn't mean they have surrendered square footage. In fact, many colleges and universities are investing millions of dollars to repurpose or even expand these facilities to make room for collaborative learning, technology centers, dining areas, research support and other […]
Active learning should allow students in traditional lecture halls to work in small groups solving problem sets or developing presentations. That can be accomplished without renovating the space, but the layout does present challenges. Lecture courses can be made more interactive by breaking up class time with small-group activities. "You can do it low-tech —'Here's […]
Students enrolled in media ethics at The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill this fall walked into a lecture hall that looked radically different than two years ago. Gone is the stadium-style seating. Now the room, used for a wide range of courses, has 100 rolling swivel chairs with adjustable tables and nine mounted […]
