University of Nebraska has selected Hank M. Bounds, Mississippi's commissioner of higher education, as the system's seventh president. He'll replace interim President James Linder. During Bounds' two-year tenure as higher ed commissioner, student enrollment and degrees awarded by the institutions in the Mississippi system have increased by 13.3 percent and 11.4 percent, respectively. He has […]
The temperature around higher education unionizing efforts often runs hot. Officials are reluctant to have outside labor groups on campus or to relinquish control over important personnel decisions—including pay, benefits and other sensitive employee issues. But should higher ed leaders fear unionization efforts? One primary area of worry for institutions whose employees are beginning to […]
Each year, the market for tenure-eligible faculty positions becomes more and more competitive, and a greater number of newly minted Ph.D. graduates struggle to find a job. The U.S. annually produces about 70,000 new doctoral graduates, representing a significant investment of time and money by both the students and their universities. Considering that cost, and […]
For years, universities have taken advantage of an insurance solution known as Owner-Controlled Insurance Programs (OCIPs) or “wrap-ups.” OCIPs provide general liability insurance and workers compensation for the length of a construction project for all or a majority of the parties involved rather than requiring each participant to be responsible for the procurement of insurance. […]
Higher ed’s reliance on adjunct faculty, hardly a secret anymore, has gotten much scrutiny in the past few years. Institutions of all types benefit from the fact that adjuncts—provided they don’t become eligible for health benefits by working more than 30 hours a week—can be employed for a fraction of the investment needed for full-time […]
Appalachian State University (N.C.): Policy says that faculty should generally not be paid extra for teaching courses on top of normal course loads. It mentions making other arrangements, such as a course reduction the following semester. California State University: Overload assignment may not exceed 25 percent of a full-time position. Kennesaw State University (Ga.): Overload […]
It’s no secret that higher education is an increasingly global endeavor. Besides sending a significant number of students to participate in study abroad programs (which has more than tripled in the past two decades), colleges and universities also engage in research projects, collaborations and countless other international activities. To support these enterprises, universities may send […]
Quick, what business makes more money than the NFL yet pays most of its workers next to nothing? The answer is college sports, which according to a ruling handed down last month by federal judge Claudia Wilken, should indeed be recognized as a business. College sports generate $10.5 billion in revenue, the bulk of it […]
College sports has long had its share of scandals, including rape charges against players and coaches, illegal payments to athletes, academic fraud and point shaving, to name a few. More recently, a pair of high-profile cases—an antitrust suit against the NCAA by players seeking compensation for the use of their likenesses for commercial purposes and […]
Administrators at public colleges and universities received larger raises in 2013 than did their private-institution counterparts. That's a key finding in the "2013-14 Administrators in Higher Education Salary Survey," conducted by the College and University Professional Association for Human Resources. The difference isn't substantial: Senior-level public administrators saw a median increase of 2.5 percent, while […]
