One of the more demanding jobs in higher ed belongs to the provost—the chief academic officer. With ever-widening fields of responsibility, the position often consists largely of on-the-job training. James Martin and James Samels, authors of UB's online "Future Shock" column, expect their new book will help change that. The Provost's Handbook: The Role of […]
Community colleges have achieved the goal of providing broader and cheaper access to higher education. Now, experts and administrators say, the focus must turn more aggressively toward student success and completion.
In an era when prospective students and their parents can learn about hundreds of schools from the comfort of their homes, the in-person campus tour offers a golden opportunity to tip the scales in your favor. The tour is also the most influential factor in enrollment decisions, according to a 2012 Noel-Levitz study. But too […]
Brian W. Casey, president of DePauw University in Indiana, will become the 17th president of Colgate University in New York. Casey has led "DePauw 2020," a multiyear strategic plan. And under his leadership, DePauw has invested in academic programs, campus projects, student advising and postgraduate planning, plus established and secured more than $56 million for […]
Academia's cyber preparedness (or lack thereof) has received less media attention than that of certain retailers and financial institutions, but nonetheless the cyber risks confronting universities are pervasive and alarming. Consider recent breaches suffered by educational institutions. At the University of Maryland, an outside source gained access to a secure records database that held information […]
After years of quiet evolution, the competency-based education movement is now poised for explosive growth, with several hundred colleges and universities developing programs that fundamentally redefine the college degree. An estimated 34 U.S. institutions now offer some form of competency-based learning, according to research by Robert Kelchen, an assistant professor of higher education at Seton […]
The Association of American Colleges and Universities recently delivered a wake-up call to both students and administrators about how well prepared college graduates are for the world of work. The survey, which was completed by both college students and employers with more than 25 employees, showed students consistently rated themselves as "well prepared" when employers […]
More students now do their research on the web, bypassing resources offered by their campus libraries as digital usurps print in curricula, a recent survey says. Among the 4,300 students surveyed, less than 40 percent reported doing research at their library. About half used the library's online databases. Still, 77 percent said they study alone […]
As director of the Community College Research Center at Teachers College, Columbia University, Thomas Bailey is the nation's preeminent scholar of community colleges. After recognizing that myriad reform efforts directed at community colleges showed little evidence of improved outcomes, he and his CCRC colleagues, Shanna Smith Jaggars and Davis Jenkins, set out to learn why […]
Outside the circle of higher ed facilities managers, it's the shiny new campus buildings that get all the glory. Yet what facilities insiders know all too well is that existing buildings are in dire need of attention. Aging buildings, a recent economic downturn and pressure to invest in new construction has led to rising deferred […]
