As we speculated last year, the shift to the use of families' Prior-Prior Year (PPY) financial data on the FAFSA has come to pass. Starting in October of 2016, the FAFSA will be available for students to complete for college enrollment in the 2017-18 academic year. This shift has far-reaching implications not only for timing […]
The madness of March swirls around the excitement of collegiate sports. The most successful Division I teams are competing for tournament wins—and the large cash payouts associated with those high-profile victories. "Some athletics departments, particularly those in the Power Five conferences, bring in revenue and are not overly reliant on the greater university budget," says Joel […]
Students don't quite run the show when it comes to course scheduling. But colleges and universities are striving to make it easier for them—with their ongoing juggle of work, family and school commitments—to take the classes necessary to meet educational objectives in time to graduate. Course scheduling policies and practices tend to date back—way back—to […]
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.
A small-scale program that will give prisoners Pell Grants to pursue college degrees represents a symbolic step toward expanding access to higher education. But only a fraction of the inmates who could benefit will receive financial aid, experts say. The 1994 federal crime bill cut inmates off from Pell Grants, leaving private organizations as the […]
In the time since Carey Haddock was a resident assistant 10 years ago, the typical job description has expanded and the stakes are much higher. "There's definitely an increase in pressure and responsibility for RAs today," says Haddock, who now trains and supervises RAs as assistant director of housing and residence life at Salisbury University […]
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 […]
Loan default rates and an expanding focus on student success have made strong student financial literacy efforts a higher ed norm. But as students and their parents continue to grapple with paying for school, money management lessons from colleges are becoming a family affair. "Encouraging students and their families to communicate about financial responsibilities and […]
Allegations of sex abuse, once hidden from public view at universities, are seeing the light of day at record levels. That attention leads to inevitable questions: How can a school conduct the required investigation when a complaint is made, and deal with victim concerns that schools turn a blind eye to their needs? Should it […]
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 […]
