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 […]
In 2008, former Yale professor William Deresiewicz wrote a scathing essay titled “The Disadvantages of an Elite Education.” It quickly went viral, gaining more than 100,000 views in a matter of weeks (and many times that since). “The system manufactures students who are smart and talented and driven,” he noted, “but also anxious, timid and […]
There is no greater financial investment in one’s future than a college degree. While this viewpoint has its critics, the reality is the value of a degree has never been greater. Despite public questions about a degree’s worth, the pay gap between college graduates and those without a degree reached a high in 2013. According […]
The number of Americans age 18 to 21, the traditional college age, has decreased by nearly 700,000 since 2011—from 18.1 to 17.4 million—according to research from the University of Virginia. With this decline, many colleges could turn to older non-first-time students to maintain enrollment numbers and financial goals. Yet, more than 2.5 million adult learners […]
More transfer students will now have the chance to obtain an associate degree—with-out extra administrative burden—thanks to a Lumina Foundation grant that National Student Clearinghouse received to provide an automated solution for exchanging reverse transfer student data. With this technology (currently in phase-one development in Missouri, Texas and Wisconsin), four-year schools will send academic data […]
Paying students to explore entrepreneurial ideas: Hope College in Michigan pays students $10 an hour for up to 10 hours a week when they enroll in entrepreneurial programs offered by its Center for Faithful Leadership (CFL). In the CFL Incubator course, students create ideas for businesses and products; in the consulting track, future entrepreneurs help […]
W. Kent Fuchs, provost of Cornell University, has been named president of the University of Florida. Fuchs developed Cornell's strategic plan for achieving academic preeminence as one of the world's top 10 universities; launched a university-wide reimagining initiative that enhanced Cornell's academic stature; and led a team and a strategy that resulted in the creation […]
I’ve spent much of the past four years helping raise awareness of the importance of web analytics for digital marketing and communications. I’ve used many tactics to reach this goal: online surveys on the State of Web and Social Media Analytics in Higher Education, columns focusing on early adopters, trends and success stories, countless presentations […]
It had begun like most fall mornings on a college campus. The air was crisp and the sky was clear as students, faculty and staff prepared for another day. The difference this day was that a host of state and local police officers, EMTs and paramedics had converged on the administration building. A staff member […]
Helen Drinan is nothing if not outspoken. The eighth president of Simmons College (Mass.) is a strong advocate of women's rights, diversity and equal opportunity. Coming from a corporate background where she often had to stand up for herself in a male-dominated environment, Drinan pulls no punches when pointing out higher education's shortcomings in these […]
