IT leaders at The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill recognized that unbundling, analyzing and sharing learning management system data could produce results, particularly in driving online students’ success. So they partnered with the College of Education to make it happen. Student behaviors such as ignoring the syllabus or not opening assignments will get […]
Classrooms, libraries and residence halls may appear to be the key points of interest on campus tours—but dining halls can generate even bigger buzz. Students scrutinize menus, looking for labels such as vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, allergen-friendly, kosher or halal. Spotting those options could mean the difference between enrolling or choosing another school. “We’ve had students see […]
How you go to college matters more than where you go to college, says Bentley University President Gloria Cordes Larson. In her book Prepared U (2017 Jossey-Bass), Larson says institutions that focus on professional studies do a fine job preparing students for a job after college. But they often fall short on building “lifelong learning […]
From 2007 to 2016, higher ed campuses grew by more than 10 percent in building space, outpacing the 8 percent growth in enrollment during the same period, according to the most recent "State of Facilities in Higher Education" report from Sightlines. It is the fourth consecutive year of construction outpacing enrollment growth. Much of this […]
As higher ed futurists, we are asked about craven competition, niche branding, and distinctive marketing opportunities for a wide range of schools, colleges, and universities. One emergent strategic option for Engineering Institutes is to burnish their unique engineering, science, and technology niche, yet leverage the attributes and competitive advantages that come with attaining University Status. […]
In July, Mickey McDonald becomes president of the Great Lakes College Association, a consortium of 13 liberal arts schools in Michigan, Indiana and Pennsylvania. McDonald will leave Michigan's Kalamazoo College, where he served as provost for 10 years and co-chairs its current strategic planning initiative. McDonald hired approximately one-third of Kalamazoo's current faculty and gave […]
Higher ed museums continue to evolve, but tried-and-true practices drive current trends such as galleries with moveable walls, event spaces and AV technology. "Colleges are seizing on tradition," says Matt Kirchman, president and principal planner at ObjectIDEA, a Massachusetts-based company that plans cultural attractions worldwide. Soaring ceilings and civic spaces, for example, originally served to […]
When it comes to underserved student populations, one group is often left out of the conversation: American Indians and Alaska Natives. The Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education (WICHE) has launched a new consortium to address the needs of these populations, powered by a three-year, $990,000 Lumina Foundation grant. Angela Rochat, coordinator for evaluation policy and […]
College admissions teams now go beyond zip codes and SAT scores to micromatch students who are most likely to apply to, enroll in and succeed at their institutions. In this new era, administrators consider everything from a student's interests and non-school activities to what they like on Facebook and how long they spent on the […]
The finalized version of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act that President Trump signed into law poses less of a perceived threat to higher ed than the bill that passed the House. Proponents say that people who use education-savings accounts will benefit from deductions in student loan interest. Critics, however, predict that the doubling of […]
