It is no coincidence that at a time of staggering family college debt burden, hands-on learning is experiencing a revival in schools, colleges, and universities across the Nation and around the world. Students and families perplexed and frustrated by the gainful employment vs. tuition gap are looking for more practical (maker) skills from their next […]
A recent survey of alumni of institutions confirmed what every university president knows: when asked who set them on a constructive path, at the top of the list are professors who made them excited about learning, professors who cared about them as persons, encouraged them, mentored them, and directed them in projects—what we call “high touch.” […]
Over 16 years ago, the California State University system’s 23 campuses had independently managed networks. Each had autonomy over standards and used a hodgepodge of products. But leaders in the Chancellor’s Office knew a single setup across the board had potential to create a better experience for 450,000 students and over 45,000 staff members. “The […]
Students from six nearby states can now attend the University of Maine at the same in-state tuition rate offered by the flagship institutions in their home states. The university launched its Flagship Match program this spring to boost not just its enrollment, but also prestige. As completion rates of full-time students in Maine flounder and […]
At one university, a garbage can blocked access to the paper towels, a table was placed in front of the automatic door button, students in wheelchairs couldn't access the accessible sink in a science lab because of a trash can's placement, and staff sometimes plowed snow into disabled parking spaces or access lanes. At another […]
It takes more than good intentions and extra space to be successful in starting an incubator. Here are three tips to to help campus departments of economic development go from idea to execution: 1. Write a business plan (and be prepared to change it). As with all successful startups, incubators might need to adapt their focus […]
The 18,000-square-foot space in Boston has all the hallmarks of a typical startup: Computers running equations, whiteboards filled with scrawled revenue projections and caffeine-fueled meetings about venture capital in glass-walled conference rooms. But the Venture Development Center (VDC) isn't a startup; it's a business incubator at University of Massachusetts, Boston that houses dozens of fledgling […]
The numbers should unsettle enrollment professionals: College and university enrollment rates have decreased for each of the last four years and nothing indicates a reversal anytime soon. A look at recent headlines reflects this trend: Mary Baldwin College in Virginia and Notre Dame of Maryland University in Baltimore each saw a drop of 5 percent […]
When the economy tanked in 2009, the trustees of Hamilton College in upstate New York made a major investment in the future of admissions practices—they shifted from need-sensitive to need-blind admissions, while remaining a school that promises to meet full need. The trustees of the 1,850-student liberal arts college provided bridge funding of five $500,000 […]
Having just returned from my first trip to Haiti, I have been thinking a lot about the water crisis in Flint, Michigan. The situation is appalling to most Americans because we take for granted an abundance of fresh, clean water at every turn. Indeed, one might argue that it is a triumph of Madison Avenue […]
