At the drop of a hat, we run down to the grocery store to grab food and water – never thinking these consumables are actually vulnerable to the threat of agroterrorism. Former U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services, Tommy Thompson, put it this way “For the life of me, I cannot understand why the […]
What is the value to institutions in making energy efficiency a priority? At the Lone Star College System, we have made it a priority to be as energy efficient as possible for a few reasons: We believe that if we can have the budget stability and predictability that results from being more efficient, we can […]
Tom Fitzgerald, CEO, E&I Cooperative Services There’s no denying it: today’s higher ed administrators are facing enormous financial challenges. As tuitions have steadily increased, revenue from the state and federal government has continued to drop. Student loan debt has reached epic proportions, eclipsing the $1 trillion mark in 2011. According to the Princeton Review, college […]
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 […]
When you think “rebranding campaign,” it most likely conjures up images of marketing and communications officers meeting with the school president and board of trustees to toil over logo colors, mascots and slogans. In reality, it’s a much more complex process, involving the entire school community. And its impact can be felt across all institutional […]
What are the main concerns students and the community have concerning the affordability of higher education? There are two major concerns that seem to be the most popular worries of students and the general public. The rising cost of tuition: Tuition prices have been increasing at a rate over the past years that far outpaces […]
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 […]
Managing course scheduling involves more than just cracking a complex logistical code each semester. It’s also a potential bane or boon to the operating budget. Course scheduling is tied integrally to two of an institution’s most expensive resources—facilities and faculty. An
The often-used businesses term "right-sizing" has in recent years become common in higher education. Though sometimes used as a euphemism for "downsizing," it more rightly refers to an effort to optimize enrollment, human resources, programs and facilities—in other words, fixed costs. There are a host of factors that should go into the analysis when an […]
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 […]
