Recent regulations from the Department of Education improve protection for student borrowers targeted by misleading or predatory practices, and establish a clear path for loan forgiveness in instances of institutional fraud or misconduct—an issue financial aid experts say will impact both for-profits and nonprofits. The Department of Education can now automatically provide debt relief to […]
As American politicians tout plans to help displaced energy workers, universities are already creating scholarships and entrepreneurial opportunities to help the unemployed and underemployed gain footing in an ever-greening economy. Ten scholarships for former energy workers offered by the University of Wyoming’s College of Engineering and Applied Sciences can be used at the institution or […]
When Lisa Severy became a career counselor in the mid-’90s, the dominant philosophy in serving students was this: “I’ll help you catch your first fish.” Now the idea has evolved to: “I want to teach you to catch fish so you’ll be able to do this forever.” The process involves meeting students’ needs—and providing what […]
Almost 90 percent of colleges and universities offer tuition remission benefits to their employees and employees’ dependents, according to the College and University Professional Association for Human Resources (CUPA-HR). And with college tuition costs skyrocketing, that benefit has become increasingly sought-after—but expensive for the institution. Campus leaders must balance financial strain with employee perks, and […]
Early alert systems. Transfer credit assessment tools. Adaptive technologies. Apps to push student reminders. Career assessment software. Colleges and universities nationwide use these and many other success technologies to help students improve grades, increase involvement and persist to graduation with as little debt as possible. Driven, in part, by pressure from new federal regulations, campus […]
EL PASO, Texas—Diana Natalicio, recently named one of the 100 most influential people in the world, hopes the honor causes a little dissonance in the minds of people who care about higher education. She wants observers to wonder why Time magazine placed her, the longtime president of The University of Texas at El Paso, on […]
With headline after tragic headline, and demands from angry constituents and stakeholders to do more, colleges and universities are facing the harsh reality that just complying with the minimum requirements of the Campus SaVE (Sexual Violence Elimination) Act isn’t enough to prevent sexual assault. What’s more is that it’s not only the Title IX coordinator’s […]
Times of transition are always a good opportunity for evaluating processes in a financial aid office. So when the director of financial aid at Beloit College in Wisconsin took a new position, leadership at the 1,350-student institution decided to examine that department’s business operations. “We wanted to see if we were operating at best-practice level,” […]
If you work in enrollment management you've probably heard the term "big data." Ubiquitous in the business world, big data is being adopted by higher education, particularly in the area of recruitment. With stagnant or declining recruitment budgets and increased competition for students, leveraging the data most colleges capture is a cost-effective approach that can […]
The Consumer Financial ProtectionBureau’s forthcoming “Payback Playbook” intends to simplify the student loan repayment process by presenting clear, customized repayment options. In April, the agency offered a sneak peek. The initiative will provide borrowers with simple repayment plan options any time they log into their student loan account. The Playbook summary will also be included […]