A campus bookstore director relayed a conversation he’d had with the administrator to whom he reports. “I asked my boss whether he expected the store to generate as much profit as possible, or whether he wanted the store to ensure prices on course materials and other necessities were as affordable as possible for students.” The […]
Eight prominent universities—including University of Pennsylvania, Duke, Emory, Johns Hopkins, Vanderbilt and others—were hit with separate lawsuits in August 2016 alleging the institutions mishandled their employee retirement plans. While the institutions fight those lawsuits, experts have predicted the complaints are just the first of many to be filed against colleges and universities that sponsor 401(k) […]
A facilities administrator from a suburban institution of 5,000 to 10,000 students says his department faces three challenging realities: increased pressure to reduce operation costs, diminishing resources and a rising deferred maintenance program. Those sentiments are echoed in results from UB's survey of 44 campus facilities leaders. More than half believe deferred maintenance will become […]
Keeping student tuition and fees down is the top priority for 2017 selected by campus CFOs and other finance department administrators in a UB survey—yet tuition revenue and nontuition student fees are the biggest anticipated funding categories for the coming year. Among the 64 administrators responding, 70 percent say these fees will increase modestly or significantly, […]
A greater level of accountability around access and outcomes looms on the horizon for higher ed administrators in 2017 and beyond. Experts across the ideological spectrum predict the federal government and the general public to demand more transparency in the data released about how graduates of specific campus programs fare in the job market. This push could […]
Instant Admissions Day at Unity College in Maine provides benefits beyond the immediate acceptance of students' applications, President Melik Peter Khoury says. This accelerated enrollment approach provides a clearer picture of the 700-student private college's incoming class. "The more we understand who's coming and the needs they have, we are better able to invest and […]
Open educational resources have grown over the last few years from one-off oddities in single courses to the basis of entire degree programs. Cutting out textbook costs for students tops the list of reasons administrators encourage faculty to develop and adopt these free—or very inexpensive—resources, also known as OER. Other enticements include immediate access for […]
As a conservative political strategy, "starving the beast" means to deprive an entity of funding to force it to reduce spending. Steve Mims' new film, "Starving the Beast," documents a political and philosophical shift that seeks to reframe public higher education—not as a public good for society, but as a "value proposition" to be borne by […]
From construction workers and machinists to occupational therapists and fire fighters, skilled laborers are in high demand. And shortages of employees like these are making it difficult for companies to fill jobs. In a July 2016 survey, the National Association for Business Economics found that 31 percent of its members experienced labor shortages; and the […]
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 […]
