Higher education is in the dock in 2014. The questions are flying: Why does it cost so much? Why does it cost more each year? Why do so many students not finish? Why can't they get good jobs? Why is it not equally accessible to all? Why is it not doing a better job training […]
Georgetown University officials had a bit of an epiphany recently about the impact of their noncredit courses. While the offerings had been around since the 1990s, administrators hadn’t realized the big benefits they could bring to the institution. “What started as fairly standard, adult-education, personal-interest type of courses has evolved into a major part of […]
Although managing enrollment efforts has never been easy, it was not that long ago when the traditional funnel was somewhat predictable. As an admissions counselor in my early days, I could easily work backward to set goals for my territory, starting with my goal for the number of enrolled students. I then used historical data […]
As the long-lasting effects of the Great Recession slowly fade, most states have begun rescinding cuts made to public higher education since 2008. Eight states, however, have continued reducing funds, according to a report by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (CBPP). Those that continued to cut per-student funding in the past year are: Wyoming, […]
Five years after the Great Recession's official end, higher ed endowments and fundraising are finally recovering, but there is no rising financial tide that's lifting all boats—especially smaller ones that depend heavily on tuition. Instead, a new "economic normal" is being keenly felt at smaller, tuition-driven universities and colleges, forcing campus leaders to diversify their […]
U.S. law school enrollment has dropped by 36 percent the past three years—and some schools are freezing or reducing tuition in response. The drop is due to both "job contraction and an overreaction to that contraction," says Judith Areen, executive director and CEO of The Association of American Law Schools. "The projected number of jobs […]
Fewer and fewer institutions are meeting students’ financial need. Per The College Board’s “Trends in College Pricing 2013,” the average net tuition and fee price for students attending four-year public institutions increased by an estimated $1,180 (in 2013 dollars) between 2009-10 and 2013-14. At private four-year institutions, average net tuition and fee price increased between […]
Adult students are treating themselves to a higher ed buffet through a handful of programs where all-you-can-learn tuition lets them move as quickly as they can toward a degree and advancement in the workforce. Several "all-you-can-learn" programs now in place at U.S. institutions work on the competency-based learning model, in which the credit-hour has been […]
Central Florida is one of the country’s most popular tourist destinations, so it makes sense that hospitality enterprises can be counted on to provide a financial boost—even to higher education institutions. Here at Rollins College in Winter Park, Fla., a $12.5 million gift from the Harold Alfond Foundation helped us build a 112-room inn that […]
Part of keeping a campus computer repair center running smoothly is staying aware of what problems are likely to disrupt its operations. For instance, a Saturday in the fall at major universities can bring a large influx of machines needing repair. “When Florida State is doing well in football, we tend to have more machines […]
