With funding cuts, falling enrollments and increased competition from MOOCs and other low-cost online programs, higher education has been under enormous pressure in recent years. But pressure often leads to positive change, and many schools are looking at continuing education as an ideal area for that change. Approached strategically, CE offers an untapped opportunity to […]
A Midwestern state university budgeted about $12 million for a major addition to its library several years ago. At the time, there was not a tightly controlled project planning process at the institution and the library's plaza—already a major central gathering space on campus—was not included in the project budget. Officials thought they would raise $2.5 […]
While details of President Obama's college affordability proposals are not fully known, what is clear is that higher education is going under the microscope to prove its value. Add to that a growing chorus of pundits who believe that a liberal arts education is a waste of time and a relic of the past. But […]
These days, institutions can't say they fully "control" their recruitment and enrollment process—but they can adjust to how prospective students and their families are navigating it. Five years ago, RuffaloCODY set out to understand the student perspective by conducting what is now an annual survey of high school sophomores, juniors, and seniors. The goal was […]
The challenges for executives operating state-wide higher education Systems and the flagship research universities within those Systems have grown more baffling with each passing year. From UMass and UNC to LSU, Wisconsin, and Oregon, we hear regularly about frustrated and embroiled leadership. Public Systems have always been subject to strains, both within themselves and beyond, […]
Following are 10 ways to increase the odds of engaging and connecting with students through video. Watch yourself on camera to see how you come across, suggests Jennifer Flatt, a professor at the University of Wisconsin-Marinette. Seeing what students see can help improve on-camera teaching techniques. Worry less about your clothing—although, know that herringbone and […]
The high and rising cost of education, coupled with a vast range of low-cost options flooding the marketplace, has impelled much of higher education into an "adapt or die" mindset. This is relatively uncharted territory for many institutions. But what they may or may not realize is that a pocket of wisdom might be found […]
How an institution labels its continuing education division often reflects its mission or goals. Below are some examples of terminology used in the field—and insight into why each institution made that choice. Center for Lifelong Learning Santa Barbara Community College (Calif.) Officials recently broke down the CE division and integrated many previously free, noncredit offerings […]
Many small institutions wrestle with the annual assessment of how to manage routine capital projects. A backlog of deferred maintenance items can further complicate planning. And the process often feels next to impossible when you consider ongoing discussions of how to add, renovate or replace student centers, housing, wellness or recreation facilities and academic buildings […]
Universities, research institutions, academics and scientists have increasingly been under the bright light scrutiny of the legal system. While not unprecedented for courts and litigators to pull questions of science and research into the courtroom, public debates and high stakes litigation have recently forced some academics and scientists to center stage. From climate change and […]
