The seemingly routine process of hiring faculty also presents campus leaders with ample opportunities for innovation. As higher ed institutions strive to take full advantage of the talents brought by incoming faculty, some variations to long-standing practices are taking root. Here are four emerging and continuing hiring trends worth following throughout 2019.
It turns out that a key factor in students finishing college is their experience during the very start of college, from the moment they send their deposit through freshman orientation. Institutions find that switching the focus of orientation to fostering campus connections boosts student engagement, and research links student connectedness to retention. So at many […]
Since 2000, the net price of college has increased while real family income has stagnated. As a result, most students and their families have fewer resources but face higher out-of-pocket costs to attend college, with some making difficult trade-offs between paying for college or meeting their basic needs. Recent estimates indicate that approximately half of […]
The velocity of fundamental change in the world has increased dramatically. Not too many years ago, there was no such thing as social media. But the ascendency of interactive digital platforms fundamentally changed the way we communicate not only in society, but in business. We no longer broadcast to and talk at our audiences; we […]
Managing change may be part of the job description for any higher ed administrator, but it's seldom easy. And nowhere is this more evident than with the core of any college or university: its academic programs. In fact, the process can be something of a minefield, with faculty feeling threatened and the media poised to […]
Leaders of the Arkansas Career Pathways Initiative strive to provide students with more than just college access and employment. Graduation and a well-paying career—in fields such as health care, education and industrial maintenance—top the list of goals for the low-income parents who participate. “We don’t just want to put people in minimum-wage jobs or in […]
Arkansas Community Colleges Arkansas Career Pathways Initiative, 2005 Funding: Pathways is funded by the federal Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program. Implementation: Each campus hired case managers to work with low-income parents. Training: The state trains case managers to work with people experiencing poverty. Endicott College (Mass.) Keys to Degrees, 1993 Funding: The university is […]
More than half of the 40,000 students at California State University, Northridge, are first-generation. Three thousand are international. And every one of them belongs, says Paul Schantz, director of web and technology services in the Division of Student Affairs for CSUN. “We want students to feel like CSUN is their home,” Schantz says. “And if […]
Colleges and universities have long been the place for examining the most complicated societal issues of the day. But the ability of these institutions to play host to civil dialogue is under fire. Free-speech rights are paramount, yet the rise of "microaggressions" or overt hate speech cannot be tolerated. As a result, administrators face a […]
What is the biggest challenge administrators have fostering trusting relationships between students and faculty? What’s the most innovative way you’ve seen a college tackle this challenge? “Engaging in communication is the foundation of any trusting relationship, yet this is often difficult for students and faculty to do. There are generational gaps and technology changes constantly. […]