Institution leaders may think they understand how students feel about their college experience, but truly gaining insight into student impressions of program efficacy and quality of facilities is an intensive undertaking. When the Martha and Spencer Love School of Business at Elon University was applying for accreditation with the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of […]
When making decisions about Hope College’s website redesign, project team members found themselves looking at a photo of Adam, an 18-year-old freshman, to gauge what he might think is the most logical place for a piece of content—or whether he thinks the content should be there at all. And then, knowing Adam’s mom is very […]
Hundreds of scholarships are awarded at the university, college and department levels at Auburn University in Alabama. Prior to spring 2013, there was no central scholarship management process for the institution’s 27,287 students and 13 colleges and schools. “At the university level, the application for admission also served as the application for scholarships,” says Velda […]
Earlier this year, CUPA-HR—an HR association for higher education—conducted its 2015 Employee Healthcare Benefits in Higher Education Survey. Of the 525 public and private institutions that responded, 70 percent offer healthcare coverage to same-sex domestic partners. However, that number will likely increase after the U.S. Supreme Court’s landmark decision in June to legalize same-sex marriage. […]
With YouTube, Facebook, Twitter and other social media outlets, virtually nothing escapes the pubic's notice, and judgment. It's one reason higher education is paying much more attention to risk management now than in the past. There are also more risk-generating contingencies, such as mass shootings, and accountability standards, such as for the prevention of sexual […]
Most public discussions about the use of race and ethnicity in higher education admissions decisions ignore targeted recruitment and some of the other strategies that have been used most often to increase campus diversity, says a new report by the American Council on Education. The result is more polarized debate that—in seizing on less commonly […]
More students now do their research on the web, bypassing resources offered by their campus libraries as digital usurps print in curricula, a recent survey says. Among the 4,300 students surveyed, less than 40 percent reported doing research at their library. About half used the library’s online databases. Still, 77 percent said they study alone […]
Outside the circle of higher ed facilities managers, it’s the shiny new campus buildings that get all the glory. Yet what facilities insiders know all too well is that existing buildings are in dire need of attention. Aging buildings, a recent economic downturn and pressure to invest in new construction has led to rising deferred […]
A family's willingness to pay for a college education relies heavily on an institution's ability to articulate return on investment. Discounting tuition through scholarships and other financial aid is the most common approach to increasing a college's perceived value, as these strategies reduce the net cost to the family. Many efforts are being implemented to […]
Michael Crow is out to reinvent the public research university. As president of Arizona State, Crow has made it his mission to create and spread a "New American University" model. Using ASU as the prototype, Crow sees the promise of an egalitarian institution committed to academic excellence, inclusiveness to a broad demographic, and maximum societal […]