Legislators, parents and students are not the only ones asking questions about the cost and quality of higher education. As educators, we don’t hesitate to ask ourselves and our universities to push for improvements. One major hurdle remains, however, as the academy does more to encourage and reward research output than it does to support […]
Flora Tydings is Tennessee Board of Regents' new chancellor, responsible for leading six universities, 13 community colleges and 27 colleges of applied technology. Tydings plans to improve the student experience by strengthening the link between colleges and employers. One goal is to analyze student achievement to identify initiatives that improve graduation rates and solve other […]
If you haven’t heard of blockchain yet, then it’s time to add this term to your technology lexicon. The most widely known use of the technology to date has been bitcoin, but blockchain is ripe with possibilities that go far beyond digital currency, with the potential to impact many industries, including higher education. What is […]
In "The Death and Life of Great American Cities" Jane Jacobs reminds us that "Lively, diverse, intense cities contain the seeds of their own regeneration, with energy enough to carry over for problems and needs outside themselves". Among both urban and exurban cities alike schools, colleges, and universities enjoy a time-honored, town-gown relationship where the […]
The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign processes approximately 543,000 point-of-sale transactions per month in its dining halls and on-campus restaurants for its 45,000 students. Visitors use a mix of dining plans and credit cards to pay for their meals. In January 2016, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign implemented Heartland OneCard, now part of the TouchNet […]
Some advocacy groups see student loan debt as not just a financial problem, but a growing social justice concern, as well. The Washington Center for Equitable Growth, which studies economic inequality, has released heat maps showing loan defaults concentrated in zip codes representing black and Latino communities. And in August, 40 civil rights, legal aid and […]
There is no one-size-fits-all partnership between the community college and industry. Arrangements can range from brief partnerships that fill immediate hiring needs to long-term strategic relationships that provide ongoing training and development for current and future employees. The Industry Workforce Needs Coalition, a national network of businesses striving to increase the number of skilled workers, […]
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 […]
Tom Snyder retired in June after nine years at the helm of Ivy Tech, the nation's largest singly accredited community college system. Snyder's coming from a corporate background gave him a different perspective about higher ed in general and community colleges in particular. For one, he realized the role community colleges play in serving millions […]
Recent research studies have begun to recognize males as a new "at-risk" population. Achieving gender balance means different things to different institutions. Technical programs with STEM-heavy curricula have traditionally struggled to attract female enrollments (though women are fast making inroads into these fields). Large public universities and smaller liberal arts colleges, on the other hand, […]
