Every week at the University of Washington in Seattle, the registrar's office staff comes across at least three fraudulent diplomas. Every month, they uncover about two fraudulent transcripts. "And these are just the ones we see," says Helen Garrett, registrar and chief officer for enrollment information services. "Our student database has not been hacked and […]
One of the most fertile areas for collaborative problem-solving between colleges and their K12 counterparts may be the mission they share: education. When edtech developers at Carnegie Mellon University in Pennsylvania asked K12 teachers to wish for a superpower, the teachers imagined student data hovering in midair before their very eyes. Wish granted. Lumilo, the artificially […]
For several years, the Department of Education has published "Dear Colleague" letters (UBmag.me/1612) that make it clear that institutions of higher education accepting Title IV federal aid are expected to comply with federal cybersecurity regulations, such as the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act and the Federal Trade Commission's Red Flags Rule. In late 2017, a cybersecurity senior advisor […]
Waitlists for not-quite accepted students have long been used by colleges, but more institutions—both public and private—are dabbling in a different kind of delayed entry. Conditional admissions, which may require academic or English language counseling, give less-prepared students a chance to succeed. "A number of accountability mechanisms can discourage colleges from taking chances on students […]
The near weekly occurrence of school shootings has students, faculty and staff feeling like potential victims. Academic administrators are hurriedly seeking ways to keep their campuses from being in tomorrow's headlines. Conversations with education professionals reveal a pervasive fear, an absence of answers and a sense of powerlessness. But it doesn't have to be that […]
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 […]
As financial aid administrators know, there's no shortage of free and fee-based programs designed to help students get a handle on personal finance and keep up loan payments when the time comes. Increasingly, colleges are working with their institutional banking partners to develop engaging, accessible and trusted financial literacy content. Banks have access to nationwide […]
Take this quiz to find out if your campus has acoustic problems in its classrooms. If so, the facilities department should assess the acoustics to determine if there are problems with reverberation or ambient noise. Hiring an acoustical consultant would help determine whether your facilities team is using the best solutions to resolve issues with sound systems. […]
College classrooms of yore were often fortresses reinforced with concrete floors and walls. Listening to a lecture in such hard-surfaced rooms was like trying to decipher sound in an echo chamber. After years of complaints from students and faculty, many colleges and universities have begun upgrading classrooms and lecture halls by installing ceiling baffles, fabric-covered […]
When Cathy Stickney first arrived in Northbridge as the superintendent of Public Schools, she was that candidate whose eyes were wide open. After all, Stickney knew going in that the Northbridge Public Schools had a low college-bound aspiration and admission rate; and importantly, a low four-year graduation rate than the statewide average. Worse yet, 25 percent […]
