Over the last three years, adjuncts at 46 colleges joined the Service Employees International Union (SEIU). Among the latest are those at Duke, University of Southern California, Northeastern and Hillsborough Community College. Problems involving adjunct salaries and benefits have been festering for years. Compare tenured professors who command six figures to adjuncts who average $2,700 […]
College and universities must face a harsh reality: employer expectations of their graduates are changing. As the world becomes more complex, so do employer demands. It's not enough for candidates to have the professional or technical skills needed for a particular job. Hiring managers now want strong "right brain" attributes — communication, collaboration and creativity […]
Higher ed has become the latest target of retirement plan fee litigation. One firm in particular has filed class-action suits against dozens of universities, alleging breaches of ERISA fiduciary duties. The tactic has been used for years in business, says Eric Paley of legal consultants Nixon Peabody. When Midwest law firm Schlichter Bogard & Denton […]
It may be time to rethink some of our established models of higher education. Let's consider two classic paradigms. By most definitions, liberal arts education refers to those college studies related to areas such as literature, languages, philosophy, humanities, history, mathematics, psychology and science. These instructional elements are among the most time-honored part of a […]
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 […]
When Lisa Severy became a career counselor in the mid-'90s, the dominant philosophy in serving students was this: "I'll help you catch your first fish." Now the idea has evolved to: "I want to teach you to catch fish so you'll be able to do this forever." The process involves meeting students' needs—and providing what […]
Like many employers, higher ed institutions are reaching out to military veterans to fill skilled positions. Military service offers rich opportunities for individuals to develop a wide variety of skills that translate to well-paying jobs in the civilian world. However, deciphering a veteran's work history is tricky. Resumes may be cluttered with military jargon, acronyms […]
Almost all U.S. colleges and universities now award certificates, digital badges and other forms of microcredentials so students can quickly show an employer specialized skills they've acquired. Driving this fast-growing trend are workforce millennials who want to learn, for instance, how to operate an Amazon delivery drone or repair a self-driving car without having to […]
As highly visible institutions with perceived "deep pockets," colleges and universities are targets for lawsuits arising from injuries and property damage only tenuously tied to the schools' actions. The negligence of contractors, vendors, and professional service providers can and do land universities in court where they pay millions of dollars to defend and settle claims […]
