Is enterprise risk management worth the effort? What's gained by evaluating top risks across an entire college or university? A recent survey of 921 higher education leaders found a "conflicted" attitude toward comprehensive risk programs. Academic leaders say that ERM is an institutional priority, yet many of them don't follow through. At Grinnell, we examined […]
There's a standard practice in academia that's highly valued; yet, at many colleges and universities, the policies and procedures surrounding it haven't changed in decades. Until now. The faculty sabbatical has been around since Harvard University first offered it to its teaching staff in 1880. Since then, sabbaticals have become a rite of passage for […]
The U.S. economy has been through major changes in the last several years, and the effects are being felt on campus. In many cases, this turmoil shows up publicly in the form of a credit-rating downgrade. On some campuses, a change in the credit rating has no effect on the day-to-day operations; on others, it […]
In the past few years, many universities have begun to explore a concept frequently and successfully implemented in the corporate world, but previously rare in higher education: shared services. The term "shared services" refers to a streamlining process where administrative tasks or technology management services that regularly occurred across several departments in the organization are […]
Georgetown University officials had a bit of an epiphany recently about the impact of their noncredit courses. While the offerings had been around since the 1990s, administrators hadn't realized the big benefits they could bring to the institution. "What started as fairly standard, adult-education, personal-interest type of courses has evolved into a major part of […]
Identifying students who are at risk of student loan default and establishing ongoing communication with those students are two key strategies for minimizing borrower default. Financial aid administrators should include these strategies and more in their default prevention programs, so borrowers are aware of their repayment options and less likely to default. This web seminar, […]
One proven way to improve retention is by supplementing traditional academic advising with student success coaching. Student success coaching helps students fit school into life and life into school while building up the skills they need to be successful, including study skills, time management, and stress management. As institutions explore the possibility of starting coaching […]
While the benefits of lecture capture and the flipped classroom model have caught widespread attention in higher ed, it is crucial to note its risks—particularly in the area of privacy and copyright violations. FERPA noncompliance can result in the loss of federal funding, while copyright infringement could lead to costly civil or even criminal penalties. […]
By now, big data and learning analytics are familiar buzz words for anyone working in higher education. Thanks to student information systems (SIS) like Banner and Blackboard, universities collect an ever increasing volume of data about campus life and student performance. But knowing what data to collect and leveraging it for better outcomes is not […]
According to a recent report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), one in every 10 American children over the age of three has been diagnosed with ADHD. Before turning 18, nearly 14 percent of children will have been diagnosed. Most will receive ADHD drugs. Fearing that the popular response to this report […]
