On the road from acceptance to enrollment, would-be students stray, often stepping off the intended path. However, led by admissions offices, higher ed institutions are enticing accepted students to officially enroll by using innovative communication approaches, developing peer connections and making students feel as if they are already part of the family. That process starts […]
Aim: To boost enrollment of the top 1 percent of high school students who qualify for Oregon State's Presidential Scholarship, admissions officers treat academic standouts like blue-chip athletes. The program began three years ago. Link to main story: Colleges should always woo would-be students In the box a special certificate acknowledging the scholarship a T-shirt from […]
At the Hyatt Regency Cambridge, along the scenic Charles River overlooking Boston, a few dozen college presidents and provosts gathered in early May for a day focused on achieving campus harmony. Called the Campus Climate Summit: Getting from Contention to Consensus, the event was sponsored by Thoughtexchange, a provider of stakeholder engagement solutions for leaders […]
Institutional resiliency is a daunting challenge for smaller, tuition-dependent, change-resistant institutions. Indeed, the most vulnerable of these fragile colleges and universities may soon face extinction. Data from the National Center for Education Statistics tells us that there has been a noticeable decrease in the number of degree-granting postsecondary institutions in America over the past decade. […]
University and college professors face new and exciting challenges today due to technological advances in smartphones and smartwatches and the implanted devices that are currently being tested. Students' growing dependence on smartphones does not stop at the classroom door. Some students use these hand-held computers during class time to listen to music, check the time, […]
In a higher education landscape marked by a shrinking student population and increasing uncertainty, institutional longevity—if not short-term survival—is top of mind for most. What many at-risk institutions fail to see, however, is that a primary focus on competition is a precarious survival strategy that more often than not, backfires. Cooperation, not competition is the […]
Standardized tests, once thought to be the best way to compare students from diverse backgrounds, are criticized as being biased and inconclusive. A small but growing number of colleges have made such testing optional for applicants. Does a test-optional policy result in a more diverse student body or improve attainment and retention rates? Measuring Success: […]
Continued binge drinking and destructive student behavior have driven higher ed leaders to refine off-campus behavior policies. Parents have also asked for more off-campus supervision as students post legally dubious antics online. Many policies give the institution room to discipline students for off-campus behavior, but clears them of legal obligations to do so. "In the […]
You think there's not enough sun in cold, dark Maine to generate solar power? You say solar panels belong in the deserts of the Great Southwest? Actually, solar panels operate more efficiently in cooler weather, and Maine gets more sun than Germany, known worldwide as a solar powerhouse. Five New England colleges have teamed up […]
Younger Americans postpone marriages, and put off having children and buying their first home while repaying student loans. And new federal data shows the burden now spreading to their parents: Americans age 50 years and older saw their federal student loan debt grow by $18 billion between the second quarter of fiscal year 2017 and […]
