While direct mail and phone remain strong methods of courting donors, advancement offices face the reality that younger alumni may not even have a landline or use a checkbook. More than 1 in 5 online donations were made on a mobile device in 2017, according to research from the Blackbaud Institute for Philanthropic Impact. In […]
Latino students complete degrees at lower rates than other ethnic groups—and are more likely to still be enrolled after six years. These factors are prompting higher ed institutions to develop supports to help accelerate Latino student success. Six years after initial enrollment, only 46 percent of Latino students have completed a two- or four-year degree, […]
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 […]
What staff and employees from every corner of campus expect from IT often differs from what tech staff can actually deliver. And while white-glove tech service might not always be possible, internal teamwork and enlightened management techniques can help IT departments earn a strong reputation for responsiveness. Of course, developing and maintaining a strong customer […]
Providers were asked: How well are colleges using data to measure faculty performance, and what related areas need the most improvements? "Colleges will typically show the faculty how their scores compare to others at the school, usually those in the same department. But they rarely ask the instructors how they plan to improve any low […]
When it comes to a student's priorities, knowing the locations of classrooms and dining halls outweighs finding the blue emergency boxes installed around campus, and downloading ride-share and meal delivery apps ranks higher than accessing safety apps. "We have a group of 18- to 22-year-olds on campus and their safety is the last thing on […]
Measuring faculty effectiveness has never been a perfect science—and it has always held potential for contention among instructors and administrators. Today, tighter budgets, greater demands in terms of student outcomes and service responsibilities, and a push for hard data increase the pressure to develop fair and accurate evaluation systems. The types of information collected on […]
A few months after Boston University's successful merger with Wheelock College, the University of Massachusetts drew a greater degree of scrutiny for its acquisition of Mount Ida College. Families—many of whom had hoped for a merger with nearby Lasell College—were understandably shaken by the news of the quick agreement. Yet they were offered various options […]
There is nothing very "smart" about my video collection. I have the expected classics that any film minor would have acquired, dusted and ready to stream at a moment's notice. If my library had a card catalog, nine out of 10 drawers would be dedicated to titles that start with Star or end in Man, […]
Personalized learning has long been a "holy grail" in education. Ideally, we would love to be able to work with each student to achieve a more personalized level of learning that taps into individual interests, skills and desires. But doing so can take far more time than we have. Our education system was not designed […]
