As director of the Community College Research Center at Teachers College, Columbia University, Thomas Bailey is the nation's preeminent scholar of community colleges. After recognizing that myriad reform efforts directed at community colleges showed little evidence of improved outcomes, he and his CCRC colleagues, Shanna Smith Jaggars and Davis Jenkins, set out to learn why […]

Colleges and universities using third-party providers to process students' Title IV payments face changes aimed at giving students more choice in receiving financial aid dollars. Rules proposed by the Department of Education in late May would especially affect institutions that issue tuition refunds directly to students' debit cards. The Department of Education will issue a […]

Outside the circle of higher ed facilities managers, it's the shiny new campus buildings that get all the glory. Yet what facilities insiders know all too well is that existing buildings are in dire need of attention. Aging buildings, a recent economic downturn and pressure to invest in new construction has led to rising deferred […]

Cluster hiring of faculty is an effective strategy that has been around for at least 15 years. Ask universities that practice it and they'll tell you it strengthens faculty diversity and promotes new research opportunities. The practice also encourages faculty to collaborate across multiple disciplines and departments to develop creative academic programs and outreach initiatives. […]