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. […]
A family's willingness to pay for a college education relies heavily on an institution's ability to articulate return on investment. Discounting tuition through scholarships and other financial aid is the most common approach to increasing a college's perceived value, as these strategies reduce the net cost to the family. Many efforts are being implemented to […]
The setting: AAA Four Diamond Rosen Shingle Creek in Orlando, a 230-acre Spanish Revival resort where guests strolled along the headwaters of the Florida Everglades (beware of gators) and next to a championship golf course en route to UBTech sessions and other conference activity. The conversation: technological innovation and leadership as well as institutional and […]
Worried that faculty do not spend sufficient time teaching students, some are calling for the elimination of the longstanding system of tenure and promotion. Others suggest the creation of separate faculty tracks—such as teaching faculty, research faculty, and so on. Judith Shapiro, president of the Teagle Foundation and former president of Barnard College in New […]
Rapid changes in technology, the dissolution of boundaries in the global marketplace, and innovation in research all demand a new approach to higher education. Universities must blur the lines—between public and private, between not-for-profit and commercial, between the liberal arts and STEM—by working with industry and nonprofit organizations to create unique training, research opportunities and […]
Your morning probably started like many of your peers. The voice in your head asks, “What’s possible for today? What can I tackle on my to-do list toimprove learning environments? Where will I find the budget?” Easier said than done. Optimism can quickly be squashed by tight budgets, daunting deferred maintenance, and competing priorities – […]
Much has been written about the future role of the traditional university. Recently I was invited to present on “Keeping Traditional Higher Education a Dominant Force” in times of greater competition and changing demographics of the population. Especially in the traditional higher education model, the need to adapt to the future pressures of competition and […]
