Colleges and universities have long been the place for examining the most complicated societal issues of the day. But the ability of these institutions to play host to civil dialogue is under fire. Free-speech rights are paramount, yet the rise of "microaggressions" or overt hate speech cannot be tolerated. As a result, administrators face a […]
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 […]
U.S. higher education was dealt a serious blow last fall. The expansion of international education that has been a critical financial stimulus for American colleges and universities has experienced an alarming setback. International education in the forms of U.S. students studying abroad and U.S. institutions enrolling students from other countries has been an important area […]
An acute rash of hate crimes on America’s campuses has made it necessary for institutions to refine reporting procedures. The streamlined policy at The University of Maryland, College Park, calls for community members to report hate-bias incidents to the university’s police department or to the Office of Civil Rights & Sexual Misconduct, says Roger Worthington, […]
The crisis in legal education is well-documented: Many law students graduate with six-figure debt and have difficulty finding jobs that enable them to service that debt. The access to justice crisis is also well-known: tens of millions of Americans are priced out of the market for legal services. Clients in remote areas have trouble finding […]
In looking at colleges for both of my children, one male and one female, I was particularly concerned about the environment on campus and within student housing especially after reading various articles online. As with any parent, there is a lot of anxiety with the child leaving home for the first time. We all feel […]
The ills of society are often magnified in the high-intensity atmosphere of college campuses. Over the last two years, violent events involving police officers and a perceived lack of administrative responsiveness to incidents of on-campus racial bias have led to protests and confrontations. On most campuses, these demonstrations were organized to address issues of diversity, […]
Universities welcome media coverage of college sports, groundbreaking research and alumni achievement—all of which generate recognition and revenues supporting their educational mission. Too often, however, racially charged events at universities have dominated those headlines. Racial diversity, inclusion and equality in higher education are hot topics. Low numbers of minority faculty, students and administrators, as well […]
The power of the admissions interview is, in context and value, unmatched by any other element of the enrollment process, says Jonathan Burdick of the University of Rochester. The meetings "add color to what is otherwise a black-and-white representation of a student, or add a third dimension to what is otherwise flat pieces of paper," […]
The University of Connecticut’s recent announcement of a planned learning community intended for first- and second-year African-American male students has reignited a decades-old debate regarding ethnically themed living spaces on campus. Two members of the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights penned a letter to university President Susan Herbst urging her to reconsider the community’s launch. […]
