College
Many young people without college degrees want to go back to school, but most of them don’t know how to take out federal loans to pay for it, according to a new report funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. The report, titled “One Degree of Separation: How Young Americans See Their Chances for Success,” is the result of a survey of 600 people ages 26 to 34 conducted by a nonprofit education think-tank called Public Agenda. The survey …
Continue reading about Report: People without college degrees more pessimistic about their future
Study finds students are more likely to see gay and lesbian professors as biased than they are straight professors — based on the same syllabus.
A new approach to literary criticism looks at the history of energy sources. Scott McLemee checks its mileage.
Faculty members receive very mixed messages about how they should spend their time and advance their careers, writes Terri E. Givens.
Report show that institutions in NCAA Division III, which does not allow athletics scholarships, need reminder to follow cardinal rule.
Long-awaited “white paper” proposes greatly increased competition for highly qualified students and more access to student loan funds for for-profit providers.
Continue reading about Plan to Restructure British Higher Ed
Students who kill or threaten to harm themselves create legal and moral dilemmas for colleges — a topic of discussion at key meeting of campus lawyers.
Continue reading about Dealing With the Depressed or Dangerous
The Writers at University of Venus
The Grey Lady continues wading into higher education, says full-fledged degree programs are imminent.
Another university has a Koch grant giving the foundation a role in hiring; other awards draw scrutiny for what they say about research topics.
Women from Pakistan, Canada and the United States consider the implications of the brutal attack on a graduate student from Bangladesh — and the reactions to it.
Bryant University has announced that it will no longer require the SAT or ACT for admission. The shift will start as a four-year pilot in which applicants who do not wish to submit test scores will instead provide responses to two or three short-answer questions. “As an institution committed to developing the student as a whole, this was a natural progression in our admission process as it allows students more opportunities to demonstrate their strengths and talents,” said a statement …
Continue reading about Bryant Goes Test-Optional in Admissions
The “model minority” myth notwithstanding, many Asian students need help succeeding in college. A new association wants to make sure they get it.
Joshua Kim
by Daniel Levy and guest blogger, Manar Sabry
Some colleges make new efforts to discourage students from bringing vehicles to campus. Driving them away can be tough.
The authors of Academically Adrift may be letting black students off the hook, to their own detriment, writes Roy L. Beasley.
To cultivate good fortune in your career, you need to take some risks, writes Nate Kreuter.
Leading economist argues that U.S. has produced too few graduates for decades — and that failure to reverse trend imperils economy.
One of the most diverse foreign language programs in the country is at a community college in New Jersey.
Looking for savings, Tennessee State eliminates “low-producing” majors, including physics and Africana studies. Critics ask why a black college would cut such offerings.
Herman Berliner
Susan O’Doherty
G. Rendell
Dean Dad
With her spiritual life an adjunct to her adjunct life, Maria Shine Stewart offers her top ten (whimsical) tips of survival as a part-time professor.
Are our brains cut out for the Internet age? Author of new book says yes — if classroom and workplace are totally overhauled.
Southern Association of Colleges and Schools places five colleges on probation, while 10 others are warned. Finances and inadequate numbers of full-time faculty draw scrutiny.
Every campus has them: senior professors who resist change at all costs. A longtime dean calls on his academic colleagues to take them on.
Congress may yet block an Education Department rule requiring colleges to obtain state authorization, but the state regulations themselves won’t vanish so easily.
For third straight year, average tuition at private colleges and universities will increase less than pre-recession, but again outpaces inflation. Institutional financial aid continues to grow.
The only way to protect foreign students is to recognize the realities involved in recruiting them, writes Mitch Leventhal.
As classroom devices proliferate, institutions look to campuswide adoptions to ease costs for students.
The University of Michigan Library will announce today that it will be allowing authorized library patrons to access all of its digitized “orphan works” in full. Students and guests will now be able to access online any texts they would have been able to find in the stacks, Michigan officials said in a press release. This is the latest step in Michigan’s attempts to identify and unlock the orphans — books whose copyright holders cannot be found or contacted — …
Continue reading about U. of Michigan Library Opens Up Orphan Works
U. of Colorado journalism school, about to be replaced, will be led by professor of French and Italian.
Top British universities consider a shift from reporting “degree classification” to American-style grade average.
Academic Search, one of the most prominent higher-education search firms, experiences exodus of consultants, including its new president.
Academic Search, one of the most prominent higher-education search firms, experiences exodus of consultants, including its new president.
G. Rendell
Barbara Fister
Experts agree that the federal government should be hiring more new graduates, but worry about whether it knows how.
Jim Hunt writes about his unlikely inspiration as a provost.
Colleges’ incentives for older professors often woo those the institutions really want to keep. U. of Colorado found a way to single out individuals.
Continue reading about Motivating the Reluctant Retiree (Singular)
Seven Southeastern colleges leave geographically disparate athletics conference to form their own league, citing missed class time and increasing travel costs.
UNC-Chapel Hill case raises questions about when it is O.K. for professors to use their university e-mail accounts for personal purposes.
Anamaria Dutceac Segesten
Continue reading about Show and Tell: Creating Memorable Presentations
In just a week, Catholic U.’s plan to phase out coed dorms has inspired conversation, controversy, and now, a potential lawsuit.
New decision sets stage for fresh look at whether graduate and research assistants have right to unionize.
Study finds that two of its four parts — and the composite scores institutions rely on — don’t predict college success.
John Marsh wonders how higher education can rejoice when its budget woes are minimized by deep cuts to social services.
Three law schools announced that they will shrink the size of their incoming class in the face of poor job prospects and other pressures.
Randolph Lewis describes how the political attacks on Texas universities appear to one who teaches there.
University leaders from 80 countries gather for triennial meeting.
To focus institutions, some administrators have taken the unconventional step of creating exceptionally short mission statements, and placing them front and center.
Brian L. Keeley offers advice for graduate students in his field and other humanities disciplines.
Does globalization mean that the best talent is destined to flock to selected countries? Are equity issues being ignored?
Harris Miller resigns abruptly as chief executive of association of for-profit colleges, citing exhaustion. Board said to be tired of him, too.
Dean Dad
Heather Alderfer
Continue reading about Starting Strong: Your First Days on Campus
Herman Berliner
It’s time to rethink the role that accrediting agencies play in determining colleges’ eligibility for financial aid — and better equip the Education Department to fulfill that role, Peter McPherson and R. Michael Tanner argue.
Continue reading about Accreditation vs. Institutional Eligibility
Citing concerns about educational quality, a faculty union in Washington State refuses to budge from practice of adding full-time slots.
For new presidents, there are many opportunities in a few months, writes Richard Kneedler.
Enrollments this season are up at some colleges, down at others — but a few institutions prove that marketing can pay dividends.
Researchers examine patterns, cultures and demographics.
Leading South African academic critiques how the higher education press and Western universities view the developing world.
Afshan Jafar
A bipartisan group of legislators votes to advance a bill that would block rules governing state authorization and the definition of a credit hour.
Continue reading about Possible Setback for Program Integrity Rules
Some university presses are looking to apps and other digital add-ons to keep regional editions selling.
How much they boost earning power is only one factor, writes W. Robert Connor, who explores how the study of different disciplines boosts students’ cognitive development.
More big-time college sports programs are generating surpluses than last year, but gap between what they make and what average program loses is increasing.
Elsevier apologizes and gives $10,000 to intelligent design supporter whose article it accepted and then opted not to publish.
After recording of private conversation reaches upper echelons of Adventist church, 3 La Sierra U. leaders and a controversial faculty member are forced to quit.
Catholic University, citing research and morality, is going back to single-sex student housing. Will behavior change?
An anonymous faculty member describes the realities of the process at community colleges — and critiques search committees.
College presidents applaud Obama administration’s commitment to the program, but worry about some proposed changes.
Reports charge that college endowments are financing “land grabs” in Africa — renewing questions about the ethical issues of fund management.
Lee Skallerup Bessette
Continue reading about Academic Freedom: Whistleblower Protection?
Growth plans — and adjunct jobs — at Roosevelt U. are jeopardized by failure to realize “overly optimistic” enrollment projections.
What does it say when a community college district in California sees more graduates go to private colleges or leave the state than enter public university systems?
Robert B. Archibald and David H. Feldman question recent predictions that higher education is about to face a major collapse.
At Penn, the education experts organize a competition usually reserved for the MBAs.
New study points to weaknesses in funding agencies’ efforts to gauge “sustainability” of digital-resources projects.
Barbara Fister
Colleges need to prepare students for balancing budgets and managing money, writes Steven Bahls.
By giving U.S. government new way to measure “value” of academic programs, rules could reframe federal regulation of all colleges, not just for-profit ones.
Continue reading about The True Significance of ‘Gainful Employment’
You need them more than they need you, writes Nate Kreuter.
As U.S. panel brainstorms about big-picture changes to accreditation, ending agencies’ role as gatekeepers and moving away from a regional system appear to gain favor.
Board member quits with accusations over review process — and an article that attacked her.
Continue reading about Ethics Questions at Bioethics Journal
AAUP clears two New Orleans universities from its censure list, but cites Bethune-Cookman, Idaho State and RPI.
AAUP, used to questioning managerial decisions of colleges, faces tough questions from own members about treatment of its now former general secretary.
Mayor endorses plan to replace five of city system’s seven community college presidents.
Major conferences debate whether athletics grants should be expanded to cover full cost of college attendance; critics say move could create further inequities.
Major conferences debate whether athletics grants should be expanded to cover full cost of college attendance; critics say move could create further inequities.
Trying to wring revenues from research poses risks to academe, one scholar warns.
Trying to wring revenues from research poses risks to academe, one scholar warns.
If you’re thinking about doing work in a non-academic setting, style matters — but there’s no need to be intimidated, Jessica Quillin writes.
If you’re thinking about doing work in a non-academic setting, style matters — but there’s no need to be intimidated, Jessica Quillin writes.
The social networking site makes it more difficult to teach students to write for those other than themselves, writes Lisa Lebduska.
The social networking site makes it more difficult to teach students to write for those other than themselves, writes Lisa Lebduska.
Study finds reason some students perceive political bias from professors may have to do with students’ identities, not what goes on in class.
Study finds reason some students perceive political bias from professors may have to do with students’ identities, not what goes on in class.
Wake Forest business school raises placement rate by hiring a slew of career coaches and creating a course in career planning.
Wake Forest business school raises placement rate by hiring a slew of career coaches and creating a course in career planning.
Barbara Fister
Assessment need not be a dirty word. When embraced, it can drive better teaching, an RPI prof tells faculty colleagues.
When Cal State Bakersfield put developmental math online and minimized the role of faculty, the program bombed. Changes have restored performance, but not faculty jobs.
We get monthly economic data on which automobiles are selling — but must wait years to know how many are completing college. What’s wrong with this picture? asks Nate Johnson.
As the federal committee that oversees accrediting agencies meets, the consensus is that the Education Department is becoming more stringent.
Institution promises star faculty and American-style liberal arts education, but skeptics have lots of questions.
Dean Dad
Joshua Kim
Elizabeth Coffman
Continue reading about Long Distance Mom: School for Mutants
Dana Campbell
Publishers look to help students who use mainstream search engines for research to find more reliable academic content on the open Web.
Former Wall Street Journal writer and editor takes aim at tenure, faculty and other reasons that, she says, “you won’t get the college education you paid for.”
Stephen C. Stearns outlines writing issues facing those in doctoral programs.
Dartmouth angers some professors by redirecting a larger chunk of returns on endowed funds to administrative costs.
A new book looks at the history of boredom. Scott McLemee is fascinated.
As marijuana use is increasing, so is its potency — and health educators struggle with how to address it.
Although the long-awaited “gainful employment” rule has now been released, latest Senate hearing on for-profit colleges follows a familiar path.
Ana Dinescu
Tracy Mitrano
At some colleges, students must write a note to the donor before getting their funds released.
Court’s majority rules that Bayh-Dole law does not give universities and other contractors automatic ownership rights in inventions developed by their researchers.
Recently publicized incidents of campus investigations of alleged sex assaults raise questions of whether victims are having their reputations smeared.
Susan Herbst considers the state of research on public opinion and how to apply it to figure out campus opinion.
AAUP statement says U. of Louisiana campuses have found dangerous new way to eliminate faculty rights.
Eric Stoller
Education Dept. panel’s work to revamp government method of judging two-year institutions spurs disagreement about whether too much is being asked of them.
While UW-Madison chancellor’s bid for independence is dead for now, the issues it raised are still very much alive.
Craig Stark is proud of sharing difficult realities with freshmen. He wonders why he struggles to be frank with seniors about what they will face after graduation.
At university press meeting, some see advantage to having their works copied without permission.
Duke business school faculty rejects plans for university’s new China campus, a decision that could jeopardize launch in fall 2012.
Stephen C. Stearns offers advice on taking charge of a doctoral program.
At gathering of international educators, commission-based recruiting remains a hot topic; other areas of discussion include gay international students and links between extracurricular and curricular.
State systems urged to adopt broader articulation agreements, and to accept more prior learning assessments to help speed degree completion.
Continue reading about Promoting ‘Consumer Friendly’ Transfer
State systems urged to adopt broader articulation agreements, and to accept more prior learning assessments to help speed degree completion.
Continue reading about Promoting ‘Consumer Friendly’ Transfer
At gathering of international educators, experts scrutinize the shifting values and the raison d’être behind their field.
Missing from the debate over governance in Wisconsin and elsewhere is an important fact, writes Daniel J. Julius: The relationship between flagships and states has never been set in stone.
Missing from the debate over governance in Wisconsin and elsewhere is an important fact, writes Daniel J. Julius: The relationship between flagships and states has never been set in stone.
Nate Kreuter offers advice for grad students on navigating faculty members’ titles — and in figuring out what to be called when they finish their Ph.D.s.
Nate Kreuter offers advice for grad students on navigating faculty members’ titles — and in figuring out what to be called when they finish their Ph.D.s.
Nate Kreuter offers advice for grad students on navigating faculty members’ titles — and in figuring out what to be called when they finish their Ph.D.s.
Health educators at the University of California at Davis are urging students to make their waking hours more productive — by napping.
Health educators at the University of California at Davis are urging students to make their waking hours more productive — by napping.
Amid intense lobbying, the Education Department changed proposed rules for judging for-profit and vocational programs. We compare the versions and explain how the new regulations will work.
Amid intense lobbying, the Education Department changed proposed rules for judging for-profit and vocational programs. We compare the versions and explain how the new regulations will work.
Rosemarie Emanuele
In softening rules requiring for-profit and vocational programs to prepare students for “gainful employment,” Education Dept. disappoints supporters and fails to mollify critics.
Mary Churchill
Texas lawmakers fail to pass a controversial bill, previously seen as a sure thing, that would have let people carry concealed weapons on college campuses.
Some university presses are seeing surges in digital book sales since the New Year — especially in backlist titles with little marketing support.
A community college examines courses with the highest failure rates, and changes a series of policies.
Education Department invites agencies to propose new ways to offer default prevention and financial literacy services to students and colleges.
In wake of eased restrictions, international educators discuss the merits of restarting academic programs in Cuba.
Douglas Natelson suggests approaches in the physical sciences.
It’s been almost twenty years since the death of an American intellectual maverick. But Scott McLemee finds there is plenty of life left in his work.
Economics association and political science journal abandon what has been dominant form of peer review in social sciences.
In tough budget times, departures of top faculty set off debates over how to retain and lure away the best — especially at flagships that appear targets for raids.
Decades after an action in class he regretted instantly, Lauren Soth meets the student he embarrassed.
At gathering of community college leaders, experts trade stories of advancing the completion agenda — and facing budget realities.
The Writers at University of Venus
Liz Reisberg and Philip G. Altbach
Continue reading about Agents and Recruiters: The Futility of Pretending to Certify Virtue
Countering claims that public colleges have no money, critics point to a budget lines that shows millions in “unreserved assets.”
U.S. Education Department expands on edict to colleges about not shutting out disabled students with technology.
Patrick Sanaghan and Larry Goldstein consider the quality of advice college presidents receive — and how they can get better information.
Pete Mackey considers why campuses — and their diverse constituencies — react to different speakers in different ways.
Pete Mackey considers why campuses — and their diverse constituencies — react to different speakers in different ways.
San Diego State, celebrated for helping students succeed without changing the makeup of its student body, faces criticism that it is abandoning its mission.
Continue reading about Raising Graduation Rates, and Questions
Commencement is supposed to be students’ crowning achievement. So how come so few professors bother to see their students off? David Galef asks.
Community colleges tell their presidents to raise more private money, but not everyone is comfortable with the wining and dining.
Anamaria Dutceac Segesten
Barbara Fister
