International
The Big Picture: Dublin ranked badly for affordability | The index, from international higher education analysts QS, ranks cities according to six categories; desirability, employer activity, affordability, student view, student mix, and university rankings. The city performed very poorly for affordability, ranking 129th.
U.S. National
Fulfilling the American Dream: Liberal Education and the Future of Work | The report summarizes selected findings from two parallel national surveys—one of 501 business executives at private sector and nonprofit organizations and another of 500 hiring managers whose current job responsibilities include recruiting, interviewing, and/or hiring new employees. Both executives and hiring managers express a higher degree of confidence in colleges and universities than does the American public. They also agree upon the value of college and believe that it is both important and worth the investment of time and money.
We don’t need to “rethink college” — we need to rethink the arguments against it | There is a pattern here. The right frets about the ideological indoctrination of the young. Experts prove those worries wrong. And we repeat the process pretty much every year.
The SAT Mess That’s Not Going Away | The August SAT was based on an SAT given in Asia in October. The use of “recycled questions” became known to the public almost as soon as the administration of the August SAT was over — as reports spread that some students from Asia had taken the test in the United States and may well have had an advantage.
Does college prepare you for a lifetime of success? | A new report released last week by the Association of American Colleges & Universities (AAC&U) found that only a third of executives, and a quarter of hiring managers, believe graduates possess the skills and knowledge to advance or be promoted, Chronicle report.
U.S. States
A means to cut higher education | Kentucky has taken a big step back when it comes to the funding of higher education…[Y]ear after year the state has cut funding to higher education. And, it appears to us, at least, that here in Eastern Kentucky, the new funding equation used to dole out money for higher education is not in our youths’ best interests.
Burden shifting in higher education | The new master plan for the Department of Higher Education, Colorado Rises, aims to boost the number of adults with a post-secondary education from 55 percent currently to 66 percent by 2025. But those aspirations don’t always reach the people in the trenches — students with loan payments and university leaders grappling with an ever-smaller piece of the financial pie.
Panel: State needs to address higher education issues | For too long, the state has suffered through a lengthy fiscal crisis that continues to impact all of its citizens, said Andre Jordan, the associate state director for the AARP Illinois, one of the sponsors for a town hall meeting at the Normal Theater. Higher education and its impact on the state’s economy and taxpayers were the focus of the 60-minute discussion.
Reports: Free College Programs Don’t Benefit Low-Income Students | Tuition-free college programs enjoy wide public and political support, and their popularity is growing. But two new reports released today indicate that some programs do not guarantee the no-cost education promised to low-income students.
Study: Many ‘Free College’ and Promise Programs Unequitable | Free college can be just that for students most in financial need, if a program is designed around equity. The problem is, many “promise” and other so-called free college state programs are inherently inequitable and are not constructed to benefit low-income students, according to a study by The Education Trust (Ed. Trust).
Institutional
Trustees approve plans to eliminate hundreds of fees to enhance affordability | Ohio State University trustees today approved an affordability package that will help students save up to $1.9 million a year. The four-prong initiative eliminates 278 course fees; provides steep discounts on digital textbooks; waives costs when students take additional credit hours to complete their degrees, accept internships or conduct research; and extends in-state tuition to more military families.
UConn Has Been “Intentional” About Diversity Efforts | The University of Connecticut (UConn) has created and implemented a variety of wrap-around support services to assist minority students on its campus…On average, the freshman retention rate for minority students is 92 percent, compared to the rate of 94 percent for overall students. In addition, the four-year graduation rate among minority students is 66 percent, while the six-year graduation rate for minority students is 77 percent, according to UConn’s 2018 fact sheet.
University of the Cumberlands announces 57 percent cut of tuition | University of the Cumberlands announced Tuesday that it will reduce tuition by 57 percent for on-campus undergraduate students beginning in the next academic year. The tuition cut comes as part of an initiative called The Cumberlands Commitment in which the financial aid process for students will be more transparent and allow for more students and parents to see what the actual cost of college will be.
WSJ/THE US College Rankings 2019: Harvard holds on to top spot | Harvard University has topped a student-focused ranking of US universities and colleges for the second year in a row.
Purdue U. Global Drops Controversial Nondisclosure Agreement for Professors | Professors previously had to sign a four-page document that prohibited them from talking about nonpublic matters at Purdue, including aspects of their teaching such as “course materials” and “methods of instruction.” The institution was criticized for the agreements, which are typically found in corporate environments, not academe.
‘You belong at IU Northwest’ | Days before the first day of class for the 2018-19 academic year, Indiana University Northwest faculty members donned their full academic regalia to officially and formally welcome the newest freshman class to IU Northwest.
Note: Posted September 13, 2018.