International
Essential forum for higher education institutions in the Middle East to improve education quality, institution global standing and student employability in the region | With the theme ‘Creating a dynamic and competitive higher education sector in the Middle East’, the event will host lively dialogue around structuring competitive curriculum for high quality workforce ready graduates as well as highlight how institutions can align education output with national and regional labour market needs for greater regional impact.
The vocational alternative: a definitive opportunity for universities? | The Sainsbury review represents a huge opportunity for UK universities, while institutions across the world can reap the rewards of vocational courses, says Martin Hall.
Internationalisation should be ethical and for all | In higher education, there also seems to be a trend towards a division between world-class universities – with global research, students and scholars; competing and collaborating across the world; located in vibrant cosmopolitan urban environments; and benefiting from ample (inter)national and private resources – and others struggling with shrinking budgets, less-skilled students and scholars and located in rural areas.
Inequality, intolerance threaten universities – Kofi Anan | Former United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan has called on universities around the world to promote democracy as growing inequality and intolerance threaten higher education globally.
South Africa: Higher Education Hangs in the Balance. Here Are Four Scenarios | Higher education in South Africa is at another crossroads. Students have put pressure on the state to offer “fee-free” education to all following their success last year in securing a zero increase in fees for 2015. But the battle over what fee structure is appropriate for the country is far from over.
U.S. National
Separating Education From Credentialing | A prominent technology think tank wants the federal government to encourage the use of standardized assessments to measure postsecondary knowledge and skills, with an approach that would separate learning from credentialing and challenge the dominance of traditional college degrees.
Do state subsidies for public universities favor the affluent? | Combining data from multiple sources allows us to explore the relationship between university spending on education and what their students pay in tuition, more accurately estimating the average subsidies that students at public four-year universities receive. We use these estimates to examine how subsidies differ by family income and find that subsidies for education expenditures actually decline on average as student and family incomes increase.
Most grads say college is a worthy investment, but support making college tuition free | Despite the rising price of higher education, many college graduates still believe a college degree is worth the cost.
New York Fed warns of troubling consequence of rising student loan debt | Student debt may be contributing to wealth inequality. The increase in borrowing to pay for school combined with slow repayment rates could be widening the gap between the haves and the have-nots, researchers at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York wrote in a blog post Monday.
Two-Thirds of Americans Support Free College Tuition | This might be an idea whose time has come: Nearly two-thirds of Americans are in favor of free college for everyone, and about three-quarters think at least some people should be eligible for free college, a new survey shows.
U.S. States
UA System, Chancellor Steinmetz Endorse New State Higher Education Funding Formula | University of Arkansas System President Donald R. Bobbitt, U of A Chancellor Joseph Steimetz and Chancellor Chris Thomason, UACC at Hope were among the higher education leaders supporting a new outcomes-based funding formula for the state’s higher education institutions.
New Hampshire Community Colleges Balancing Access, Affordability | Given the challenges of the transfer process, New Hampshire community college and university leaders say that they have thought carefully about how to make the pathway as seamless and accessible as possible for students from start to finish.
Higher Education ROI | Students who invest in college degrees generally get higher paying jobs and earn more over a lifetime than those without degrees. So, while much has been said about escalating costs of higher education, the overall return on investment ROI of higher education is positive.
The Student Loan Industry Is Profiting From The Student Debt Crisis, Reporter Says | College costs and student debt are pinnacle issues in this year’s election cycle. Costs have soared and public investment into universities has declined over the years. In Wisconsin, Gov. Scott Walker announced plans this week to extend the University of Wisconsin System tuition freeze in the next two-year state budget.
Institutional
For-Profit Giant Cautions That New-Student Enrollment May Drop by Half | New-student enrollment at institutions run by ITT Educational Services Inc. may drop by 45 to 60 percent over roughly the next six months, compared with the same period a year earlier, according to a new corporate filing by the company.
Yale Reconsiders Calhoun Name | Three months after Yale University said it would keep John C. Calhoun’s name on one of its residential colleges, the university announced Monday that it is creating a new committee that could lead to the name being removed.
Colleges Renew STEM Push With Diversity in Mind | President Obama may have spent much of his time in office as the nation’s chief advocate for getting more students and educators STEM-smart for this century. He’s talked about it, held White House STEM events on it and persuaded Congress to allocate nearly $3 billion in each of the last two federal fiscal years for STEM and STEM education.
Arkansas State University Chancellor Tim Hudson Resigns | Arkansas State University Chancellor Tim Hudson resigned Tuesday evening, effective immediately, and ASU System President Charles Welch has named Lynita Cooksey, provost and vice chancellor for academic affairs and research, as acting chancellor.
Report: ‘$500M Club’ Shuns Low-income Students | Universities with the largest endowments were slammed as “playgrounds for the children of the wealthiest” in a new Education Trust report today that says the institutions should tap their endowments at a higher rate to benefit more low-income students.
Startup Eyes Diverse Populations for Student-Faculty Research Collaboration | ScholarBridge, a two-year-old New York tech startup linking students with researchers, is growing in reach among schools with diverse student populations.