| International |
Universities should lead the fight to preserve humanity | Global higher education, which comprises around 19,400 institutions, according to the World Higher Education Database, is responding to climate change through initiatives for ‘sustainability’ or ‘resilience’…[G]enerally, it is safe to say that global higher education does not see itself as a whole-sector leader for global action to ‘fight’ climate change or to help human society adapt to inevitable climate change effects. Why not? With 250,000,000 students enrolled, global higher education is the largest single entity that could potentially act collectively around one mission to lead the human response to the climate crisis.
Universities are a decisive battlefield of our time | At a World Bank Seminar on Higher Education and Development in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, in June 1991, Castells presented a paper on “The University System: Engine of development in the new world economy”, which had a major influence on how the World Bank, and subsequently many other international funding agencies, changed their views and funding of higher education, particularly in Africa. In the 1991 paper and in subsequent lectures, Castells asserts that higher education institutions are essential for both economic growth and social justice. If we forget that the need for social, gender and racial equality is as important as innovation and growth, then higher education will sharpen social fragmentation, ultimately disabling the institutional capacity to manage universities and countries at large.
Brexit: Where now for the UK academy? | It’s fair to say that British higher education has not had a good Brexit so far. Painted as obstructive remoaners, more interested in European Union funding than in fulfilling the “will of the people” and pursuing freedom of movement for researchers even if that means taking away jobs from UK nationals, universities have found themselves on the losing side of the argument, however unfair that representation of their position might be.
Social scientists fight back against freeloader accusations | In a background paper for the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization’s World Social Science Report 2016, Professor Johann Mouton, director of the Centre for Research on Evaluation, Science and Technology at Stellenbosch University in South Africa, decried the under-funding of the humanities in Sub-Saharan Africa, noting that a majority of social scientists in the region depended almost entirely on international donor organisations and foreign governments. “The fact that there is still sustained social sciences research in the region says a great deal about the resilience and resolve of some scholars in African universities,” said Mouton.
Economic Survey points out high drop-out rates in schools | New Delhi, Jan 31 (IANS) The Economic Survey, released on Friday, pointed out high drop out rates at various levels of schooling and lack of affordability in higher education as areas of concern. The Survey emphasised that Samagra Shiksha 2018-19, was launched to envisage school education as a continuation from pre-school to senior secondary level to provide access to education to all.
Zimbabwe: Keep Education Affordable to Unlock More Benefits | A few weeks ago, the Government ordered State universities to set their full fees, including tuition and accommodation at $5 000 and below per semester, for both full-time conventional students and those on block release. Polytechnics and teachers’ colleges were directed to charge fees below $1 300 a semester for certificate and diploma programmes, while higher national diplomas and degrees will attract slightly higher fees. The Government encouraged colleges to ensure they were charging a maximum of $1 200 a semester. Naturally, most parents welcomed the move by Government to put a cap on university and college fees to make it affordable.
| U.S. National |
The Tyranny of the Market | American colleges and universities exist within a highly competitive marketplace. Individual institutions compete for students, faculty, research dollars, external funding, donations, visibility and prestige, and, in some cases, survival. Indeed, one of American higher education’s most distinctive features, from the early 19th century onward, has been its market-driven character. [Note: This is a fabricated history of higher education in America invented in the late 1950s by right-wing academic activists who sought to frustrate the efforts of statewide coordination and planning, and aided by funding from anti-New Deal big business foundations.]
More Trustees Fear for the Future | More than 40 percent of trustees are now very concerned about the future of higher education, up 14 points from last year, according to a survey.
Endowment Returns Solid in 2019 | A 5.3 percent rate of return in 2019 helped 10-year averages rise, but experts warn that earnings are unlikely to be as strong in the future.
| U.S. States and Territories |
With student loan debt in Wisconsin surpassing $24 billion, Evers creates task force to seek solutions | Gov. Tony Evers signed an executive order Wednesday creating a task force to research the mounting pressure student debt places on Wisconsin college students, which some say has reached crisis levels — not just in the state but nationwide. The task force will seek to understand the causes of Wisconsinites’ growing student debt load and the challenges student debtors face. The group also will evaluate the efficacy of current state policies regarding debt and provide recommendations to address the issue.
The Bottom Line: Ky. colleges, universities seeking $127M more over two years in performance-based funding | As Kentucky has seen a significant decline in higher education funding in recent years, Kentucky’s colleges and universities are asking lawmakers to give an additional $127 million in the next two-year state budget to add to the performance-based funding model. The ask comes as Kentucky has seen a 1.9% decrease in funding for the state’s colleges and universities over a five-year period, while neighboring states like Tennessee have increased their investment by more than 33%, Virginia has increased funding by 26%, and Ohio has seen a 12% jump according to data released for the 2020 fiscal year. The performance-based funding model used by Kentucky, which passed through the General Assembly in the 2017 session, allocates a portion of the state higher education funding based on a university’s performance on 11 key metrics including degrees produced, earned credit hours, student progression, and more.
Massachusetts excels at higher education — for the white and well-off | The state spends only $225 per capita on higher education, below the national average and way below a number of much poorer states such as Arkansas, Mississippi, and Kansas…In short, Massachusetts higher education is working nicely for well-off, white students.
| Institutional |
Who Leads on College Learning? | First, it’s important to acknowledge the unfairness of the oft-heard criticism that college teaching and student learning has hardly changed for decades, if not centuries. Just look around. At most colleges over the last decade or two, individual professors or academic departments have explored and in many cases embraced significant innovations in teaching format, curriculum or pedagogical practice. You can find scores if not hundreds (or thousands) of examples in publications like Inside Higher Ed and The Chronicle, in presentations at disciplinary and accrediting conferences, and at a teaching and learning center near you. [Note: Or, perhaps, the scores and hundreds of journalistic accounts of success are largely fraudulent claims that are not subject to peer review, transparency, or verification.]
Debating Student Shout Downs | A committee at Georgetown University law school is re-evaluating its policies on student protests after a demonstration prevented a speaker’s speech. Some law students believe the move will chill free speech.
