International
What could a new premier mean for higher education? | Dr Abiy Ahmed was elected chair of the ruling party, Ethiopian People’s Revolutionary Democratic Front or EPRDF, a few days before he was sworn in as prime minister. In his close to 40 minute inaugural speech, Abiy outlined the major areas of emphasis for his government. Interestingly enough, the quality of education was one of them.
The role of universities in an era of authoritarianism | The Central European University or CEU is another example. Founded in 1991 by a bunch of Eastern European academics in Budapest and Prague, the idea was to implant world-class social science and humanities teaching in university systems that had only known communist ideology, to spread the virtues of Western academic freedom to the whole of the post-communist world and to play a crucial role during the transition process from communism to liberal democracy.
U.S. National
Expanding Pathways to Success After High School, U.S. Department of Education Approves First Innovative EQUIP Experiment | Through the EQUIP experiment, students will be allowed, for the first time, to use federal student aid to enroll in programs offered by innovative, nontraditional education providers that are partnering with accredited colleges or universities. These partnerships seek to expand educational opportunities for students while experimenting with new quality assurance and accountability mechanisms.
Misguided Effort to Dismantle Federal Protections | Here they go again. After halting and gutting two major rules that were put in place to safeguard students and taxpayers from predatory and abusive practices, Education Secretary Betsy DeVos is apparently planning yet another round of deregulation that will dismantle key protections against fraud, waste and abuse, under the guise of flexibility to promote innovation.
Dear Humanities Profs: We Are the Problem | Our manner has been academic, but our matter has been political, and we have fought hard. So how have we ended up in these ominous political straits? The easy answer is frightening enough: We don’t really matter. The hard one chills the blood: We are, in fact, part of the problem.
Higher Education Equity Advocate Tom Sugar Joins EAB | Tom Sugar has joined EAB as Vice President of Partnerships, the company announced today. Formerly president of the national nonprofit Complete College America, Sugar has championed several strategies proven to help more students from diverse backgrounds succeed, including guided pathways, proactive advising, and “15 to Finish.”
U.S. States
Maryland proposal for free community college follows national trend. But results aren’t clear. | Free college tuition programs like the one lawmakers approved in the final hours of Maryland’s General Assembly session are gaining national momentum, but experts say such statewide initiatives are still too new to determine their long-term benefit.
Regents and university presidents decry slide in state funding | Iowa Board of Regents members, university presidents and students expressed concern about the state’s weakening support for higher education during the board’s meeting Thursday at Iowa School for the Deaf.
Minnesota State university presidents say tuition freezes aren’t working | Minnesota State university leaders want the freedom to raise tuition in order to pay for initiatives they say will improve student outcomes. In the past six years, the Legislature has effectively frozen tuition for the state’s two-year colleges and authorized the seven state universities to raise tuition by less than 8 percent.
Institutional
Where Colleges Recruit … and Where They Don’t | A new study being presented at the annual meeting of the American Educational Research Association suggests that these visits favor those who attend high schools where family income is high. And these high schools are likely to be whiter than the population as a whole.
It Matters a Lot Who Teaches Introductory Courses. Here’s Why. | [O]n many campuses, teaching introductory courses typically falls to less-experienced instructors. Sometimes the task is assigned to instructors whose very connection to the college is tenuous. A growing body of evidence suggests that this tension could have negative consequences for students.
The Pros and Cons of Purdue’s 7-Year Freeze | Tuition freezes are often derided as short-term budgeting gimmicks that ultimately force institutions to raise tuition or severely trim offerings. For five years now, Purdue seems to have largely avoided the first fate. Whether it escapes future cutbacks is an open question, but Daniels’s ability to enact and sell the idea has even skeptics curious about the outcome.
Questions and Protests for Hampton’s 40-Year President | Few leaders in American higher education can compete with Harvey’s four-decade tenure leading Hampton, a private, 4,600-student historically black university on the banks of the Virginia Peninsula across the harbor from Norfolk. The Harvey family has in many ways grown synonymous with the university as it has risen in prominence and prestige.
Posted on May 15, 2018