International
Bad politics and the paradox of university rankings | Zimbabwe’s higher education sector finds itself caught in a paradox: the country has one of the highest literacy rates in Africa at 92%, but its universities perform dismally in both continental and international rankings. Pressure is mounting on the post-Robert Mugabe government to intervene.
Squeezing Higher Education Through the Neoliberal Wringer: Academic Autonomy and the HECI | The two documents actually articulate very different meanings of the ‘autonomy’ of higher education. The autonomy promoted in the HECI Bill and in recent initiatives of the Modi government is the autonomy of individualinstitutions to deal on their own with the sources of their funding, to develop courses to meet the student demands or to hire (and fire) faculty. The UGC Act of 1956 visualises the autonomy of higher education as self-autonomy of the entire sector to regulate itself independently of the government in power.
Wider access to higher education needs a mindset shift | At Malawi’s first international conference on higher education last month, Professor Paul Tiyambe Zeleza, vice-chancellor of the Nairobi-based United States International University – Africa, suggested there was need for caution in the Malawian government’s decision to “unbundle” the University of Malawi and turn its four constituent colleges into stand-alone universities.
Varsity teachers slam draft Bill to replace UGC | The Kerala University Teachers’ Organisation (KUTO) has said that the proposed Higher Education Council of India (HECI), which would replace the University Grants Commission (UGC), would result in ‘ideological interference and political hoodwinking’…With little autonomy and emphasis on public universities and public funded higher education institutions, the HECI might end up rolling out the red carpet for profiteering institutions.
Replacing the UGC won’t solve India’s problems | In all likelihood, the HECI bill will be passed. However, higher education in India is in the grip of a deep-rooted crisis that has emerged due to a lack of infrastructure and the absence of full autonomy for higher education institutions.
Australia’s spending on research plummets far below OECD average | Ahead of a parliamentary inquiry into research funding, Universities Australia has complained that government and business have ignored a key part of higher education – which it called the “backbone” of the economy – by allowing overall funding for research and development to fall to below 2% of the total economy.
U.S. National
OPINION: Is U.S. higher education headed for ‘Wild West’ tumult? | Everyone in America should be concerned about recent news that the U.S. Department of Education has quietly but steadily deprioritized investigations into fraud and abuse by a number of for-profit institutions. This doesn’t just impact current and future students — it affects every tax-paying citizen in our country.
Higher Ed’s Real Productivity Problem | Academic culture — like American culture more broadly — has become monomaniacally infatuated with productivity as the marker of a successful life, and quantitative measures have become central to determining what counts as success. Although academics can be found resisting (mildly) the metrics of productivity foisted on them by administrators, they also enthusiastically measure themselves.
U.S. States
Both the Legislature and colleges need to step up — with funding and better practices | The aim is that by 2030, at least 60 percent of Texans ages 25 to 34 will have earned a certificate or degree.
EDITORIAL Pennsylvania is a state that needs to invest in higher education | As of 2017, only New Jersey and New Hampshire’s public institutions of higher education were costlier than those in Pennsylvania. Granted, the heftier tuition at state-related schools like Penn State University and the University of Pittsburgh drive up the average, but Pennsylvania’s schools are nevertheless pricey. Funding levels from Harrisburg have been stagnant. In 2017, $4,021 was spent per student by Pennsylvania, while the national average is $7,642. The decreasing number of college-age people in the commonwealth has also helped drive up costs.
Divided Wisconsin Supreme Court Backs Marquette Faculty Blogger | Wisconsin’s high court split along conservative and liberal lines in the case, voting 4-2 in favor of McAdams. While the professor’s case was about an alleged breach of contract, the decision touched on the current campus speech climate, especially for political conservatives, such as McAdams. It also broke with a long judicial tradition of deferring to colleges and universities on tenured personnel matters.
WGU Tennessee Climbs to Third-Largest Private, Nonprofit University in State | WGU Tennessee – a nonprofit, online university launched in 2013 as part of Gov. Bill Haslam’sDrive to 55 initiative – has grown to the third-largest private, nonprofit university in the state based on full-time enrollment. The announcement comes as the college prepares to celebrate five years of providing quality, affordable education primarily to working adults across the state.
Governor Authorizes $14.3 Million For Framingham State and $15 Million For New Health Facility For MassBay in Framingham | The bond bill authorizes $950 million overall for public higher education investments. The Administration’s five-year Capital Investment Plan has budgeted $190 million for capital repairs, renovations and improvements at state universities and community colleges and the University of Massachusetts system in Fiscal Year 2019, including $37.3 million in FY19 for critical repairs at all 29 campuses in the state system and $50 million for significant infrastructure projects to address potential operational and life safety issues.
Institutional
College Retreat Examines White Identity | During the 2018-19 school year, the University of Vermont (UVM) will host a three-day weekend retreat that specifically targets White students in order to discuss topics such as privilege, inclusivity and racism.
The Benefits of Ethnic Studies Courses | New data from an evaluation of San Francisco State University’s ethnic studies courses found that by passing just one class, students improved their overall performance across the campus. The data compiled by the college’s Division of Institutional Analytics found that ethnic studies majors in general graduate at a rate about 20 percentage points higher than non-ethnic studies majors. In 2010, ethnic studies majors had a six-year graduation rate of 77.3 percent, compared to a rate of 52.3 percent for nonmajors. SF State is unique in having the country’s first and only freestanding college in ethnic studies.
Lies, Damned Lies and Rankings | Temple University on Monday announced that its business school had submitted false data for years for rankings purposes. The university said that it had asked Moshe Porat, dean of the business school, to resign, saying that he had dismantled the business school’s system for verifying the accuracy of data being submitted for rankings. An outside review found that the employee responsible for preparing the data said he did so at the dean’s direction, although Porat denied this to the outside investigator.
Whose Responsibility Is It? The Role of Faculty in Student Success | So when we ask the question, “Whose responsibility is it?” as faculty members and administrators ourselves, we must conclude that all university personnel are responsible for student learning, which includes faculty who are at the core of student learning. Faculty’s role in the success of students is critical to the vitality of an institution for all students, and even more so for institutions that serve a large minority population. Therefore, it is critical that faculty continue to take ownership of their role in student learning and are engaged in strategies to promote an inclusive learning environment designed to increase student success.