News Items from the Week of Nov. 6, 2015

International

College fees ‘inevitable solution to third-level funding crisis’ | College fees seem an inevitable solution to the country’s [Ireland’s] third-level funding crisis, an international education expert has said.

The 10 Ed-Tech Companies That Are Raising the Most Money | In the first half of 2015, venture-capital funding in ed tech totaled well over $1 billion.

Another Commission Will Take On the Future of Higher Education | The “future of higher education” landscape — already ringing with cacophonous predictions from all manner of task forces, books, conferences, and self-styled disruptors — is about to get another.

AIMS and ADEA partner to strengthen inclusive STEAM higher education in Africa | The African Institute for Mathematical Sciences (AIMS) and the Association for the Development of Education in Africa (ADEA) today announced the beginning of a partnership for the promotion of appropriate education sector policies that support Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics (STEAM).

U.S. National

Higher Education Act turns 50, with many changes for colleges | Nov. 8 marks the 50th anniversary of the Higher Education Act, the federal law intended to strengthen the educational resources of our colleges and universities and to provide financial assistance for students in post-secondary higher education.

New Data on Adjuncts | Teaching is the primary source of income for nearly three-quarters (73 percent) of adjunct faculty members, and two-thirds have actively sought a tenure-track position.

Gender Affects Occupations and Wages of Humanities Majors, Reports Say | Men and women who earned degrees in the humanities have notable differences in their earnings and post-college occupations, according to two reports released on Monday by the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

The Case for Better Faculty Pay | [A] new study suggests that investing in instructional costs yields key returns on investment, including better undergraduate employment outcomes — especially for disadvantaged students.

Recession-Era Woes Subside | Though far from ideal, student debt levels and tuition pricing continue to level out since the recession.

From Inputs to Outcomes: Decoding ‘Quality Assurance’ in Higher-Ed | What does “quality” in higher education look like? That’s the top-of-mind question for higher-ed leaders as the US Department of Education dangles the prospect of making financial aid available to students engaged in nontraditional academic programs, designed in partnership with third parties—including for-profit companies.

From Inputs to Outcomes: Decoding ‘Quality Assurance’ in Higher-Ed | What does “quality” in higher education look like? That’s the top-of-mind question for higher-ed leaders as the US Department of Education dangles the prospect of making financial aid available to students engaged in nontraditional academic programs, designed in partnership with third parties—including for-profit companies.

U.S. States

University funding looms as pressure point in Illinois budget standoff | For Illinois’ universities nearing the end of the fall semester without money from the state, it’s a tale of the haves and have-nots.

Potential job crisis in Minnesota ‘ought to make you nervous’ | Minnesota is facing a “perfect storm” that threatens the very special position that it holds in the national economy due to the availability of a skilled labor pool, according to Steven Rosenstone, chancellor, Minnesota State Colleges and Universities.

Snyder to higher ed: Look beyond boosted state funding | [Michigan] Gov. Rick Snyder said at policy conference Monday that increased state funding is only one way to improve the affordability of higher education.

Institutional

The Economist: Our first-ever college rankings | The Economist’s first-ever college rankings are based on a simple, if debatable, premise: the economic value of a university is equal to the gap between how much money its graduates earn, and how much they might have made had they studied elsewhere.

The New Math of College Rankings | A growing number of websites sort colleges based on financial criteria, allowing students and families to compare schools on such factors as return on investment and graduates’ prospects for employment—key considerations at a time when four years of college can represent one of the biggest investments a family or an individual will ever make.

Morris Leads the State in Effectiveness and Efficiency | The Midwestern Higher Education Compact (MHEC) has again named the University of Minnesota, Morris the statewide leader in new measures of effectiveness and efficiency.

Forever Is a Long, Long Time | College and university presidents like large endowments for both their real and symbolic benefits.