News Items from the Week of October 26, 2018

International

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Unions reject fee hike proposal as government backtracks | With Nigerian higher education institutions in the grip of a funding crisis, teacher and student unions rejected a recent proposal by a government commission to hike fees – calling it “outrageous”, as it would bar disadvantaged students from attaining qualifications – and called on the government to stick to its fiscal obligations.

Can universities become more agile? | Most universities are what I would describe as sluggish in their conduct. The move to mega structures within universities over the past few years has led to even more meaningless bureaucracy being the norm. These mammoth, supersized divisions, centres or faculties certainly don’t encourage agility, efficiency or innovation, nor do they promote timely, quality decision-making.

Saving the Humanities and Ben Franklin’s Ass | In response to the erosion of humanities’ prominence in higher education and threats to defund the National Endowment for the Humanities, we have seen business leaders from across the economy championing humanities education as essential preparation for the next generation of workers in their sectors. Many Fortune 500 CEOs point to their undergraduate humanities degrees as key to their success.

OECD: How Economics Still Shapes Students’ Educational Paths | While overall educational attainment is rising globally, students’ educational success is still largely a function of their economic status growing up, according to a report released Tuesday by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development.

Is Ed Tech Serving Man? | [T]ech companies aren’t nonprofits, and unless a company explicitly states that it intends to have measurable social impact, we shouldn’t assume it does. Good intentions are just that with no accountability.

‘Enough Is Enough’ | Breaking a more than yearlong stalemate with the Hungarian government over its future in the country, Central European University announced that it will move all of its American-accredited degree programs to a new campus in Vienna starting next fall unless the Hungarian government signs an agreement allowing it to legally remain at its campus in Budapest before Dec. 1.

U.S. National

The public is losing confidence in higher ed — here’s why | There are some who see colleges and universities as toll houses, exacting a fee for entrance into a desired class or profession. It is estimated that 65 percent of elementary school children will ultimately end up working in jobs that don’t yet exist today.

New Study Finds Cost of College Flattening but Student Aid Remains a Concern | The College Board’s annual report, “Trends in College Pricing 2018,” reveals that pricing and fees for colleges and universities were about the same as they were last year but suggests that the availability of aid for low-income students remains a looming concern on the horizon.

SAT Scores Are Up, Especially for Asians | Students who graduated from high school this year had an average total SAT score of 1068, a slight increase over last year’s average of 1060.

U.S. States

UNM, higher education in desperate need of reform | Enrollment at several of the major institutions is dropping. It’s falling at both Central New Mexico Community College and Santa Fe Community College. Two months ago, the Journal reported that UNM enrollment dipped “2.9 percent from the fall of 2016 to the fall of 2017 and has dropped a cumulative 9.3 percent since its 2012 peak.”

Survey: Growing Disparity in Backgrounds of Community College Trustees and Students | The community college trustees who participated were 76 percent White, 7 percent Black/African-American and 6 percent Hispanic/Latino. U.S. community college students were more diverse – 50 percent were White, 15 percent Black/African-American and 24 percent Hispanic/Latino, according to the survey.

Why Many College Dropouts Are Returning to School in North Carolina | This fall, the state launched a program called NC Promise that sets tuition at a flat rate—$500 a semester for in-state students, and $2,500 a semester for out-of-state students—at three public universities in geographically disparate parts of North Carolina. To fund the program, the state legislature has set aside $51 million.

Institutional

Audit: More oversight needed in USU, higher ed tuition | Utah State University students pay tuition every year, but those dollars are “receiving minimal independent scrutiny” before a higher education governing board mandates what students owe.

UI announces fall enrollment decline | The University of Idaho’s undergraduate student enrollment has declined in line with statewide trends, the university announced in a press release Friday. Both fall overall student enrollment and resident undergraduate enrollment have declined from last fall. Student enrollment dipped 2.6 percent, from 12,153 students last fall to 11,841 students this fall, while resident undergraduate enrollment dropped 3.7 percent from 5,779 last fall to 5,565 students this fall.

Coaxing Dropouts to Return and Earn Degree | The Institute for Higher Education Policy recently launched a three-year initiative, called Degrees When Due, to help colleges identify former students who dropped out and help them earn a degree or academic credential.

The College of Southern Idaho continues to see its enrollment drop | CSI, like many other Idaho colleges and universities, continues to see a drop in overall student headcount…CSI’s overall headcount is 6,978 students — down 1.2 percent compared with last year. That equates to about 85 fewer people, Bragg told trustees. The college has 3,378 full-time students — a drop of 0.9 percent or 31 students.