International
Higher education and the new doctrine of vocation | [A] detailed report published this month by the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE)…investigates “the relationship between the extent to which a subject is vocational and the employment outcomes of its graduates”. HEFCE, which draws on data released last summer on the destinations of leavers from higher education, is the main regulator of English universities.
High-achieving PhD candidates ‘experience greatest stress’ | PhD candidates experience higher than normal levels of psychological distress, with high-achievers found to be most at risk, according to an Australian study. Researchers at the University of Tasmania screened 81 doctoral candidates at an Australian university for symptoms of depression, anxiety and stress. Compared with the general population, PhD students were found to experience higher levels of psychological distress.
A deepening crisis | In 1966, the Kothari Commission had said in its voluminous report that India should aim at spending 6% of its GDP on education. More than half a century later, we are spending less than 3% of our GDP on education.
U.S. National
What approval of the budget deal really means for higher ed | The continuing resolution until March 23 — which is tacitly agreed upon but not concrete — includes “$4 billion [over two years] for programs that aid college affordability, including those that help police officers, teachers, and firefighters.”
Calling Academe’s Bluff | Erin Bartram, a visiting assistant professor of history at the University of Hartford, is talking about it all anyway, though, in a new “quit lit”-style essay that’s gained considerable attention (and put her website over capacity Monday). Awkwardness is kind of her point: Bartram asks readers to resist papering over her departure and instead to “grieve” with her.
She Wrote a Farewell Letter to Colleagues. Then 80,000 People Read It. | Last week Erin Bartram was a little-known visiting assistant professor of history at the University of Hartford. On Sunday night, she published an essay on her personal blog about why, after yet another year of coming up short on the tenure-track job market, she was leaving academe.
U.S. States
How Higher Ed Act can address college affordability through state partnerships | Forty-one states have articulated bold goals to raise the percentage of their residents with education beyond high school and drive future economic growth. This focus on increasing attainment has resulted in some states enacting new policies designed to expand access to public institutions while removing financial barriers to college completion.
Maine Voices: Just another echo chamber? Higher education’s identity crisis | To begin, there is nothing fake about the claim that higher education has a perception problem. A recent Gallup survey found that 56 percent of Democrats report confidence in colleges and universities, compared to just 33 percent of Republicans. A Pew survey found that 58 percent of conservatives believe colleges and universities have “a negative effect on the country.”
Editorial: Iowa must reinvest in higher education | In fiscal 2000, Iowa spent $556.7 million funding state universities. By fiscal 2017, that number was slashed by more than $30 million. The Legislature’s latest proposal, which just passed through the Senate, would reduce the fiscal 2018 budget by $14.6 million for state universities — nearly half of the drop in funding over almost 20 years.
California’s private colleges have plenty of room | California is facing a higher education crisis. By 2030, we will have a shortfall of 1.1 million college graduates, according to the Public Policy Institute of California. That means we will lack the teachers, doctors, entrepreneurs and other highly-educated professionals needed to keep our economy strong and growing.
Institutional
Journalism Professor at Northwestern, Accused of Harassment, Takes Leave of Absence | A prominent journalism professor is taking a leave of absence from Northwestern University after 10 of his former students and employees issued a public letter accusing him of harassment, inappropriate physical contact, and bullying.
The Disappearing President | Marymount California University said in a news release on its website Thursday that it had named a trustee, Brian Marcotte, its new president. No such announcement signaled the sudden departure of his predecessor, Lucas Lamadrid, and in fact most references to Lamadrid have been quietly stripped from the university’s website.
Arizona’s James a Pioneer in Inclusion Initiatives | Dr. Stanlie James began her career as an innovative scholar of Black feminism and international human rights. Now, as the vice provost of inclusion and community engagement at Arizona State University (ASU) since 2016, she has pioneered initiatives that have attracted the attention of national organizations.
Equity Gaining Emphasis in Assessing Student Outcomes | Assessment that Matters: Trending Toward Practices That Document Authentic Student Learning presents a national picture regarding the assessment of student learning on college and university campuses. Conducted in the spring and summer of 2017, this third nationwide survey reflects responses from the provosts of 811 regionally accredited, undergraduate degree-granting institutions across the United States.
Catholic higher education has consistent, higher outcomes | The landscape of Catholic higher education is changing, but the benefit it offers to students and the world is unmistakable, concluded this year’s Association of Catholic Colleges and Universities (ACCU) annual meeting held here Feb. 3-5.
ACC considers, then drops, plan to outsource student advising | Austin Community College, determined to improve retention and graduation rates, recently took the rare step of inviting companies to bid for a contract to help students earn degrees or certificates. It’s not unusual for community colleges to work with civic, nonprofit and other groups in guiding students through the education pipeline. However, requesting proposals for “student coaching services,” as the college put it, was a twist that officials at the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board and the Texas Association of Community Colleges had never seen before in the Lone Star State.