International
Finance minister must dispel myth that fiscus can’t afford free higher education: students | Shaheed Mohamed‚ secretary of the Workers International Vanguard League‚ which made its submissions in Cape Town last year‚ said it was “an insult to students” for them to be told their government cannot invest in their future.
Budget 2017: The school education crisis – and opportunity | Budget 2017 is an opportunity for the government to concentrate on improving school education for over 260.5 million children who enrolled in elementary and secondary school in 2015-16 — children who will form the core of Indias working-age population, one billion by 2030, the largest in the world.
UK’s Higher Education Academy Selects D2L’s Brightspace to Provide Continued Professional Development Programmes to Educators | D2L, a global learning technology leader, announces that The Higher Education Academy (HEA), an independent non-profit organisation committed to world-class teaching in higher education, has selected its Brightspace learning management system (LMS) to deliver an engaging online learning experience across the HEA’s CPD courses.
South Africa: Higher Education Ready to Take On 2017 | Higher Education and Training Minister Blade Nzimande says the sector is ready for the 2017 academic year. “We are not saying that there aren’t any glitches, but we are ready to absorb the numbers that we [have capacity] to take,” said Minister Nzimande on Thursday.
About 80% of UK universities sign up for TEF | More than 130 universities across the UK have applied to take part in year two of the teaching excellence framework (TEF), the Higher Education Funding Council for England (Hefce) has revealed.
U.S. National
Higher taxes can solve America’s student loan crisis | Each semester begins with the same ritual — I pick up my student loan from the mailbox, drive to ASU and hand it all over. As my classes pile up, my student loans do as well.
The 2017 Inside Higher Ed Survey of Chief Academic Officers | The provosts of American colleges and universities think the academic health of their institutions is quite strong, with 86 percent saying that it is either excellent or good. Twelve percent think their institutions’ academic health (as they defined it) is fair, and only 1 percent each said it was poor or failing.
‘Regaining Public Trust’ | Public trust in colleges and universities is eroding at a time when liberal education is crucial — and institutions must respond aggressively. That was the current running through several panels here Thursday at the annual meeting at the Association of American Colleges and Universities.
New Study Charts Recent Proliferation of Faculty Unions | The number of faculty unions at the nation’s colleges has surged, with most of the growth the result of efforts by the Service Employees International Union to organize private colleges’ non-tenure-track instructors, a new study has found.
U.S. States
College Affordability In Pennsylvania | A 2016 report issued by the University of Pennsylvania Institute for Research on Higher Learning determined that PA ranks 49th in the nation for college affordability.
Accreditor Questions Alabama Governance | The agency that accredits Southern colleges and universities is scrutinizing the Governor Robert Bentley’s role at the head of Alabama university boards, pushing back on what it sees as powers that are too concentrated and potentially conflicted.
North Dakota Weighs Tenure Change | The North Dakota University System is considering a major change to its policy on firing tenured professors, prompting concern from faculty members at the system’s 11 public colleges and universities.
Research, high-skill degrees and affordability among Florida’s higher ed goals, Board of Governors chair says | Efforts to boost research, guide college students to high-skilled jobs and make degrees more affordable have seen success, but Florida universities can do much more, the chair of the state’s higher education board said Thursday.
Institutional
Up Front for Retention | On the campus of Houston Baptist University, many students are the first in their families to go to college. It’s a distinction that makes the private university want to ensure that their students completely understand what is expected of them before the first day of classes.
BestColleges.com Releases 2017 Rankings of Premier Online Higher Education Academic Institutions | BestColleges.com, a leading provider of higher education information and resources, today published its annual ranking of America’s Best Online Colleges. The University of Central Florida, Arizona State University, and University of Minnesota-Twin Cities top 2017’s list of 25 accredited, not-for-profit schools.
Roger Williams U to Offer Scholarships to Syrians | Roger Williams University will offer four scholarships to students from Syria, joining a global network of more than 60 colleges, universities and organizations that’s helping displaced students resume their studies in safety.
STCC Names Barb Chalfonte VP of Institutional Effectiveness | The creation of the new position elevates Institutional Effectiveness (IE) and underscores the importance of seeking to enhance the college’s processes and promote student success, STCC President John Cook said. With Chalfonte at the helm, IE will become its own division and have a broader reach.
NYU Affordability Is Hurting Educational Opportunity | Last week, The Upshot section of The New York Times released infographics of a recent study that analyzed the economic backgrounds of undergraduate students based on anonymous tax filings and tuition records. The individual analysis of NYU revealed that not only three-fifths of its student body come from the top 20 percent of the income bracket, but also that nearly half of the students — an astounding 48 percent — come from the top 10 percent.