International
Cabinet approves university and subject ranking system | Ministers have approved the drafting of a by-law to establish a ranking system linked to specific criteria, including scientific research and publications, the number of faculty members and enrolled students, in addition to the ratio of foreign students to the total number of students, among others, according to Higher Education Minister Adel Tweisi, writes Laila Azzeh for The Jordan Times.
The new battlefront in university subject rankings | Shanghai Ranking has opened a new battlefront in an already saturated rankings space. Released on 28 June, the Global Ranking of Academic Subjects, produced by the same team that compiles the Academic Ranking of World Universities, allows 1,410 universities from 80 countries worldwide the right to boast about their academic successes.
Student experience is core to an offshore strategy | Recently the University of Arizona in the United States announced plans to embark on opening more than 25 ‘micro-campuses’ over the next three years. Tagged for Asia and the Middle East, it will create a network that Arizona hopes will cater for more than 25,000 students around the globe.
Higher education ‘under siege’ in Venezuela | Claudio Bifano, a professor at the Central University of Venezuela and former president of the Venezuelan Academy of Science, believes that the country’s universities are suffering from “the most severe crisis in the past 50 years”. Government policies have focused on producing large numbers of graduates, he said, without regard to standards, and on “train[ing] the professionals that the revolution supposedly needs for its political purposes”.
The rise of private universities in Africa is being dominated by Christian schools | The last two decades have seen a brisk growth in Christian universities in sub-Saharan Africa. This phenomenon exists at the intersection of two of the most dynamic social trends on the continent: the rapid rise of Christian adherence and the volatile growth of higher education.
‘The Toxic University’ | John Smyth has a call to arms for academics frustrated by trends in higher education in the United States, Britain, Australia and elsewhere. Smyth has had it with politicians and university leaders who focus on cutting spending and finding new revenue through business ties.
Free Higher Education and Opportunities for Everyone in Norway | For the last two years right wing government of Norway has been trying to introduce a school fee for international students. However, students, majority of politicians and academics resisting tuition fees with the argument that a tuition-free system supports international social justice by giving students from developing countries an opportunity to participate in higher education.
Academic Ethics: To Rank or Not to Rank? | QS recently released its World University Rankings for 2018. QS stands for “Quacquarelli and Symonds” but I like to joke that “Quirky Silliness” is a more apt description of the list, given the results.
Government cuts 40% of state-funded university places | The Russian government is pushing on with plans to cut 40% of state-funded places in domestic universities in 2018 and to cut teaching jobs at state universities.
U.S. National
Deep Partisan Divide on Higher Education | An annual survey by the Pew Research Center on Americans’ views of national institutions, released this week, found a dramatic attitude shift on higher education among Republicans and people who lean Republican, with the change occurring across most demographic and ideological groups. Two years ago, 54 percent of Republicans said colleges had a positive impact on the country’s direction, with 37 percent rating higher education negatively. That ratio shifted to 43 percent positive and 45 percent negative last year.
Most Republicans Think Colleges Are Bad for the Country. Why? | A majority of Republicans and right-leaning independents think higher education has a negative effect on the country, according to a new study released by the Pew Research Center on Monday.
Money Matters | Students are more likely to graduate from colleges that are more expensive and have larger budgets, a new study out of Oregon State University shows. Researchers examined the demographic and graduation data of more than 400 four-year colleges and universities from both the 2007-08 and 2014-15 academic years, relying on the federal Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System.
It’s Time to Fix Higher Education’s Tower of Babel, Says Georgetown University Report | A new report from the Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce (Georgetown Center), Career Pathways: Five Ways to Connect College and Careers, calls for states to help students, their families, and employers unpack the meaning of postsecondary credentials and assess their value in the labor market.
College Access Group Sees Surge in FAFSA Applications | The number of FAFSAs filed by high school seniors increased 9 percent — or rose from 56 for the Class of 2016 to 61 percent for the Class of 2017. The number of individuals overall — not just high school seniors — who completed the FAFSA before June 30 also rose — by 6 percent — to about 14 million individuals, as opposed to about 13.2 million the year prior.
U.S. States
Higher education financing being re-evaluated | As New Mexico’s public colleges and universities strain under a budget crunch wrought by fewer state dollars and lower enrollment, legislative analysts want to learn how – or if – the state’s higher education network can operate smarter, especially when neither revenue source is expected to rapidly rebound.
Picking up the Pieces in Illinois | College and university leaders are happy to see the first state budget in two years, but many prepare for less state support in the future and confront lingering impacts of cuts and uncertainty.
California Lawmakers Seek Solutions to Make Higher Education Affordable | California needs one million more workers who have a bachelor’s degree by 2030 to keep up with workforce demands in the state. College graduates earn higher salaries and generally do not need public assistance, which means more tax revenue for the state. The problem is that people who want to go to college are finding it hard to afford the cost of tuition, plus it’s difficult for them to pay for living expenses in a state with a high cost of living.
Pennsylvania’s public university crisis, and what the fixes could be | The future of Pennsylvania’s mostly struggling 14 state universities will be set in motion this afternoon. After months of audits and campus visits, a third-party consulting firm will explain its study of the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education and provide recommendations to the group’s Board of Governors…
Budget override allows Mendoza to release millions for higher education | Using over $695 million in existing education funds, Illinois Comptroller Susana A. Mendoza announced today the first release of funds to state colleges and universities in more than seven months. The recent override of Governor Bruce Rauner’s veto of the state’s first comprehensive budget in over two years provided appropriation authority to utilize existing higher education funds.
Institutional
SLCC Names New Institutional Effectiveness VP | Aird earned his juris doctor and master of public administration degrees from Brigham Young University after completing his undergraduate work at Utah State University. He was hired by SLCC in 2013 as the director for Institutional Inquiry and Analysis.
Mills College Faces Layoffs, Restructuring Programs | In the midst of a financial emergency, Mills College will lay off faculty and restructure academic programs in an effort to right the ship. Earlier this year, Mills faced a growing deficit of more than $9 million out of an annual operating budget of $57 million.
Despite Forged Signature, Bethune-Cookman U. Proceeds With $306-Million Dorm Contract | A $306-million contract to construct new dormitories at Bethune-Cookman University is moving forward — even though the university president’s signature on the contract was forged, The Daytona Beach News-Journal reported.
Analysis: Ed Tech Decision Makers Are Under Pressure in Higher Education | [W]e now expect decision makers to ensure that their ed tech choices lead to better student outcomes. This might be higher grades, greater course completion rates, or a faster time to graduation.
How Colleges Give Students a Flawed Sense of Living Costs | How much will it really cost to go to college? Institutions can provide students and parents with a pretty clear picture of what they’ll pay in tuition and fees, and they can give students living on campus the exact price of room and board. But those are pieces of a bigger puzzle.