News Items from the Week of Mar. 4, 2016

International

Cost-Sharing: A Threat to Higher Education in Morocco | Fez – Historically speaking, Moroccan universities have a long tradition with the Qarawiyyin University, founded in the 9th century.

Higher Education: Good start but concerns are we may be barking up the wrong tree | Attribute it to varying perceptions inspired by persuasions in the private and public sector but Business Today’s conversations with two experts in higher education gave an insight into how the same text of the finance minister can be viewed differently.

India & World Bank to improve learning outcomes of over 3 mn students in MP | The Government of India, the Government of Madhya Pradesh and the World Bank have signed a USD 300 million credit agreement for the Madhya Pradesh (MP) Higher Education Quality Improvement Project to improve student learning outcomes in select government-run higher education institutions in the state, particularly for the disadvantaged groups.

U.S. National

The Outsourced College | It’s more than just dining halls and parking lots.

The Trends Report: 10 Key Shifts in Higher Education | In a year of turmoil − marked by campus protests, free-speech controversies, scandals involving academic research, questions about the value of a degree, and more − higher education continues to be on the defensive.

Obama breathed new life into federal grant aid, yet it’s not enough to tackle college costs | The Obama administration has made unprecedented investments in the Pell grant program for needy college students, increasing access and the award amount over the years. Yet in the face of rising higher education costs and dwindling state investment, the program is fighting an uphill battle to make college affordable for low-income students.

We Need to Solve America’s Student Debt Crisis | Forty million Americans have student debt. Together, they owe more than a trillion dollars — an amount that has doubled since the great recession.

Higher education jobs increase indicates healthy economy | The job market in higher education has shown the largest increase in any one-quarter period since 2012. The market had a 1.25-percent increase, or approximately 24,100 jobs, in the fourth quarter of 2015, according to a HigherEdJobs report published Friday.

Mount St. Mary’s University and the dilemma facing American higher education | The controversy at Mount St. Mary’s University in Maryland illustrates the paradoxical challenge facing American higher education: universities need to be run with more of a focus on the bottom line, but at their core, colleges are not corporations.

How Accurate Are Delta’s Data? | For researchers, the Delta Cost Project is the premier database for measuring higher education finance. But the way the data are organized can be misleading, a new paper argues.

College Presidents With Business Ties — Should university presidents have to come from academia? | Some say that as costs and student debt soar, the trend of hiring business people for academic leadership is beneficial for schools.

U.S. States

Republicans and Democrats push for college affordability, with many voters listening | In an era of rising tuition costs and ballooning student loan debt, politicians from both parties are advocating for new legislation aimed at reducing the financial burden of a college education on students and their families.

Rauner: Madigan manipulating university leaders in funding crisis | Gov. Bruce Rauner on Monday pushed blame for the state’s higher education funding crisis onto House Speaker Michael Madigan — accusing him of manipulating leadership at state universities to withhold support of Rauner-backed solutions.

Institutional

Transcript of Tomorrow | New transcripts and technologies take shape as colleges participating in the Comprehensive Student Record Project test new ways to track what students do in college.

Cutting Faculty Jobs Brings President Award | Carolyn Stefanco, president of the College of Saint Rose, cut 23 faculty positions and 12 academic programs. She won a prize for her efforts.

Xavier Ushers in a New Era | Hundreds of individuals crowded into the Convocation Center on Friday morning to watch as Dr. C. Reynold Verret was inaugurated as the sixth president of Xavier University of Louisiana.

Simon Newman Resigns as President of Mount St. Mary’s | Months after he incited a bitter backlash by comparing struggling students to bunnies that needed to be drowned, Simon P. Newman resigned late Monday, effective immediately, as president of Mount St. Mary’s University, in Maryland.

Fixing A Broken Freshman Year: What An Overhaul Might Look Like | … 44 state colleges and universities — including Harris-Stowe — have come together in an attempt to reshape freshman-year programs.

UMC secures reaccreditation from the HLC | The University of Minnesota Crookston (UMC) has secured continued accreditation status from the Higher Learning Commission (HLC).

University in early phases of preparation for 10-year Quality Enhancement Plan | The University is currently in the early phases of preparing for its scheduled 10-year Quality Enhancement Plan. The QEP is a requirement of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges to meet accreditation standards.