International
Malaysian universities not generating enough quality, OECD innovation report says | The quality of Malaysian universities must improve so that they can contribute to research and innovation as well as produce skilled graduates, according to the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).
University heads back student loan scheme to tackle funding ‘crisis’ | University presidents say the introduction of a student loan scheme is the fairest way of securing vital funding to tackle a “crisis” in higher education.
Innovative educational approaches take center stage at EdEx MENA | Dave Faulkner, CEO of Education Changemakers and the author of the book ‹Edupreneur› said: “One of the most powerful ways to improve the education outcomes of young people is to empower teachers and school leaders to build relevant solutions to the challenges they face in their schools.” [hashtag, profound…]
Malawi President Mutharika under fire over academic crisis: Asked to act on public universities stalemate | Malawian President Peter Mutharika’s “total silence” on closure of public universities in the country has not pleased civil society groups fighting on the affairs of the youths in Malawi, which has called on authorities to resolve the disputes rocking them institutions and ensure that they re-open them forthwith.
‘Augmented Intelligence’ for Higher Ed | In higher education, IBM is at the moment working with Blackboard and Pearson on student retention and tutoring, respectively. Both education companies are this fall beginning to test a handful of early prototypes, exploring potential use cases and working with clients to learn what sort of software they are interested in.
U.S. National
Tensions, Protests, Incidents | In wake of election, black freshmen at Penn receive racist emails; students protesting Trump at Central Missouri have firecracker thrown at them; controversy over flag burning at Hampshire and more.
International Student Numbers Top 1 Million | Annual report finds that international enrollments climb at undergraduate and graduate level and decline at intensive English level. The number of Americans studying abroad continues to grow.
ACLU Declares Opposition to Student Unit Records | There has been bipartisan momentum in Congress and in some advocacy circles to reconsider the federal student unit record ban. Proponents of lifting the ban argue it would help policy makers and institutions better understand what pathways have the best outcomes in terms of graduation, job placement, salary and loan repayment.
Feeling Unsafe | Student engagement survey finds black students are more than twice as likely as other students to feel “physically unsafe” on campus, and that black professors interact more with their students than do other professors.
Thinking Outside the Pipeline | Gibbs — noting that all jobs for Ph.D.s are good jobs, not just those in the academy — said his paper was primarily about encouraging people to move beyond anecdotes about faculty diversity and look at the data. The study “clearly and quantitatively shows that there are thousands of Ph.D. scientists of color available now, and if the scientific community focused on actually tapping into this talent pool, we could make a major step forward in the area of faculty diversity.”
U.S. States
Darrell Downs: Students are investing in Minnesota public colleges – and the system is robbing them | Public higher education in Minnesota is not in crisis — but the campuses and the students attending them are being robbed.
Metrics for Money | The University of Illinois System is ready to sacrifice future flexibility in order to end fiscal uncertainty that has persisted as a state budget stalemate continues into its second year.
Voters to state lawmakers wanting to abandon higher education: Not so fast | If there was an unequivocal message in the Nov. 8 election returns in Louisiana, it was that voters are tired of rising college costs. They rejected — 57 percent to 43 percent — a proposed constitutional amendment to give the state’s higher education governing boards unfettered authority over tuition. Louisiana colleges and universities will still need a two-thirds vote of the House and Senate to hike tuition.
Institutional
The Future of the Tiny Liberal Arts College | Small colleges generally have been noted for being highly dependent on tuition and for having high discount rates. Small colleges unable to increase revenue could drive a significant spike in closures and mergers by 2017, a Moody’s Investors Service report said last year. And the challenges liberal arts colleges face with a skeptical public worried about job preparedness are frequently discussed — even for those colleges that aren’t tiny.
Fears of Liberal Arts Erosion | Research suggests that new courses at liberal arts colleges these days may increasingly be coming from practical fields.
Online Learning at Private Colleges and Universities: A Survey of Chief Academic Officers | Online education is no longer a strong differentiator for colleges and universities, but for many institutions, there is concern over how to integrate the modality while still fulfilling their mission and maintaining quality.
‘The Faculty Factor’ | The book’s central argument is that increasing costs and demands for efficiency as enrollments grew over the last 20 years have resulted in a half-baked restructuring of the faculty — at great risk to higher education over all. And this haphazard change is happening just as global institutions — with whom American colleges and universities increasingly collaborate and compete — are looking to emulate the U.S. system.
New Federal Earnings Data | Graduates who earned certificates at public institutions have larger salaries, but there is wide variation between programs even at the same institutions.