News Items from the Week of January 6, 2017

International

14 hot higher ed trends for 2017 | Educators and tech leaders look back on 2016; predict where higher ed trends in teaching and learning will head this new year.

Using Technology To Build A Classroom Of The Future | Using technology in a classroom is more than just requiring that students use a laptop to conduct research for a paper. It’s more than simply sharing a video to assist students in making a stronger connection with the material. It’s about changing the way that students learn by giving them tools that not only allow them access to information they may have never seen before, but that also allow them to process the information in a way that is more profound and meaningful for them.

Allocation for education likely to see 12% increase in budget 2017 | New Delhi: Budget allocation for the education sector is expected to rise by 10-12% this year, doubling the quantum of increase from the previous year. A major part of the increased allocation will be for “improving education outcome in schools”…

Taiwanese courses unfilled as birth crisis bites | Taiwan has announced plans to close up to one in three universities by 2023 as the young population slumps because of a birth rate that is barely more than one child per woman.

How can we build a knowledge-based economy? | Bangladesh is on its way to becoming a middle income country by 2021. To achieve this status, rebuilding a knowledge-based economy is essential.

U.S. National

Education’s College Scorecard aims for high marks helping students find schools | “When the president launched the scorecard effort in 2013, one of the things he said was he was sort of tired of U.S. News & World Report running the show, and I know as a former college president I would agree with that,” Mitchell said.

Call to Action on Languages, 10 Years Later | Ten years after the Modern Language Association issued a report calling for a “transformation” in the curriculum and structure of foreign language programs, to what degree have programs heeded the call?

U.S. States

State Shortfalls and Foreign Students | Analysis finds that a 10 percent reduction in state appropriations is associated with a 12-17 percent increase in international undergraduate enrollment at public research universities.

Free Tuition Idea Revived | New York’s governor, Democrat Andrew Cuomo, delivered the latest version of the idea at LaGuardia Community College in Queens, flanked by Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders. Cuomo, already rumored as a future presidential candidate, unwrapped a proposal that in many ways looks like the plan his party’s nominee, Hillary Clinton, brought to the 2016 election — with a few differences.

With historic majorities, Republican lawmakers pledge to push ambitious conservative agenda | After watching their parties install historically big majorities Tuesday, Republican leaders of the state Assembly and Senate pledged to pursue an ambitious conservative agenda while also diverging on key issues for the upcoming legislative session.

New package includes student debt, virtual education assistance | “We have a world-class higher education system here in the Commonwealth,” Lt. Gov. Northam said. “Today we announced legislation aimed at making sure every young Virginian has the opportunity to pursue higher education without drowning in debt. Greater access to apprenticeship programs across the state will help make sure students are equipped to enter the workforce.”

Audit: Missouri Higher Ed Department doesn’t verify information to award schools performance funding | State Auditor Nicole Galloway says an audit of the Department of Higher Education’s performance funding shows the department does not confirm information used to determine school performance funding results.

Illinois enters 2017 in the midst of an ongoing budget crisis | The state of Illinois enters 2017 in the midst of an ongoing budget crisis that threatens higher education and social services throughout the state.

Institutional

Setting Ambitious Goals, With an Eye on the Rankings: Andrew Ainslie, business dean, U. of Rochester | Andrew Ainslie, who became dean of the Simon Business School at the University of Rochester in 2014, has high-reaching goals for the school, including one to rise significantly in the rankings. He stopped at The Chronicle’s offices recently to discuss the results of some of his moves, like lowering tuition, and to evaluate strategies that other business schools are trying.

Chicago State University’s Financial Distress Increasing | Chicago State University officials said the university will burn through cash reserves and eventually need to make additional cuts, according to documents sent to state officials responsible for funding.

When Colleges Rely on Adjuncts, Where Does the Money Go? | The American Institutes of Research released two studies Wednesday to answer that question. Both studies use data from the Delta Cost Project — which is highly regarded for tracking how colleges spend money — and both were sponsored by the TIAA Institute.

Closing Out a College | Whether colleges file for bankruptcy or wind down in other ways, closing is a complex, costly affair — and the process doesn’t assure any support for professors or employees who may have worked without pay.