International
‘Study now, pay later’ loan one option in report on third-level funding [Ireland] | Minister for Education Richard Bruton has said he hopes a consensus can now be built as to how to fund higher education into the future.
‘Study now, pay later’ loans: Students face up to €20k debt under new scheme | A ‘study now, pay later’ college fees scheme leaving students with up to €20,000 of debt is proposed as the future of third-level funding.
High Wired: Grandpa heads back to Canberra | In today’s High Wired, we ponder the future of higher education under Malcolm Turnbull and wonder why Glyn Davis was demoted.
University funding crisis means science research is suffering | Funding cuts have threatened agencies such as the South African Medical Research Council (MRC)‚ delaying university projects and reducing researchers’ abilities to run labs and recruit young scientists.
U.S. National
Forum Guide to Education Data Privacy (July 2016) | The National Forum on Education Statistics (Forum) organized the Education Data Privacy Working Group to explore how state and local education agencies (SEAs and LEAs) can support best practices at the school level to protect the confidentiality of student data in day-to-day instructional and administrative tasks. Many of the best practices applicable at the school level may also be helpful in protecting student data at the SEA and LEA levels. (Complete guide.)
Moody’s: FY 2015 public, private university medians highlight overall stability, but with pockets of stress | Fiscal year 2015 medians for US public and private universities continue to largely maintain financial stability, but smaller, lower-rated private universities and smaller, regional public universities continue to face the most acute fiscal pressure, Moody’s Investors Service says in two new reports.
America Can Fix Its Student Loan Crisis. Just Ask Australia. | Borrowing for college is common across the globe. Even in Sweden, where tuition is free, most students borrow. What’s exceptional about the United States is that so many borrowers are behind on their loans.
Why Do So Many Graduate Students Quit? | With half of all doctoral students leaving graduate school without finishing, something significant and overwhelming must be happening for at least some of them during the process of obtaining that degree.
Ed undersecretary shares Obama administration’s home stretch vision | With strong remarks on diversity and inclusion, U.S. Department of Education Undersecretary Ted Mitchell laid out four tenets of the Obama administration’s approach to revitalizing higher education in its final 200 days in office.
Could employers play a role in gauging college effectiveness? | Employers may not want to be part of a discussion on the rigor and value of institutions, but with the Department of Education putting more emphasis on institutions fostering job placement outcomes and skill development, businesses may become pseudo-accrediting agencies.
Policy Analysts Propose ‘Rule of 10’ to Refocus on Students’ Financial Needs | In an effort to refocus the student financial aid system on student needs and limitations, policy analysts unveiled a new paper Tuesday that espouses a “Rule of 10” in which the net cost of college should equate 10 percent of a family’s discretionary income over 10 years, coupled with 10 hours of work per year throughout the duration of a 071316_finance student’s time in college.
U.S. States
Struggling to Cope in Illinois | Statewide budget deadlock continues to force some community colleges to cut or raise tuition, despite a recent short-term deal.
Flagships Must Create New Models to Preserve the Public Good | The late Tony Judt — a distinguished British historian — was hardly alone in remarking that the best thing about America is its public universities. Each campus represents the enormous significance of scholarship, learning, and research, and the ubiquity of these campuses across the country makes real the promise of education, at the highest level, for all people — not just the elite.
Using Education to Close the Skills Gap (Brett Powell Commentary) | As a nation and a state, we are at a critical point in education. We have known for some time that we are preparing too few individuals for future jobs.
U. of California Increases In-State Admissions | The University of California system has increased offers of admission to California applicants by more than 15 percent for the coming fall semester, The New York Times reported on Tuesday.
Institutional
Turmoil at Temple U | Temple University’s board announced Tuesday that it plans to fire President Neil D. Theobald next week. The move follows a vote of no confidence in Theobald by the board Tuesday, and a request by trustees that he quit.
The ‘Uprooting’ of HBCUs in a Post-racial Context | The narrative of historically Black colleges and universities has roots in a history of social and racial injustice in the United States.
One year later at Sweet Briar, counting successes | Stone, the retired president of Bridgewater College who plans to retire again next summer, said Sweet Briar will need to reach 800 students — its residential capacity — during the next five to six years to be sustainable without leaning so heavily on alumnae donations.
Budget Crisis Negatively Affects Student Enrollment, Faculty and Staff Searches at SIUC | The state’s budget stalemate prompted many students to look elsewhere for college, but some say that’s not the end of the problem for higher education.
U.S. Investigates Bridgepoint Over Its Use of Federal Student Aid | Bridgepoint Education Inc., the for-profit owner of Ashford University, is under investigation by the U.S. Department of Justice over claims that it “may have misstated Title IV refund revenue or overstated revenue associated with private secondary loan programs,” according to a corporate filing on Tuesday.
Angst and Hope for Liberal Arts Colleges | Professors and presidents consider whether their business models, demographics and programs must change for institutions to thrive.
Palau college accreditation re-affirmed | Palau Community College recently received a letter from the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges, Western Association of Schools and Colleges President Dr. Barbara A. Beno regarding its accreditation status.
Foundering Finances, the Faculty Role: a Survey of Business Officers | College and university chief business officers increasingly agree higher education is in a financial crisis, yet many are divided over the role a key constituency on campus should play as institutions grapple with budget issues: their faculty members.