Higher Education

Apparently, state authorities in New Jersey have the power in certain circumstances to take action against private non-profits. And apparently, reports Inside Higher Ed, they see more than enough reason to do so in the case of Stevens Institute of Technology: Seeking the ouster of both the president and board chair at Stevens Institute of […]

From The Boston Globe: There’s going green for environmental purposes. And then there’s just plain cheap, some Boston University students say. They are crying foul this fall after the administration severely restricted the number of pages they could print for free over the university’s computer network. While the university has encouraged professors to move their […]

“Should universities and colleges include a up-front statement of [extra] expenses when advertising tuition costs to prospective and enrolled students?” Um, yes?

Over at The Chronicle, Kevin Carey, in discussing Crossing the Finish Line, points out that as the cost of college rises, graduation rates decrease—but only for poor students. There’s basically no correlation between college costs and graduation rates among rich students. And, surprise, we’re not reacting to this correctly: The findings in Crossing the Finish […]

A couple nights ago, “NBC Nightly News” ran a solid video segment on the growing importance of community colleges: Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy Not much of a silver lining, but it would be nice if the recession permanently changed the place of community colleges in the American […]

The House voted yesterday 253 to 171 to pass the Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2009. The press release from the House Education and Labor Committee is here; Chairman Miller’s prepared remarks are here.

We write a lot about inefficiencies in the higher education system on this blog. It’s kinda the point. But I was still unprepared to learn that in 2007 there were 139 colleges with six-year graduation rates below 10 percent.

Yesterday morning Rep. George Miller (D-CA), chair of the House Education and Labor committee, hosted a blogger breakfast. Education Sector’s Ben Miller was there, and on The Quick and the Ed he reports: An especially interesting theme that came up throughout the discussion was taking a closer look at institutions of higher education—especially how they […]

You should read Dan Lips’ argument against certain aspects of the Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2009, particularly the ending of the Federal Family Education Loan (FFEL) Program. I mostly disagree with the piece, and am particularly mystified by Lips’ contention that the profit motive leads to bureaucratic efficiency and low overhead costs […]

The Chronicle has an interview with Deborah M. DiCroce, president of Tidewater Community College, on the impact “enrollment gains and unprecedented national attention” are having on community college. It’s worth a listen, as this is a storyline that’s only going to get more important as the long-term effects of the economic downturn become clearer.