Research: Increasing college completion could dramatically increase economic growth

College completion rates are low. Programs that help students complete college cost money. What if we invest in helping more students graduate from college? What would that do for the American economy? A lot, according to a new study – The Economic Impact of Increasing College Completion–from the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and Moody’s Analytics. The research indicates that sustained investments in college completion would result, over time, in economic gains for individuals and economic growth for the nation.

“This research paper–illustrating the enduring value of education to the American economy–is an excellent resource for all who are interested in education, equity, economic growth, and their intrinsic connection,” said American Academy President Jonathan Fanton. “In a world in which the focus is often on short-term results, investing in college completion offers a long-term outcome well worth considering.” This paper is an example of how the American Academy contributes to the public good with nonpartisan, well-considered facts, analysis, and recommendations.

The Academy’s Commission on the Future of Undergraduate Education – which is supported by Carnegie Corporation of New York – is chaired by Roger W. Ferguson, Jr., President and CEO of TIAA, and by Michael S. McPherson, President Emeritus of the Spencer Foundation and a past president of Macalester College; both are economists and members of the Academy.…Read More

Heads-up: Here’s how students pick a college major

“What do you want to be when you grow up?” The question is common enough, but many students hesitate when it comes time to declare a college major. Some students major in a subject for which they have passion, while others choose a field of study that will yield stable job options and a steady salary.

When students DO choose a college major, most receive advice from informal sources such as family members and friends, according to Major Influence: Where Students Get Valued Advice on What to Study in College, a new study from Gallup and Strada Education Network.

The report focuses on two specific areas: the resources or people students used to get advice about the major they were going to study, and how helpful the advice was.…Read More

7 critical elements for higher-ed mergers

As financial support for public institutions declines and as the need for efficiency increases, institutions might want to consider higher-ed mergers as part of their long-term strategic plans.

The consideration comes from new research released by the TIAA Institute, and it examines the operational decision-making and implementation details that help make higher-ed mergers successful.

While institutions should consider mergers, the desire to save money or become a larger institution should not be motivating factors in a merger.…Read More

World-renowned futurist Michio Kaku: This is what higher ed should be teaching students right now

“The jobs of the future will be those that focus on intellectual capitalism, not commodity capitalism,” said Futurist, Physicist and Bestselling Author Michio Kaku during the recent 2017 EDUCAUSE conference keynote, held in Philadelphia, Pa.

This was the big reveal to the thousands of EDUCAUSE attendees ranging from college and university faculty to CIOs, and from some of the world’s leading tech companies to some of the country’s most prominent higher ed provosts and presidents—all anxiously awaiting what the crystal ball of the postsecondary future had to say through Kaku’s educated guess.

The Good News…Read More

Courageous coaching: How one HBC turned around an enrollment shortfall

For those on the frontlines of college business and finance, enrollment math can be cruel.

Higher education institutions—of all types and sizes across the country—are struggling to attract and enroll new students. Nationally, only 34 percent of colleges and universities have met their new student enrollment goals, according to a recent Inside Higher Ed survey of enrollment management leaders. Only 22 percent of public universities met their May enrollment targets, and just only 27 percent of community colleges reported meeting their enrollment goals.

Most bedeviling for institutional leaders is that the causes of enrollment declines are complex—and difficult to attribute to a single issue. Are rising tuition rates and student debt to blame? Are students skeptical of whether an academic program is worth it? Is it simply demographics? Or are high school graduates choosing to go straight into jobs or short-duration vocational training programs?…Read More

EDUCAUSE: The top 10 IT issues in 2018

It’s that time again when almost every attendee part of the annual EDUCAUSE conference crams next to each other in a convention ballroom to hear about what their higher ed peers have to say about the IT issues and challenges they expect to face next year.

EDUCAUSE’s annual IT issues report is published in the beginning of the year, but this session provides a great preview of what’s to come. Attendees were granted an exclusive preview of ‘2018’s Top 10 IT Issues,’ and panel members discussed the issues and their importance. [Editor’s note: See the 2017 issues here.]

“I bet you can guess what the top issue of 2018 is,” said Susan Grajek, vice president of communities and research for EDUCAUSE, “because it was the same top issue for last year and the year before–security!”…Read More

University improves retention rates of first-gen low-income students by thirteen percentage points

Ivy Tech Community College, the nation’s largest singly accredited statewide community college system, and Indiana University–Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI), the state’s premier urban public research university, recently announced the latest results of their multi-year initiative to improve persistence rates among first-generation, low-income students.

In partnership with student success company InsideTrack, both Ivy Tech and IUPUI increased the retention rates of first-year 21st Century Scholar students by approximately 13 percentage points over the last 3 years, with improved results each year.

Now entering its fourth year, the coaching program continues to show impressive results. At Ivy Tech, where all 21st Century Scholars were coached, fall-to-fall retention has increased to 49.6 percent, from a historic average of 36.9 percent, a 34 percent improvement. IUPUI’s coaching program focused on the most “at risk” 21st Century Scholars and saw a similar increase, from a historic retention rate of 50 percent to 63 percent this fall, a 26 percent gain.…Read More

Stop! Why your digital network needs more communication and less content

West Virginia University’s digital display network started a decade ago with just ten monitors that’s just ten monitors to cover an institution of more than 30,000 students.

Today, we share messaging built from centrally managed databases with more than 200 users and more than 375 pieces of content to 120-plus screens across our entire system of the main campus and three regional campuses. Those messages aren’t simple one-offs that were slapped together for our screens. They are purpose-driven communications that lift our overall university brand and add real value to the digital signage experience on campus.

Digital Signage Content Problems…Read More

OER can lower the cost of higher ed-but only if 4 steps are taken

Publishers and Open Educational Resources (OER) sound like strange bedfellows but, the fact is, all in education have a responsibility to make learning more affordable without sacrificing quality. And OER offers a way to do that. OER adds value to the learning experience.

OER can change the nature of teaching and learning by enabling instructors to personalize and improve it, as well as allow students to co-create and actively contribute–all things that can make learning more effective.  And importantly-OER belongs to everyone.

But, OER alone won’t drive transformative change to the learning experience. Many instructors are skeptical about quality; it can be hard to find, maintain, and sustain; it may have gaps in coverage; and it may not be available in ways that are efficient to use. At Cengage, we thought about the benefits of OER – and some of the challenges – and sought to determine how can we add value?…Read More

Reversing the trend: Why colleges and universities must encourage employer sponsorship

As a new academic year commences, I find myself reviewing our new cohorts. Historically, our postgraduate student body has over 90 percent in full time employment, with these subdivided into self-funding individuals and employer-funded candidates.

Recently this latter segment has been on the rise, despite some findings around the internet indicating otherwise:

The days of a big company saying OK, we are going to fund five students every year for a set number of years…those kind of days are pretty much over,” says Richard Johnson, associate dean for the University of Chicago Booth School of Business EMBA program.…Read More

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