Rise in endowments may impact best colleges rankings

The value of college endowments, which had fallen very sharply during the recession, is now rapidly recovering along with the stock market, U.S. News reports. This finding comes from the newly released 2011 NACUBO-Commonfund Study of Endowments, produced by the National Association of College and University Business Officers. It turns out that 2011 was another exceedingly good year for the performance of college endowments. According to the NACUBO study, the endowments of the 823 institutions that were surveyed had an average increase of 19.2 percent in the year ending June 30, 2011. This represents a significant improvement from last year’s average gain of 11.9 percent and the 18.7 percent decline reported in endowments for the recession-plagued 2009. Yet, despite the overall stock market recovery in the last two years, total endowments have yet to return to the levels that existed prior to the recession…

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College money available for immigrants

The United States of America has long been thought of as the “land of opportunity,” and no opportunity is greater than that of a college education, says U.S. News. College graduates will earn 66 percent more during their career than a high school grad–and more education correlates with higher rates of employment and annual earnings, higher home ownership rates, and lower rates of institutionalization and dependence on public programs. It’s important for everyone to achieve the advantages of an education beyond high school, including new Americans (typically a naturalized citizen if born abroad, or a child of naturalized citizens if born in this country) and permanent residents (green card holders), who can pursue their American Dream through several scholarships available exclusively to them…

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Digital badges threaten colleges’ monopoly on credentials

Applicant A’s résumé shows an associate degree in business. By taking community college classes, studying online, and learning on the job, Applicant B has earned “digital badges” in product design, marketing, business writing, sales, bookkeeping, leadership, mentoring and teamwork. Who gets the job? Asks U.S. News. Badges aren’t just for Boy Scouts–or video game enthusiasts–anymore. The Mozilla Foundation; the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation; and the Humanities, Arts, Science, and Technology Advanced Collaboratory (HASTAC) have created a $2 million Digital Media and Learning Competition to encourage the development of digital badges that recognize lifelong learners’ knowledge and skills. The first set of winners in the teaching category were announced Jan. 12…

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10 least expensive private colleges

While choosing the best college or university can be difficult, strategizing a way to effectively finance your education can pose its own set of challenges, U.S. News reports. Although many private schools have high sticker prices, a survey by the National Association of College and University Business Officers notes that the average student who entered a private institution in fall 2010 received a tuition discount of nearly 50 percent. With the option of financial assistance, , some students can afford to look at higher-priced schools. Other students may simply explore private schools that offer a more manageable price from the start. Among the 829 private colleges and universities that reported data to U.S. News in a 2011 survey of undergraduate programs, the average cost of tuition and required fees for the 2011-2012 academic year is $27,340…

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How college students can learn from failing a class

Regardless of the good intentions of college students, sometimes things happen. At the end of the semester, the great grades you wanted to get have turned into one–or more–failing grades. How can you turn this negative into a positive? Asks U.S. News. Here are several things to consider: 1. Check on financial aid: First and foremost, any student who has failed a college course needs to understand the consequences. If you’ve failed one or more classes, your financial aid may be affected. Check with your financial aid office to see if your financial aid package is going to change and, if so, what options you have…

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10 colleges with the most students studying abroad

These schools reported the highest percentage of undergraduates who study abroad for credit, U.S News reports. According to the newly released “Open Doors 2011” report, 270,604 American students studied abroad for academic credit during the 2009-2010 school year. The report, published annually by the Institute of International Education (IIE), notes that the most popular countries for those students are the United Kingdom, Italy, Spain, France, and China. Less traditional destinations, such as India, Israel, Brazil, New Zealand, and Egypt, have also seen a greater percentage of students, the report adds…

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Survey highlights how technology is used in higher education

Although many individuals think college students only use technology for personal communication, various studies have shown that electronics can be useful in academia as well, U.S. News reports. For example, an October study by the Lone Star College System shows that approximately 78% of degree seekers feel that when technology is used properly on college campuses, they can improve their grades and become more engaged in their learning experience, The Chronicle of Higher Education reports. To paint a clearer picture of how technology is being used in higher education, the nonprofit Educause recently released the results of its 2011 National Study of Undergraduate Students and Information Technology…

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Some recommend working for colleges for free tuition

Madeline McGuinness started working at College of Mount St. Vincent in Riverdale, N.Y., in 1997 as a data entry clerk in the admissions office. When the single mom learned about the tuition remission program, she was thrilled, U.S. News reports.

“As the first in my family to attend college, [finishing college] was a special goal for me to achieve,” says McGuinness, who earned a B.A. in business and is midway through an M.B.A. program at Mount St. Vincent. Her son, John, also used her tuition benefit to earn a B.A. in sociology. McGuinness is one of 17 staff members of 150 eligible full-time employees currently using the Mount St. Vincent’s tuition benefits, according to Erin Walsh, director of college relations…

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Colleges get mixed reviews when using Twitter for customer service

At 10:58 a.m. on October 3, Lindenwood University junior Katherine Anderson notified the university’s official Twitter handle about a car crash on campus, and said a professor almost hit her car. “Do something about the driving on campus,” she Tweeted in all caps. Lindenwood’s response from @LindenwoodU came five-and-a-half hours later: “Specific suggestions for improvement are always welcome,” U.S News reports. Chelsy McInnis, also a junior at Lindenwood, says the university looked her friend Anderson up in the directory and called her cell phone–rather than sending a direct message on Twitter. That partly explains why McInnis says the school is ignoring its student body on social media, where it responds only to “positive messages or the occasional nonthreatening question.”

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