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Commence the Commencements
Debates over speakers aside, commencement season is a happy and inspirational time in higher education, as thousands of students walk across stages in concert halls and stadiums around the country to receive their hard-earned diplomas. Indiana University this year put together a great infographic on their graduates.
It’s Not Just in the Numbers: Making Campus Diversity Work Post-Schuette
As the legal and political issues continue to unfold over diversity in admissions policies, we have to remember: It doesn’t matter who comes to your campus unless you make sure students are, in fact, benefiting from diverse environments. The mere presence of minority students in a classroom, laboratory, residence hall or elsewhere on campus does not automatically result in educational benefits.
Three Trends Worth Watching for Continuing Education Leaders
More than 36 million adults between 25 and 64 years of age have completed some college, but don’t have a degree. Further, there are 44.5 million American adults with high school diplomas, but no college experience. Cathy Sandeen identifies a few emerging trends institutions might consider in their quest to serve this massive market of non-traditional students.
Patent Troll Legislation Could Hinder University Research and Innovation
The ability of universities to continue generating important discoveries and innovations in areas such as health and technology, research that often leads to life-saving inventions such as new drugs or groundbreaking ways to cultivate arid soil in developing countries, may rest on the outcome of a legislative battle now in Congress.
University of Baltimore Offering Free Final Semester, Aims to Increase Degree Completion
The University of Baltimore is taking an innovative approach to increase its four-year completion rate through a new program called Finish4Free. Under the initiative, the university will pay for the final semester of tuition for all incoming undergraduate freshmen, both out of state and in-state, on the condition that they graduate within four years.
Confronting Higher Education Consumerism Challenges
The higher education community is well aware of the evolving demographic, economic and technological forces presenting both challenges and opportunities to colleges and universities. But one less-noticed but increasingly powerful driver of higher education change is the concept of consumerism. Cathy Sandeen writes on how the demand for more information is shaping the 21st century college campus.
Going Global
Prospects for alternative measures of institutional achievement have been welcomed by many for their potential to focus on institutional progress through the lens of student learning outcomes assessment. Several international organizations have taken an especially strong interest in this aspect of accountability, particularly the OECD, write Brad Farnsworth and Patti McGill Peterson.