College admissions is a different field than it was 20 or even 10 years ago. High school guidance counselors still help hundreds of students make a plan for after graduation. Students still try to get into the best college they can. But they are now more cost-conscious, their families hire private college counselors, and they … Continue reading “Across Colleges of All Types, Student Anxiety Is a Growing Issue”
The rise of activist professors has shaped the culture in higher ed for decades. As activists have become more prominent, a familiar process has changed academic departments, pushing scholars out and replacing them with professors who think in political terms and prioritize social change. A new Martin Center policy brief, ‘Witches’ and ‘Viruses:’ The Activist-Academic … Continue reading “Activist Academics Threaten the Integrity of Higher Ed”
Higher ed leaders have bemoaned what they see as insufficient federal support during the coronavirus pandemic, but they might have a bigger problem: convincing students to enroll in the fall. A recent survey found that about one-third of high school seniors will defer or cancel starting their freshman year of college if classes are online-only. … Continue reading “Did You Know? Colleges Could Lose 1/3 of Students if Fall Classes Stay Online”
Doomsday predictions for higher education are a dime a dozen. The grandest claims expect “a handful of elite cyborg universities” to reshape a college education. Less-dire guesses see an end to the “buffet” of programs, extracurriculars, and university revenues common today. And pre-coronavirus visions of the future expected a variety of disruptions that failed to … Continue reading “Did You Know? For Shape of Post-Virus Higher Ed, Watch Public Colleges”
Facebook and Twitter offer colleges tools to limit comments from the public, but using them constitutes a First Amendment violation. A new report from the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education noted their widespread use and the potential for abuse. FIRE’s survey focused on the largest public four-year and two-year schools in each state, getting … Continue reading “Did You Know? Majority of Public Colleges Filter, Block Social Media Comments”
In scientific research, new ideas have become harder to find. Innovation has fallen compared to 50 years ago. Rather than a fear of “too much change,” many researchers worry about stagnation. One argument suggests that the low-hanging fruit of scientific research has already been picked. Older scientists made the major breakthroughs, and younger scientists now … Continue reading “Look Beyond Citation Counts to Kickstart Scientific Innovation”
On April 10, U.S. Senator Thom Tillis announced that $378 million from the Department of Education will go to North Carolina colleges to help them weather the fallout of COVID-19. The 142 North Carolina colleges, public and private, that will receive the funding are required to use about half of the amount for cash grants … Continue reading “Did You Know? The NC Colleges Getting the Most Coronavirus Aid”
Students across the country are taking their classes online and staying off campus. The coronavirus has interrupted higher ed for millions of students, faculty, and administrators alike. But a growing divide between students and university leaders has been whether students will get refunds and how much they should get back. Not all refunds are created … Continue reading “Did You Know? The College Systems Giving Students COVID-19 Refunds”
As the number of confirmed cases of coronavirus quickly rises in America, colleges have started to take action. Scores of them have extended their spring breaks, shut down campuses, moved classes online, and a few have even canceled spring semester. While the college-aged haven’t died in large numbers from coronavirus, they could transmit it to … Continue reading “Did You Know? College Shutdowns from Coronavirus at 400+ and Counting”
Something is rotten in the County of New Hanover. Cape Fear Community College, the fifth-largest in the state, is experiencing very public governance issues. Faculty and staff have accused CFCC president Jim Morton of creating a hostile work environment built on favoritism and bullying. The “toxic culture,” as multiple sources put it, has made employees … Continue reading “In Wilmington, the Decline of Community College Leadership”