Hardwick Day Updates

The Sustainable College: Thriving and Serving the Nation in the 21st Century

Wed, 20 May 2015 10:31:12 -0500

Daniel Sullivan

What will it take for a college or university to be sustainable in the 21st century so that its critically important work can benefit the nation in a time of high need? What should presidents and board members be thinking about as they strive to keep their institutions growing and thriving in the years ahead?

The 21st century is the liberal-education century—that, more than ever before in our nation’s history, there is alignment between the intended learning outcomes of liberal education and the learning the nation needs now and for the foreseeable future. Sustainable institutions will be those that commit deeply to liberal education even if, in addition, they provide applied and/or technical education, which is also important and much in demand.

Dan Sullivans's Latest Article

College budget cutbacks go outside the box (USA Today)

Wed, 20 Jul 2011 12:14:23 -0500

When students and professors return to budget-slashing colleges this fall, they might notice things missing, such as limitless piles of food on their plates, land-line phones and trash pickup. Among the more creative college cutbacks: Dumping trash pick up, cutting phone lines, no more free printing, selling school vehicles, and draining the pool.

Colleges drop SAT, but still buy names of high-scoring students (Boston Globe)

Wed, 20 Jul 2011 12:10:40 -0500

Colleges from Bowdoin in Maine to Pitzer in California dropped the SAT entrance exam as a requirement, saying it favors the affluent, penalizes minorities, and doesn’t predict academic success. What they don’t advertise is that they find future students by buying names of those who do well on the test. Students are being duped by some schools into thinking that test scores don’t matter, when they matter a great deal for marketing outreach and prestige, said Leon Botstein, president of Bard College in Annandale-on-Hudson, N.Y., which neither requires the tests nor buys names. Test-optional colleges that buy names of high-scoring students are hypocritical, he said.

Frigid North Dakota is a hot draw for out-of-state college students (WSJ)

Tue, 19 Jul 2011 13:25:29 -0500

The state ranks 48th in the U.S. at attracting tourists. Its young people routinely flee for warmer or more exciting places. The private sector here, struggling to lure sufficient numbers of workers from elsewhere, is wrestling with labor shortages even amid national unemployment around 9%. But college students are flocking here in ever greater numbers. High school juniors and seniors scouring online college guides find North Dakota universities are inexpensive and well-regarded, with modest-sized classes typically taught by faculty members rather than adjuncts or graduate students.

4 out of 5 in community college want to transfer, report says (NYT)

Tue, 19 Jul 2011 13:17:13 -0500

As many as four out of five community college students in the United States want to transfer to a four-year institution so they can obtain a bachelor’s degree, according to a report released Thursday by the College Board. The main problem colleges face in the process of admitting transfer students, the report says, is advising. While first- and second-year undergraduates have usually completed a general education program and decided on a major, transfer students may have taken completely different classes that make the advising process complicated.

Must all colleges show their graduates found work? (NPR)

Tue, 19 Jul 2011 13:05:23 -0500

Now that the Education Department has released "Gainful Employment" rules for for-profit schools, some would like to see similar standards for non-profit colleges and universities. With student debt increasing, they say it would be useful for students to know what their job chances are. [4 min. audio]

Analysis: Colleges hand out an abundance of As (USA Today)

Tue, 19 Jul 2011 11:53:12 -0500

Two critics of grade inflation have published a new analysis finding that the most common grade at four-year colleges and universities is the A (43 percent of all grades) -- and that Ds and Fs are few and far between. Private colleges tend to be more generous on grades than do public institutions with similar levels of selectivity. As appear to be more difficult to come by at some less-selective colleges and universities and at Southern institutions.

Rethinking how we teach the 'net generation' (NPR)

Tue, 19 Jul 2011 11:50:31 -0500

If someone from 100 years ago miraculously came back and found a modern engineer designing a bridge, it would be clear how much technology had changed things. But if that same person walked into a university lecture hall today, it would be entirely familiar. "We need to move toward a collaborative model of learning that's student focused, [that's] highly customized and that is a model appropriate for a new generation that learns differently," says Don Tapscott, co-author of Macrowikinomics: Rebooting Business And The World.

The Recession's impact on college enrollment and persistence (Natl Student Clearinghouse)

Thu, 14 Jul 2011 11:05:42 -0500

The report separates fact from fiction on the Great Recession's impact on higher education enrollment, bringing college administrators and policymakers the knowledge on how the changed economy has altered student behaviors in enrollment and persistence. Among the study's findings: Community college increases drove overall enrollment trends, Four-year private sector maintained its market share more effectively than predicted, despite concerns about affordability; The proportion of students enrolling full time in public two-year institutions increased slightly; four-year institutions saw virtually no change; Enrollment patterns varied across geographic regions; and Although persistence rates were considerably higher than retention rates, they were not influenced by the recession.

How about a gainful student standard? (Forbes)

Thu, 14 Jul 2011 10:19:41 -0500

However benign in its reformulated requirements, the “Gainful Employment Rule” leads one to question the very principle of governmental intrusion into education funding. Of particular concern is how the mandate animates the Department’s ongoing disposition towards social-engineering-via-student-loan. Few would dispute that the federal government can and should impose restrictions on institutions dependent on its $90 billion Title IV loan and grant largesse. But the pressing question is whether, at this critical hour, the government can afford such educational altruism, especially when our national debt stands at 14.25 trillion dollars, and when the government appears powerless to move students into occupations that would appreciably improve our GDP and gross tax receipts.

Admission dean pulls back curtain on merit aid (Washington Post)

Thu, 14 Jul 2011 09:39:02 -0500

“Merit” aid is comparatively opaque, meted out in rough proportion to the applicant’s academic credentials. So, I was surprised to see the admission dean at University of Rochester pen an unusually candid list of 12 "steps that mattered" in merit awards at his school this year, and the approximate dollar value of each factor in shaping the merit award. Jonathan Burdick, dean of admission and financial aid at Rochester, analyzed merit award data at his school to discern “some rules of thumb about how the mythical ‘average’ student succeeded in earning a scholarship this year”... Here are some of the dozen variables ...

Last minute tuition hikes hurt students (SmartMoney)

Wed, 13 Jul 2011 10:46:24 -0500

With freshman orientation right around the corner, many college students and their parents are about to get a surprise that could derail years of careful financial planning: last-minute tuition increases and cuts to financial aid packages promised just a few short months ago. Long the affordable alternative to private colleges, tuition and fees for public schools have already been climbing rapidly.

Why you want to go to college: In 140 characters or less (USA Today)

Tue, 12 Jul 2011 11:29:49 -0500

At the University of Iowa, a good tweet is worth $37,000. That's the price of a full scholarship, and that's exactly what a student hopeful can win in a contest the university has dreamed up that takes electronic communication to a new level. The university is asking prospective students to submit a 140-character tweet in place of a second essay. The University of Iowa is joining several others in its attempt to make students get to the point quickly and to improve their social media skills — two qualities that today's Twitter-savvy marketplace demands.

Colleges replacing loans with no-pay grants for their neediest students (Washington Post)

Mon, 11 Jul 2011 09:47:04 -0500

Students from low-income families are enjoying a buyer’s market in higher education. Prestigious colleges are falling over one another to offer aid on favorable terms to these promising students from disadvantaged homes. The aid pledges are part of a broader movement among top universities toward admitting students without regard to need and meeting all of that need with financial aid.

Study: Financial aid most helpful to students unlikely to succeed without it (Wisconsin State Journal)

Fri, 08 Jul 2011 11:43:22 -0500

[UW Madison researchers] tracked data from 600 students who received Morgridge grants, plus 900 eligible non-recipients. In initial results, they found that the most disadvantaged group of students were more likely to stay in college if they received the Morgridge grant, compared to those who did not. “These are students who are predominantly first generation, and with predominantly lower ACT scores,” Goldrick-Rab said.

What makes a school large or small? (US News)

Thu, 07 Jul 2011 11:59:49 -0500

…the concept of college size goes far beyond the square footage of the campus. Student/professor ratios, the social scene, student government, and student organizations are important factors when determining what makes a great fit with a student's personality and can change significantly among colleges of different sizes. John W. from Portland, Maine, asks: “My brother keeps telling me that I should consider size as I start applying to schools but I'm not sold. What makes a school large or small, and what are some of the more subtle advantages/disadvantages of both?”

Public colleges tap private funds as state support dwindles (Washington Post)

Thu, 07 Jul 2011 11:51:09 -0500

Two or three decades ago, public flagship universities lagged behind private national universities in fundraising, according to John Lippincott, president of the Council for Advancement and Support of Education. Their leaders counted on generous state subsidies, and most alumni assumed their alma maters could get along without private support. Today, billion-dollar fundraising campaigns are the norm among public flagships, and other public colleges are learning the game.

Affordable colleges: What can universities do to keep costs down? (Christian Science Monitor)

Thu, 07 Jul 2011 11:34:46 -0500

For public colleges and universities, the biggest worry – cited by 9 out of 10 CFOs – is the decline in state financial support. And at private colleges, 7 out of 10 say the biggest concern is the “tuition discount rate” (the level of financial aid offered by the college) to get students in the door. While many CFOs were optimistic about their financial situation, another new survey – of 600 CFOs by Inside Higher Ed – finds that about 60 percent do not believe that their institution “can make additional and significant budget cuts without hurting quality.”

Tuition-hiking colleges have some explaining to do (USA Today)

Tue, 05 Jul 2011 15:31:42 -0500

Under federal law, colleges with the fastest-rising published tuitions and net prices — about 530 — will now have to explain to Education Department officials why their costs went up and what steps they'll take to reduce them. Among reactions from those schools: California State University system spokesman Mike Uhlenkamp said fast-increasing tuitions posted by several campuses "are a direct reflection of the budget situation in California." Paul Panesar, president of Coleman University in San Diego, said the data cast his institution in an "undeservedly bad light." John Bassett, president of Heritage University in Toppenish, Wash., said he is undisturbed: "If anything our tuition is still too low."

What's the most expensive college? The least? (NYT)

Tue, 05 Jul 2011 15:28:18 -0500

According to the lists, the average 2009-10 tuition at a four-year nonprofit college was $21,324. But the highest-priced institutions were far more costly: Bates College in Maine had the highest tuition last year ($51,300).... A spokesman for Bates took issue with the department’s methods, noting that its price — and that of the other four most expensive schools listed — includes room and board, making for an apples-and-oranges comparison with colleges where tuition is listed separately. “Bates’s average net price, taking into account financial aid, is below that of more than 400 other institutions,” noted the spokesman, Roland Adams.

A new web site aims to help families compare tuittion (NYT)

Tue, 05 Jul 2011 15:24:38 -0500

Colleges may try to game the net-price rankings. Because they include only first-time full-time freshmen who get some aid, colleges will look better if they give a lot of aid to a few students than if they spread it more widely. And if they target their aid to freshmen, and taper it off in the later years, that will help them rise in the rankings, too. The numbers on the lists are a few years behind, and, with the economic downturn, the 2009 tuition reported may be quite different from next year’s tuition. And the comparisons of 2006 tuition to 2008 tuition, which were used to figure how fast the price is going up, are even more out of date.

The Future of California Higher Education

Mon, 12 Nov 2012 11:00:00 -0600

Expanding Your Toolkit

Mon, 12 Nov 2012 14:00:41 -0600

Economic Intelligence

Mon, 12 Nov 2012 13:00:00 -0600

The Economy, Regulation, and Accountability

Fri, 06 Apr 2012 20:53:43 -0500

The Effect of Good Athletics News on Enrollment

Tue, 13 Sep 2011 19:10:06 -0500

Moody’s Outlook for Higher Education

Fri, 09 Sep 2011 13:00:06 -0500

"A Chance to Ignore the Tyranny of the Immediate"

Thu, 11 Aug 2011 10:26:55 -0500

What’s It Like at the Top? (Roundtable Discussion, Part 3)

Thu, 30 Jun 2011 11:22:38 -0500

What’s It Like at the Top? (Roundtable Discussion, Part 2)

Thu, 30 Jun 2011 11:22:37 -0500

NACAC, Baltimore

Tue, 04 Aug 2009 17:30:43 -0500

Event Link:

http://www.nacacnet.org/eventstraining/nc09/Pages/default.aspx

Thu, 09/24/2009 - Sat, 09/26/2009

Minneapolis College Fair

Tue, 04 Aug 2009 17:31:58 -0500

Event Link:

http://www.mn-acac.org/?s=fairs_national

Wed, 09/30/2009 - Thu, 10/01/2009

College Board Forum, New York City

Tue, 04 Aug 2009 17:32:43 -0500

Event Link:

http://www.collegeboard.com

Wed, 10/21/2009

CIC Presidents Institute

Tue, 04 Aug 2009 17:34:10 -0500

Event Link:

http://www.cic.org

Mon, 01/04/2010 - Thu, 01/07/2010

College Board Colloquium

Tue, 04 Aug 2009 17:35:29 -0500

Event Link:

http://professionals.collegeboard.com/prof-dev/events/cb-colloquium

Sat, 01/09/2010 - Mon, 01/11/2010