NAICU News Room

More Young Adults Hold Degrees, a Boost in the Job Market, U.S. Says (Chronicle of Higher Education)

Fri, 24 May 2013 00:00:00 EST

The educational attainment of young Americans has increased over the past two decades, and those who have completed more education earn more money, on average, and are more likely to be employed. That's just one corner of the picture painted by "The Condition of Education 2013," the annual treasure-trove of data from the U.S. Department of Education, released on Thursday.

Coach Knows Best (Inside Higher Ed)

Fri, 24 May 2013 00:00:00 EST

InsideTrack turned over a trove of information to two researchers at Stanford University, who conducted an independent analysis on the impact of the company's coaching. According to the results of the study, which were released two years ago, retention rates improved by up to 15 percent among students who received coaching. And graduation rates went up 13 percent.

New Job Types at Some Colleges Would Offer Adjuncts Health Care (Chronicle of Higher Education)

Fri, 24 May 2013 00:00:00 EST

Central Oklahoma and DuPage both plan to create a new "lecturer" classification for instructors who work off the tenure track and teach at least 75 percent of a full-time professor's course load. Those faculty members will have access to the same health-insurance coverage as their full-time colleagues.

Doctoring the Doctorate (Inside Higher Ed)

Fri, 24 May 2013 00:00:00 EST

Hoping to help Ph.D.s secure jobs and challenge old notions about academe, Stanford University will encourage and pay for humanities graduate students to pursue careers as high school teachers, starting next year.

Education in the Liberal Arts (Inside Higher Ed)

Fri, 24 May 2013 00:00:00 EST

Colorado College has everything one would expect at a traditional liberal arts college: small classes, prestigious faculty, high-achieving peers, a beautiful campus and an innovative curriculum with majors in the humanities, arts and sciences. Unlike most colleges, but true to the liberal arts tradition, Colorado College doesn't offer a major in business. But it now offers one in education.

Smaller Schools Aren’t Always Better (National Journal)

Thu, 23 May 2013 00:00:00 EST

Many private colleges and universities are experimenting with innovative programs to recruit and retain more low-income and first-generation students. But the central front in the struggle to widen educational opportunity will inevitably remain public colleges and universities; these institutions enroll 70 percent of all postsecondary students, and they usually represent the most affordable and accessible ladder to success for those with the longest climbs.

An Evolution in Liberal Arts Learning: Wellesley College Announces First edX Classes (Ardmoreite, Ardmore, Okla.)

Thu, 23 May 2013 00:00:00 EST

Wellesley College, the first liberal arts college to join the online learning collaborative, edX, has announced the first four massive open online courses that the College will offer.

Mount Mercy president to take year sabbatical (Gazette, Cedar Rapids, Iowa)

Thu, 23 May 2013 00:00:00 EST

Mount Mercy University President Christopher Blake will take a one-year sabbatical after seven years leading the school, officials announced Thursday.

Student Loan Bill Passes House, Setting Up Face-Off (New York Times)

Thu, 23 May 2013 00:00:00 EST

The House on Thursday passed legislation to head off a doubling of student loan interest rates on July 1, instead tying rates to prevailing market trends and ending federal subsidies. The bill, approved largely along party lines, 221 to 198, kicks off what is sure to be the next showdown involving House Republicans, Senate Democrats and President Obama, with a hard deadline looming in little more than a month.

Colleges Are In Denial About The Coming Digital Disruption (Business Insider - Opinion Piece)

Thu, 23 May 2013 00:00:00 EST

Book publishers never believed people would read on a screen. Newspapers believed that consumers would never be satisfied with a few sources of commoditized news content. Similarly, I suspect the vast majority of university and college officials believe that, despite the economics associated with their product, prospective students will never forgo the live experience for an online alternative.

How the Education Department Would Limit Dating (Chronicle of Higher Education - Commentary)

Thu, 23 May 2013 00:00:00 EST

Recently, the Education Department issued a controversial "blueprint" for dealing with sexual harassment that could expose colleges that follow it to First Amendment lawsuits and redefine every flirtation and request to go out on a date as potential sexual harassment. It rejects decades of court rulings by declaring that any unwelcome speech or conduct of a sexual nature is harassment, even if it would not offend a reasonable person.

Has Higher Education Lost Control Over Quality? (Chronicle of Higher Education - Opinion Piece)

Thu, 23 May 2013 00:00:00 EST

Quality is no longer solely the domain of higher-education providers or independent agencies, like accreditors. Many governments want to step up their role in assuring that educational programs are worthwhile.

Wilson College Details Unusual Loan-Buyback Program (Chronicle of Higher Education)

Thu, 23 May 2013 00:00:00 EST

Wilson College has released details of an unusual debt-buyback offer that is one of the keys to a plan its trustees adopted in January in an effort to attract more students and keep the tiny Pennsylvania liberal-arts institution in business. Under the offer, the college will pay back up to $10,000 of a student's federal Stafford student-loan indebtedness if the student earns a degree at Wilson within four years, participates in new financial-literacy programs the college will offer, and takes part in "activities and community services that would benefit the Wilson College community."

More Americans have degrees, but lead is slipping (Hechinger Report)

Thu, 23 May 2013 00:00:00 EST

More Americans than ever have earned bachelor's degrees, putting them ahead of international rivals, but the gap is narrowing, according to new figures from the U.S. Department of Education.

Obama Threatens Veto of Republican Student Loan Bill (Inside Higher Ed)

Thu, 23 May 2013 00:00:00 EST

The fight over student loan interest rates, which will double to 6.8 percent on federally subsidized Stafford loans on July 1 if Congress doesn't act, grew messier on Wednesday with a promise from the Obama administration to veto a House of Representatives plan for a long-term change to interest rates.

Free Apps (Inside Higher Ed)

Thu, 23 May 2013 00:00:00 EST

On Wednesday, Reed officials announced that the college was eliminating the application fee -- making it an outlier among selective institutions, the overwhelming majority of which require some kind of application fee, though many waive it for low-income students. Administrators hope the change will spur more applications from prospective students, particularly the low-income and first-generation students who could benefit from the college's large financial aid budget.

4 More Colleges Are Targets of Students Complaints Over Sexual Assault (Chronicle of Higher Education)

Thu, 23 May 2013 00:00:00 EST

Students at Dartmouth College, Swarthmore College, the University of California at Berkeley, and the University of Southern California announced on Wednesday that they had filed complaints with the U.S. Department of Education over the institutions' alleged mishandling of sexual-misconduct cases.

Overdue Student Loans Reach Record as U.S. Graduates Seek Jobs (Bloomberg)

Thu, 23 May 2013 00:00:00 EST

Eleven percent of student loans were seriously delinquent -- at least 90 days past due -- in the third quarter of 2012, compared with 6 percent in the first quarter of 2003, according to the report by the U.S. Education Department. Almost 30 percent of 20- to 24-year-olds aren't employed or in school, the study found.

Education Dept. Allows Financial Aid for More American Students Abroad (Chronicle of Higher Education)

Thu, 23 May 2013 00:00:00 EST

In an abrupt reversal, the U.S. Department of Education has said it will reinstate the eligibility of foreign colleges, seminaries, and arts schools to participate in the federal student-loan program.

Veterans Affairs Dept. Needs to Improve Management of GI Benefits, Report Says (Chronicle of Higher Education)

Wed, 22 May 2013 00:00:00 EST

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs should do more to improve the management of its Post-9/11 GI Bill Program, which provides benefits to veterans who pursue a higher education, by cutting down on payment delays, working with colleges to give veterans more information about their financial-aid options, and taking advantage of outcomes data.