NAICU News Room

Inland Empire private colleges feel some pain, some gain (San Berardino, Calif., Sun)

Sun, 27 May 2012 00:00:00 EST

Local private colleges are sending a similar message to their public counterparts: even as their nongovernmental funding sources keep them comparatively insulated from the state's budget crisis, the future is grim. Independent colleges such as the University of Redlands have had to cut back as the larger economic downturn hit all of their main funding sources, said Phillip Doolittle, the school's executive vice president and chief operating officer.

Degrees of failure in idea that everyone needs to attend college - Column (Denver Post)

Sun, 27 May 2012 00:00:00 EST

The college-for-all crusade has outlived its usefulness. Time to ditch it. Like the crusade to make all Americans homeowners, it's now doing more harm than good. It looms as the largest mistake in educational policy since World War II, even though higher education's expansion also ranks as one of America's great postwar triumphs.

State, private colleges ask N.J. for a $6B upgrade (Newark, N.J., Star-Ledger)

Sun, 27 May 2012 00:00:00 EST

The state's 45 college presidents have compiled a bulging $5.9 billion wish list in the hope that lawmakers and taxpayers agree to invest in a long-sought expansion and upgrading of New Jersey's public and private schools.The list of 300 projects obtained by The Star-Ledger was provided to legislative leaders and Christie administration officials as they consider asking voters to approve the first bond issue for higher education in more than two decades.

A lesson in sticktoitiveness — an amusing commencement speech by Garry Marshall (Washington Post - Answer Sheet Blog)

Fri, 25 May 2012 00:00:00 EST

Some commencement speeches are more amusing than others. Here is is one from the 2012 graduation season that stands out for attemping to impart a real life lesson - how not to give up - with humor. It was delivered by Garry Marshall, an award-winning television and film director, writer, producer, and actor, who spoke at Lafayette College in Easton, Pa., on Saturday, May 19.

The Expense of Ignorance and the Value of Accountability - Opinion Piece (Huffington Post)

Fri, 25 May 2012 00:00:00 EST

John A. Roush, president, Centre College, writes: Wiith a national election soon upon us, and a sitting president who fired the first volley by making college accountability part of his 2012 State of the Union address, I know we will hear more and more about the topic in the weeks and months to come. My greatest concern is an extreme resistance to a one-size fits all approach to the government regulation of higher education. The thousands of American colleges and universities vary in size, shape, focus, mission, and resources. As well, I fear a "snowball" effect by which regulation grows and grows and then gets completely out of control.

Small, Private Colleges: Endangered Species? - Opinion Piece (Huffington Post)

Fri, 25 May 2012 00:00:00 EST

Pamela T. Reid, president, Saint Joseph College (Conn.), writes: Although public universities and colleges have increased their tuition and fees, most are still priced lower than private institutions. Thus, some people may conclude that we can abandon private colleges and universities, or that these colleges should give up serving middle-income and working-class students. They might see small independent institutions as anachronistic and "endangered." However, they would be mistaken.

Georgetown University President John DeGioia wasnt a wave-maker - until now (Washington Post)

Fri, 25 May 2012 00:00:00 EST

Until he wound up in a public spat with Rush Limbaugh, until a petition against him with 28,000 signatures and until his archbishop called him "shocking," Georgetown University President John "Jack" DeGioia had a firm reputation as a humble, no-waves kind of Catholic. He had, in fact, been appointed in 2001 in part with hopes he would smooth then-bumpy relations between a liberal Catholic school on the rise nationally and one of the most prominent American dioceses. Then 2012 came along.

University of Redlands president James R. Appleton to retire (Redlands, Calif., Daily Facts)

Fri, 25 May 2012 00:00:00 EST

James R. Appleton, president of the University of Redlands will be looking for other endeavors. Appleton was the eighth president of the U of R, serving first between 1987 and 2005. In 2005, he became the university's chancellor and was then appointed president emeritus. On May 15, 2010, after the resignation of the ninth president, Stuart Dorsey, the board of trustees reappointed Appleton to a two-year term as president of the university. It's not clear yet when a new president will arrive. Appleton suspects he will remain in the presidential saddle through the summer.

3 big commencement speaker controversies of 2012 (USA Today)

Fri, 25 May 2012 00:00:00 EST

Commencement ceremonies are supposed to revolve around the kids wearing the caps and gowns, but this grad season, spats over commencement speakers grabbed attention at multiple U.S. colleges. With the upcoming presidential election and debates over healthcare and student loans looming large, certain public figures turned out to be highly controversial graduation speaker picks, sparking campus-wide debates. In case you missed them, here are three of the biggest blow-ups of this graduation season.

An all-male colleges future - Editorial (Los Angeles Times)

Fri, 25 May 2012 00:00:00 EST

Following the path of many schools before it, the Deep Springs College board of trustees wants to break with tradition and admit women. We think there is still a place in education for private, single-sex institutions that are not supported by the government. At their best, such schools create a focused culture of achievement and put less pressure on students to conform to social expectations or stereotypes. About 60 women's colleges have opted to remain so to this day. Only a handful of men's colleges have, which is partly why the situation at Deep Springs became news.

College tuition is out of control - or is it? (Washington Post - Wonk Blog)

Fri, 25 May 2012 00:00:00 EST

The average "net price" of a private college has actually fallen slightly since 2006. A recent study by Andrew Kelly of the American Enterprise Institute found that six out of 10 families rule out certain colleges and universities because of the sticker price. They don't realize that the "net price" is often far lower. Which means there are many students passing up colleges that they could probably afford, deterred by the sticker shock.

Colleges for Profit Are Growing, With Federal Help (New York Times)

Fri, 25 May 2012 00:00:00 EST

The volume of federally guaranteed student loans to students at so-called proprietary colleges - the ones that intend to operate at a profit and get nearly all their revenue from the government - continues to grow. At the same time, state and local governments across the country are slashing spending on higher education, and community colleges - the ones most likely to offer alternatives to the students recruited by the far more expensive proprietary schools - are suffering some of the largest reductions. That trend has been welcome news to the proprietary colleges.

The Price Of College Tuition, In 1 Graphic (Planet Money - NPR)

Fri, 25 May 2012 00:00:00 EST

Here are two ways to think about the price of college tuition: Sticker price is the full price colleges list in their brochures and on their websites. Net price is the price students actually pay. Here's the average sticker price and average net price for tuition and fees at public and private colleges in the U.S. over the past 15 years.

The Final Frontier (Inside Higher Ed)

Fri, 25 May 2012 00:00:00 EST

The Denver and Phoenix metropolitan areas, potentially along with Las Vegas, are the latest in a long line of "target" cities that colleges whose traditional recruitment markets are shrinking have hoped would provide an enrollment boost. But administrators worry that once these areas are tapped, few other locales exist for targeted recruitment. For that matter, they say, regional liberal arts colleges may be getting to a point where marketing efforts might not be enough to keep the colleges financially viable.

Young, Educated and Seeking Financial Security (New York Times - Economix Blog)

Thu, 24 May 2012 00:00:00 EST

Above all other major life goals, today's college students and recent graduates are looking for financial security. That's one finding from a report released today from the Heldrich Center for Workforce Development at Rutgers University.

Harrisburg University president, CEO to leave (Central Pa. Business Journal)

Thu, 24 May 2012 00:00:00 EST

Harrisburg University of Science and Technology said today that Mel Schiavelli, its president and CEO, will leave the school in July. Schiavelli has accepted a position at Northern Virginia Community College as its executive vice president for academic and student services, according to the university. Schiavelli helped found Harrisburg University and has been its president and CEO since 2002. Eric Darr will be interim president during the search for Schiavelli's replacement.

Romney Plan to Save Higher Ed: Let the Private Sector Handle It - Analysis (The Atlantic)

Thu, 24 May 2012 00:00:00 EST

This is the bullet point version of Team Romney's agenda. As president, the candidate would loosen restrictions on for-profit universities; get banks back into the federal student loan game; streamline (or possibly just cut) government aid programs; give colleges more flexibility when it comes to how they award degrees. In other words, it's a very conventionally conservative blueprint. Here's a point-by-point rundown of the good, bad, and irrelevant in the plan.

Senate Rejects Student-Loan Plans (Associated Press)

Thu, 24 May 2012 00:00:00 EST

The Senate rejected dueling Democratic and Republican plans on Thursday for averting a July 1 doubling of interest rates on federal college loans for 7.4 million students, pushing back efforts to resolve the election-season showdown until next month.The Senate planned to leave town later Thursday for a Memorial Day recess running through next week. Neither party wants to be accused of letting the interest rates grow at a time when voters are focused on coping in today's rough-edged economy, giving each side an incentive to eventually strike a compromise.

Share of Students Receiving Federal Aid Climbs, Especially at For-Profit Colleges (Chronicle of Higher Education)

Thu, 24 May 2012 00:00:00 EST

The Education Department released "The Condition of Education: 2012," this year's edition of its annual report, on Thursday, with most data current through the 2009-10 academic year. Between 2006-7 and 2009-10, the percentage of first-time, full-time undergraduates receiving financial aid increased from 75 percent to 85 percent at all four-year colleges. The report also provides information on institutional revenues and expenses. The share of total revenue coming from tuition varied widely, from 91 percent at four-year for-profit colleges to 33 percent at four-year, private, nonprofit institutions.

Labor-Relations Board Seeks Input on Faculty Unions at Private Colleges (Chronicle of Higher Education)

Thu, 24 May 2012 00:00:00 EST

Since a 1980 ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court, professors at private colleges have been typically classified as managers and, therefore, largely barred from forming unions. In asking for the briefs in its announcement this week, the National Labor Relations Board said it was seeking help in responding to a case involving Point Park University, a private institution in Pittsburgh where faculty members petitioned for a union election and voted, in 2003, to be represented by a local chapter of the Communications Workers of America.