Economics and Change in Higher Education by UPCEA

Important Announcement to Readers

2024-05-15T05:05:00.000-05:00

Dear Readers — Thank you for your loyal support of this curated reading blog. This is to let

you know that this site will remain online for research in the archives, but will not be updated

after May 15, 2024.

The GOOD NEWS is that I will continue to curate and publish the daily postings that you

are accustomed to reading on my other blogs, which are continuing free of charge:

Professional, Continuing and Online Education Update blog by UPCEA https://continuingedupdate.blogspot.com/

NEW! Artificial Intelligence in Higher Ed by UPCEA - https://ai-in-highered.blogspot.com/

Alternative Credentials in Higher Ed by UPCEA - https://altcred.blogspot.com/

Ray’s Curation - https://rayscuration.blogspot.com/

If you would like to receive email updates from any of the blogs, you may subscribe using the links below:

As always, you may unsubscribe at any time by simply clicking at the bottom of any email.

Thank you for your support over these many years — and I am looking forward to

many more to come!

-ray

A Look at Recent and Looming Cuts - Justin Moody, Inside Higher Ed

2024-05-15T05:00:00.014-05:00

While declining enrollment and financial challenges are the driving force behind most job and program cuts announced last month, in Texas, politics also played a role. Politics, not economics, accounted for the deepest cuts across higher education in April, with the University of Texas at Austin laying off more than 40 workers in its Division of Campus and Community Engagement (formerly the Division of Diversity and Community Engagement) and another 20 employees in other divisions. The University of Texas at Dallas also cut 20 jobs last month in closing its Office of Campus Resources and Support. Officials cited the new anti-DEI law as the reason for the closure. Elsewhere, job cuts were driven by business challenges as colleges dropped programs with low enrollment or trimmed staff for financial reasons. Here’s a roundup of recent campus job cuts.

https://www.insidehighered.com/news/business/cost-cutting/2024/05/06/look-recent-and-looming-cuts

Important Announcement to Readers

2024-05-14T05:05:00.007-05:00

Dear Readers — Thank you for your loyal support of this curated reading blog. This is to let

you know that this site will remain online for research in the archives, but will not be updated

after May 15, 2024.

The GOOD NEWS is that I will continue to curate and publish the daily postings that you

are accustomed to reading on my other blogs, which are continuing free of charge:

Professional, Continuing and Online Education Update blog by UPCEA https://continuingedupdate.blogspot.com/

NEW! Artificial Intelligence in Higher Ed by UPCEA - https://ai-in-highered.blogspot.com/

Alternative Credentials in Higher Ed by UPCEA - https://altcred.blogspot.com/

Ray’s Curation - https://rayscuration.blogspot.com/

If you would like to receive email updates from any of the blogs, you may subscribe using the links below:

As always, you may unsubscribe at any time by simply clicking at the bottom of any email.

Thank you for your support over these many years — and I am looking forward to

many more to come!

-ray

Dozens arrested in weekend of protests on US campuses - Maria Caspani, Reuters

2024-05-14T05:00:00.009-05:00

Police on Saturday arrested at least 25 pro-Palestinian protesters and cleared an encampment at the University of Virginia, the university said in a statement, as U.S. campuses braced for more turmoil during graduation celebrations. Tensions flared at UVA's campus in Charlottesville, where protests had been largely peaceful until Saturday morning, when police officers in riot gear were seen in a video moving on an encampment on the campus' lawn, cuffing some demonstrators with zip-ties and using what appeared to be chemical spray.

https://www.reuters.com/world/us/pro-palestinian-protests-briefly-disrupt-university-michigan-graduation-2024-05-04/

Important Announcement to Readers

2024-05-13T05:05:00.040-05:00

Dear Readers — Thank you for your loyal support of this curated reading blog. This is to let

you know that this site will remain online for research in the archives, but will not be updated

after May 15, 2024.

The GOOD NEWS is that I will continue to curate and publish the daily postings that you

are accustomed to reading on my other blogs, which are continuing free of charge:

Professional, Continuing and Online Education Update blog by UPCEA https://continuingedupdate.blogspot.com/

NEW! Artificial Intelligence in Higher Ed by UPCEA - https://ai-in-highered.blogspot.com/

Alternative Credentials in Higher Ed by UPCEA - https://altcred.blogspot.com/

Ray’s Curation - https://rayscuration.blogspot.com/

If you would like to receive email updates from any of the blogs, you may subscribe using the links below:

As always, you may unsubscribe at any time by simply clicking at the bottom of any email.

Thank you for your support over these many years — and I am looking forward to

many more to come!

-ray

North Carolina HBCU faces battle with IRS, risks being shut down - Doc Louallen, ABC News

2024-05-13T05:00:00.020-05:00

Saint Augustine’s University in Raleigh, North Carolina, is in an ongoing battle with the IRS and the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Board of Trustees after the historically Black school’s previous finance department “mismanaged” a $34 million budget, according to university officials. Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), both public and private, have been underfunded due to lower endowments, less alumni support and state and federal underinvestment. Recently, HBCUs have faced several challenges. During a funding crisis, Tennessee State University had its board stripped away in a complete overhaul by state lawmakers. In Mississippi, lawmakers proposed a bill that would have shut down the state’s only public HBCUs. Now teachers and staff at Saint Augustine’s have not received a salary for three months following the institution’s plunge into debt of $32 million. The dire financial situation places the university at a high risk of losing its accreditation, a crucial aspect of its credibility and reputation.

https://nrgmediadixon.com/2024/05/04/north-carolina-hbcu-faces-battle-with-irs-risks-being-shut-down/

Drake University to cut 3 academic programs as it tries to balance budget - Ben Unglesbee, Higher Ed Dive

2024-05-12T05:00:00.013-05:00

Drake University, in Iowa, plans to cut three academic programs after a vote by its board, according to an open letter Monday from President Marty Martin. In March, the private nonprofit’s administration proposed eliminating 13 majors, minors and certificates. But the university’s faculty senate voted in April to cut just three programs, which the board approved. Under the plan, Drake will nix its religion major, East Asian studies minor and graduate certificate program in evidence-based healthcare. Those programs collectively enroll 14 students, who will be allowed to finish their studies at Drake, Martin said.

https://www.highereddive.com/news/drake-university-cut-3-academic-programs-balance-budget/714779/

UNO president asks staff to make cuts to balance budget - Ryan Vasquez, WWNO

2024-05-11T05:00:00.017-05:00

University of New Orleans President Kathy Johnson asked the school’s four colleges to cut their budgets by 15% for the coming fiscal year. The athletics department will need to cut its budget by a quarter, as well. Johnson said the trims are needed to bring university expenditures in line with revenue. Enrollment on campus has dropped significantly since 2018. While the decision wasn’t easy, she said she sees it as an opportunity. "Honestly, I think a great deal of savings are possible in terms of thinking about more efficient curriculum delivery," Johnson said. "I think the good news is that, if we can do that well, it's also going to benefit the retention of our students."

https://www.wwno.org/latest-news/2024-05-03/uno-president-asks-staff-to-make-cuts-to-balance-budget

Columbus State budget cuts leaves 14 positions eliminated - Fox 28

2024-05-10T05:00:00.009-05:00

Columbus State is tightening their belt. There are budget cuts happening at the community college, and 14 positions were eliminated. None of the positions are teaching positions. We’re told two were in the Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. The college says they are in the second year of a three-year recovery plan from the pandemic. They adjusted their staff to help address the effects of inflation and other pandemic-related factors.

https://www.myfox28columbus.com/news/local/columbus-state-budget-cuts-leaves-14-positions-eliminated-central-ohio-may-2024

California Republicans threaten to take money from campuses, students over protests- LYNN LA, Cal Matters

2024-05-09T05:00:00.009-05:00

As campus tensions escalate over student encampments to protest the war in Gaza — with canceled classes, violent clashes and mass arrests in recent days — Republican leaders in the California Legislature are calling for the state to use its upcoming budget process to punish demonstrators who they say have gone too far. Senate Republican Leader Brian Jones of San Diego and Assembly Republican Leader James Gallagher of Chico announced Thursday that they would push to strip state financial aid from protesters found to have committed violent or criminal acts or violated other students’ rights.

https://calmatters.org/newsletter/campus-protests-california-republicans-budget/

Colleges are now closing at a pace of one a week. What happens to the students? - Jon Marcus, Hechinger Report

2024-05-08T05:00:00.005-05:00

About one university or college per week so far this year, on average, has announced that it will close or merge. That’s up from a little more than two a month last year, according to the State Higher Education Executive Officers Association, or SHEEO. So many colleges are folding that some students who moved from one to another have now found that their new school will also close, often with little or no warning. Some of the students at Newbury, when it closed in 2019, had moved there from nearby Mount Ida College, for example, which shut down the year before.

https://hechingerreport.org/colleges-are-now-closing-at-a-pace-of-one-a-week-what-happens-to-the-students/

NIC unveils proposed FY2025 budget - KAYE THORNBRUGH, COEUR d’ALENE Post Falls Press

2024-05-07T05:00:00.014-05:00

North Idaho College trustees took a first look at the proposed budget for fiscal year 2025 and examined options for how to cover an anticipated net deficit of $5.2 million. The $55 million proposed budget does not include an increase in student tuition, nor does it include a base property tax increase. About $1.2 million, which is expected to be covered by state funds, will provide the equivalent of a 3% pay increase for full-time and part-time employees.

https://cdapress.com/news/2024/apr/25/nic-unveils-proposed-fy2025-budget/

University of Saint Katherine shuts down after less than 15 years - Ben Unglesbee, Higher Ed Dive

2024-05-06T05:00:00.004-05:00

Facing a “steep” cash shortfall, California-based University of Saint Katherine is closing and will file for bankruptcy, President Frank Papatheofanis said in a letter to campus posted on social media last week by one of the institution’s sports teams. Behind the private nonprofit’s crunch in operating cash is “extraordinary inflation,” including salary increases, as well as high institutional financial aid, the president added. He did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Papatheofanis sent the letter announcing the closure on Thursday, the same day the university planned to cease all operations and employment. It will “pursue and consider any opportunity we can identify” while going through the bankruptcy process, Papatheofanis said.

https://www.highereddive.com/news/university-saint-katherine-closure-bankruptcy/714631/

Wells College to close at the end of the spring term - Laura Spitalniak, Higher Ed Dive

2024-05-05T05:00:00.003-05:00

Wells College, in New York, announced Monday that it will close at the end of the spring term. The private nonprofit institution said it has faced prolonged financial distress that it was unable to address through fundraising or other measures. Wells also cited demographic challenges, the pandemic, inflation and “an overall negative sentiment towards higher education.” In its notice, which came just days before the planned closure, Wells leaders said they had recently had “conversations with other academic partners,” to no avail.

https://www.highereddive.com/news/wells-college-closure-end-of-the-spring-term-semester-abrupt/714628/

AI services will become more affordable over time - Jan Frederik Slijkerman, ing.com

2024-05-04T05:05:00.007-05:00

When evaluating the historical evolution of the ICT sector, there is one important aspect that stands out. Prices have come down in substantial segments of the sector. This especially holds true for hardware such as phones and PCs but also for prices of mobile communication. One of the other notable aspects in this context is the provision of free services, through open-source projects or advertising driven models. Nevertheless, the main cause of falling prices is the advancement in semiconductor manufacturing capabilities, in line with Moore’s Law. Because of this, semiconductor prices have come down, leading to lower prices for end-products, such as PCs, tablets, and mobile phones. Because microchips are an important cost component of AI models, we expect the replacement cost of the existing infrastructure needed to run AI models to come down over time as well.

https://think.ing.com/articles/ai-services-will-become-more-affordable-over-time/

Hard lessons for colleges and universities - Crain's Cleveland Business Editorial Board

2024-05-04T05:00:00.009-05:00

Colleges and universities are getting some harsh lessons in economics, as financial and demographic realities collide with the loftier ambitions of academia. This problem isn't specific to Northeast Ohio, but it's hitting the region hard. Schools including Baldwin Wallace University, Cleveland State University, Lake Erie College and Lakeland Community College are facing financial challenges of varying degrees of severity. Another - Notre Dame College in South Euclid - already has crunched the numbers and called it quits.

https://www.crainscleveland.com/commentary/crains-editorial-colleges-and-universities-are-getting-tough-lessons

Universities Boost Spending to Curb Cyber Attacks - Lauren Coffey, Inside Higher Ed

2024-05-03T05:05:00.010-05:00

Higher education institutions have increased their cybersecurity budgets as more universities fall prey to cyber attacks, Moody’s Investor Service says in a report. The bond ratings agency reports that higher education institutions allocating a portion of their budget to cybersecurity increased more than 70 percent from 2019 to 2023. Despite the new spending jump, universities still focus less on cyber spending than other institutions do. In 2023, the higher education sector’s average budget allocation was 7 percent for cybersecurity, below the global average’s 8 percent of spending.

https://www.insidehighered.com/news/quick-takes/2024/04/25/colleges-spending-more-ever-cybersecurity-efforts

Iowa Lawmakers Pass Last-Minute Ban on DEI, Institutional Statements - Ryan Quinn, Inside Higher Education

2024-05-03T05:00:00.011-05:00

In November, Iowa’s Board of Regents adopted a broad diversity, equity and inclusion ban across its public universities: the University of Iowa, Iowa State University and the University of Northern IowaThe board’s first directive was sweeping: “Restructure the central, university-wide DEI offices to eliminate any DEI functions that are not necessary for compliance or accreditation.” The orders didn’t stop there. Universities should “Review all college, department or unit-level DEI positions to determine whether DEI-specific job responsibilities are necessary for compliance, accreditation or student and employee support,” the board directed. It said any jobs “not necessary for these purposes shall be adjusted or eliminated.” Iowa’s universities, and the board itself, are currently working to implement the directives. (Iowa State University, for instance, told the board Thursday that it will close its vice president for diversity, equity and inclusion’s office in July, while the University of Iowa said its position reviews will be done by the end of 2024.)

https://www.insidehighered.com/news/diversity/2024/04/26/iowa-gop-oks-11th-hour-ban-dei-institutional-statements

MIT Emerging Talent opens pathways for underserved global learners - Camila Massa, MIT Open Learning

2024-05-02T05:05:00.000-05:00

The program is the brainchild of Admir Masic, who became a teenage refugee in Croatia in 1992 after escaping from the horrors of war that was devastating his homeland in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Today, Masic is an associate professor of civil and environmental engineering and a faculty fellow in archaeological materials at MIT. “I am overwhelmed with gratitude at having made it to MIT, a place that values innovation, science, and excellence, but also with a sense of responsibility,” Masic says. “There are millions of people forcibly displaced every year — for political, economic, social, or, more recently, climate change-related reasons. How can I do my part to support those who have come after me?”

https://news.mit.edu/2024/mit-emerging-talent-opens-pathways-underserved-global-learners-0425

Northland Delays Closure Decision Following Donations - Josh Moody, Inside Higher Ed

2024-05-02T05:00:00.008-05:00

The Board of Trustees at Northland College has delayed making a decision on whether to close due to financial issues, citing “several transformative donor gifts” received this week. “While Northland is still short of its total funding needs, these gifts considerably impact what is possible. In light of this, the Board of Trustees believes the right thing to do is to reconvene with the Faculty Ad Hoc Exigency and Operations and Budget Committees to continue the work of bringing together proposed adjustments and the new budget realities,” Northland College officials said in a statement Tuesday. “This will continue to require a strategic academic re-prioritization and the need for serious decisions, but we are hopeful about the future.”

https://www.insidehighered.com/news/quick-takes/2024/04/26/northland-delays-closure-decision-following-donations

UA releases budget cuts to academic units - Chistopher Conover, AZPM

2024-05-01T05:05:00.001-05:00

The University of Arizona has publicly announced the cuts to colleges and other academic units. The cuts are part of the program university leaders are putting in place to get the university out of its more than 50-million-dollar deficit. In an email to the campus community, interim CFO John Arnold and interim Provost Dr. Ron Marx said the cuts, which total about 4.4%, should put all academic units in the black for the upcoming fiscal year. Most of the cuts were between 2.5 and 6%. The College of Optical Sciences saw a 3% increase in the budget.

https://news.azpm.org/p/azpmnews/2024/4/25/220046-ua-releases-budget-cuts-to-academic-units/

Iowa Wesleyan campus divided and sold, one year after announcing its closing - Zachary Oren Smith, Iowa Public Radio

2024-05-01T05:00:00.011-05:00

Last year, the Iowa Wesleyan Board of Trustees chairman said after 181 years Iowa Wesleyan University would turn its lights off. “The board is committed that we would not start a semester if we did not have the funds to complete it,” Bob Miller said in March 2023 press conference. “That is what has forced us to this decision today.” He did not return numerous requests for comment for this story. The town of Mount Pleasant was incorporated in 1842, the same year the university was established. The town and gown siblings grew up beside one another. And since the news of the closure, residents of Mount Pleasant have been working to preserve the memory of the university while making sense of its 60-acre campus.

https://www.iowapublicradio.org/ipr-news/2024-04-04/iowa-wesleyan-campus-divided-and-sold-one-year-after-announcing-its-closing

Drake’s budget: How did we get here? - Mackenzie Swenson, Times-Delphic

2024-04-30T05:05:00.000-05:00

Drake University’s budget has come under scrutiny since the University cut registered student organization budgets and proposed the elimination of programs. To understand Drake’s budget challenges, The Times-Delphic investigated national trends in college enrollment and interviewed top university officials. The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted higher education across the globe, making it difficult for universities like Drake to “draw any conclusions” about future enrollment, President Marty Martin said in an interview with the TD last November.

https://timesdelphic.com/2024/04/drakes-budget-how-did-we-get-here/

The Cal Grant expansion for California college students is in jeopardy as the state deficit grows - MIKHAIL ZINSHTEYN, Cal Matters

2024-04-30T05:00:00.013-05:00

When California’s budget surplus was in the tens of billions two years ago, legislators passed a law that would expand the state’s nationally renowned free-tuition and cash aid program to an additional 137,000 college students by fall 2024 — but only if the money is there. Whether the Cal Grant tuition program grows will play out in the next two months, as state legislators and Gov. Gavin Newsom grapple with a budget deficit now estimated at between $38 billion and $73 billion, depending on whom you ask.Early signs suggest California’s upcoming budget, which legislators and the governor must finalize by late June, won’t be able to shoulder the new expenses.

https://calmatters.org/education/higher-education/2024/04/cal-grant-3/

The best free AI courses (and whether AI 'micro-degrees' and certificates are worth it) - David Gewirtz, ZDnet

2024-04-29T05:05:00.004-05:00

So, do certificates have any value? Yes, but how much value they have depends on your prospective employer's perspective. A certificate says you completed some course of study successfully. That might be something of value to you, as well. You can set a goal to learn a topic, and if you get a credential, you can be fairly confident you achieved some learning. Accredited degrees, by contrast, are an assurance that you not only learned the material, but did so according to some level of standard and rigor common to other accredited institutions.

https://www.zdnet.com/article/the-best-free-ai-courses/