Blog
Exploring the Challenges and Opportunities Facing Higher Education
New Issue Brief from William G. Bowen
- April 13, 2016
Rutgers University is marking its 250th anniversary this year with, among other activities, a series of lectures on the future of higher education. Opening the series on April 7, William G. Bowen, president emeritus of Princeton University and president emeritus of The Andrew W. Mellon foundation, and now valued advisor to ITHAKA, delivered a lecture on “Issues Facing Major Research Universities at a Time of Stress AND Opportunity.” Drawing from…
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Issues Facing Major Research Universities at a Time of Stress AND Opportunity
- April 12, 2016
This Issue Brief presents the lightly edited text of William G. Bowen’s keynote address at the Rutgers University 250th Anniversary Presidential Symposium on Higher Education, delivered in New Brunswick, NJ, on April 7, 2016. I would like to begin by acknowledging some of my many debts to Rutgers. My wife and I both have Rutgers degrees, hers an earned Master’s …
Event
Separating Fact from Fiction in Higher Education
Ithaka S+R Co-Hosts Urban Institute Event
- April 21, 2016
Join Ithaka S+R in Washington DC on Thursday, April 21, 2016, 10:00 – 11:30 am for a panel discussion, "Separating Fact from Fiction in Higher Education." Registration for this free event is now open. Higher education has emerged as a national issue amid rising public concerns about college affordability and increasing student debt loads. The Obama administration has taken steps to push forward new policies, and the presidential candidates are taking…
Blog
Trends in College Net Price for Low-Income Students
- April 4, 2016
Last week, New America’s Stephen Burd published a report showing that low-income students who receive Pell grants still face a substantial financial burden to attend college, especially at private not-for-profit institutions. Looking at the average net price—“the average amount of money that students and their families have to pay after all grant and scholarship aid is deducted from the listed price”—of low-income students attending 1,400 four-year institutions, Burd found that…
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Event
Future Trends Forum with Special Guest Deanna Marcum
- March 22, 2016
Deanna Marcum will be the special guest at Bryan Alexander's Future Trends Forum on Tuesday, March 22 at 11 am. Bryan Alexander, founder of the online blog Future Trends in Technology and Education has begun this weekly forum to enliven the discussion around the pressing issues at the cross roads of education and technology through weekly online video chat conversations where practitioners in the field can contribute and share their…
Blog
The Problems of Accreditation of For-Profit Institutions
And a Step to Improve It
- March 14, 2016
In my most recent blog post, I compared financial aid data for the 2013-14 academic year with that of previous years. One interesting finding was that the share of Pell enrollments at for-profit institutions has declined by 22 percent since it peaked in 2009-10. As explained in the blog, this decline coincides with the federal government’s efforts to crack down on students’ low-value use of Pell grants, specifically at for-profit…
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Overcoming Institutional Barriers to Innovation
Lessons from Ithaka S+R’s Case Studies
- February 29, 2016
Last week, Ithaka S+R released a report on the findings of its first Higher Ed Insights survey. The survey collected the opinions of 96 higher education experts on the state of undergraduate education, and ways to make it more effective and affordable. One of the most interesting findings was that a high percentage of respondents identified institutional culture or structures as the most substantial barriers to innovation. While this finding…
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Is Completion the Right Goal? The Public Wouldn’t Agree
- February 23, 2016
The results of Ithaka S+R’s first Higher Ed Insights survey, released yesterday, provide a rich set of information about the views of a group of people deeply immersed in the sector. In full disclosure, I was one of the survey’s respondents, and the questions encouraged me to ponder and articulate my views on a number of important issues and trends, as I’m sure they did for others. One thing that…
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New Survey of Higher Ed Experts Finds Promise in Guided Pathways, Adaptive Learning
- February 22, 2016
In fall 2015, Ithaka S+R invited a select group of higher education administrators and experts to join a panel of advisors. One activity of the panel, which consists of 110 members with diverse backgrounds and perspectives, is to take part in semi-annual surveys on issues of national importance in higher education. The results of these surveys will help guide Ithaka S+R’s research agenda. In addition, we will publish the results…
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Publication
Higher Ed Insights: Results of the Fall 2015 Survey
- February 22, 2016
Introduction In fall 2015, Ithaka S+R invited a select group of higher education administrators and experts to join a panel of advisors. One activity of the panel, which consists of 110 members with diverse backgrounds and perspectives, is to take part in semi-annual surveys on issues of national importance in higher education. Ithaka S+R will analyze and publish the …