The Department of Labor is considering rule changes that could substantially alter the balance of power between private colleges and their employees' unions, by forcing college administrations and their outside consultants to disclose much more information than previously required on their efforts to influence union elections or contract talks.
Private colleges spent an amount equivalent to about 37 percent of all of their tuition and fee revenue on scholarships for students in the fall of 2010, an all-time high, according to an annual "tuition discounting" survey. The estimated tuition-discount rate for first-time freshmen—42.4 percent—was also a record high, according to a report on the survey by the National Association of College and University Business Officers.
Last week, the government put forward a package of 21 reforms, including an offer to increase funding, improve teacher training, increase university scholarships and help resolve unpaid student loan debts. But students rejected the plan, saying it failed to meet a key demand that private universities invest their income in educational improvements.
Recent years have witnessed a boom in private education opportunities across the Central American isthmus. To some, it seems that private entities cannot open classrooms fast enough. Whereas 30 years ago there were virtually no private universities, today there are more than 151 and every year more emerge.
Greece is facing the prospect of legal action by the European Union unless it satisfies Brussels that it will lift a series of restrictions on private colleges.