Lesezeichen  76

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    The date is fast approaching when students will receive their college acceptances from the most competitive colleges in the country. Most students have already heard from several colleges as all but the most competitive let students know much earlier than the beginning of April. Only 3% of the four-year colleges and universities in the United States accept fewer than 25% of their applicants and these schools enroll fewer than 4% of all new freshmen. This is a very small group of students and schools but the publicity surrounding these schools has lead many people to think that it is impossible to get into college and has resulted in great angst among students and parents about the college admissions process. On the other hand, 18% of the four-year institutions and all of the more than 1,000 community colleges in the U.S. are open admissions which means they have minimal admissions criteria and accept almost all students who apply if they have graduated from high school and complete all the required paperwork. Why do we have such misperceptions about getting into college? Too many people think that all schools are like the Ivies and the Little Ivies but that is far from true. There is a school for everyone and, in most cases, many schools that will be a good match for you. It is quite easy to predict your chances of getting in to a school as most schools accept all students who meet their stated criteria and have scores that are close to the school’s average scores. There are very few schools who have the luxury of turning away qualified students who meet their criteria. The very selective schools are able to fill their freshmen class many times over from their applicant pool while most others struggle to fill their class and find that they have to discount their tuition significantly to get the number of students that they need to operate in a financially viable way. The average discount rate at private four-year colleges is almost 50% meaning that on average students will pay only half of the published tuition
    vor 7 Jahren von @prophe
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    The NCAA is an organization full of hypocrisies. It rakes in billions of dollars, but says there’s no money to pay the student-athletes. It works overtime to appease high-dollar corporate sponsors, but won’t let a star basketball player accept any perks. It routinely looks the other way when it comes to abuse scandals, and marginalizes its female athletes, all while running commercials focused on safety and equality.
    vor 7 Jahren von @prophe
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    Khalsa University, established by disintegrating 125-year-old Khalsa College, is ready for its first full-fledged academic session a fortnight after Captain Amarinder Singh, who had vowed not to allow it, took over as the chief minister of Punjab. On February 17, 2016, Amarinder Singh had famously barged into the Khalsa College campus and declared that after becoming the CM, he would undo any attempts to set up Khalsa University on the 330 acres land of Khalsa College. However, though Amarinder has now become the CM, the Khalsa College management seems unruffled. Khalsa College Governing Council (KCGC) honorary secretary and Khalsa University Pro-Chancellor Rajinder Mohan Singh Chhina said, “It will have no impact on us. Captain Amarinder Singh is a very wise man. These were all talks before the elections. Khalsa University is constituted by passing a Bill in Punjab Assembly in September 2016. I don’t think Captain Amarinder Singh will have any problem with it.” Asked if the university administration will try to clear air by meeting the new chief minster, Chhina said, “We don’t have to. There is no such issue to discuss.” Chhina had unsuccessfully contested the Amritsar Lok Sabha bypoll on a BJP ticket in February this year. Despite the fact that his daughter-in-law Harsimrat Kaur Badal’s father Satyajit Singh Majithia has been the president of KCGC, former CM Parkash Singh Badal had avoided to establish Khalsa University during his first term of 2007 to 2012 due to huge protests against this move from different quarters of the Sikh community. Many Sikh bodies had claimed that Khalsa College was raised with the donation of community and should not be converted into a private university. KCGC then came up with an amended proposal to disintegrate Khalsa College to create a private university. Badal gave nod to the university only during the last Assembly session (in September 2017) of his 2012-2017 tenure as the chief minister amid protests from Congress and AAP. It did not give much time to university to start all
    vor 7 Jahren von @prophe
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    The University of Costa Rica (UCR) climbed 30 spots in the “QS World University Rankings” for the 2016-2017 period. The QS World University Rankings provides an index of the world’s leading higher education institutions, based on six performance indicators: Academic reputation, Employer reputation, Student-to-faculty ratio, Citations per faculty, International faculty ratio and international student ratio; In this way the ranking evaluates performance in four areas: research, teaching, employability and internationalization, each indicator carries a different weighting when calculating overall scores; in this last edition the ranking was expanded to feature 916 universities (25 more than in the previous year) in 81 countries, following assessment of more than 3,800 institutions. The academic institution was ranked in the previous edition in the range 501-510 and this year it appears in the range 471-480, within the best 500 universities in the world. When it comes to the QS World University Rankings by subject, the University of Costa Rica got its best scoring in Agriculture & Foresty earning a position in the range 201-250. Within the Latin America University Rankings, the UCR holds position 18; in these region the best ranked was the Buenos Aires University (Argentina) which is in position 85 of the global ranking, being the only Latin America University to make the top 100. Brazil’s Sao Paulo University (120), Mexico’s UNAM (128), Chile’s UC (147), Brazil’s Unicamp (191) and the University of Chile (200), are all within the best 200 universities in the world. The top spot was earned by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) for fifth consecutive year, followed by Stanford University which climbed one place, Harvard University is in the third position while it used to lead the ranking from 2004-2009, the University of Cambridge is holding the fourth place and the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) completes the top 5. The University of Oxford, University College London, the Swiss Federal
    vor 7 Jahren von @prophe
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    Are there no Indian universities with potential for competing with the best in the world? And if the answer is yes, then what’s holding them back from becoming truly world-class?” These and similar questions would be answered at the Association of Indian Universities (AIU) conference on Internationalisation of Higher Education 2017, being hosted at Symbiosis International University (SIU)’s Lavale Campus from April 8 to 10. The three-day conference would be inaugurated by Union HRD Minister Prakash Javadekar and attended by over 100 vice-chancellors from Indian universities, both public and private, besides senior academicians, policy advisors, educational agencies and university representatives from the US, Europe, Asian countries like Singapore, Malaysia, Japan. The organisers said that through this conference they planned to present a policy paper to Javadekar on the roadmap to making Indian universities world-class. Amongst the prominent speakers at the conference include Prof Ellen Hazelkorn, policy advisor to Higher Education Authority (Ireland); Prof Philip Altbach, director, Center for International Higher Education (USA); Prof Bertil Andersson, president, Nanyang Technological University (Singapore); Prof Jamil Salmi, global tertiary education expert; besides UGC chairman Ved Prakash, D S Chauhan, president, AIU, D P Singh, director, NAAC. “Recently, the Indian government had announced that they will be selecting 10 public and 10 private universities to develop them into world-class universities and it is a very good decision. But what are the parameters that make a university world-class? Is research the core parameter, or does developing infrastructure suffice to make it amongst the best in the world? While the Indian government will work towards making these 20 universities world-class but how do others work towards making their varsities also amongst the best in the world. For this, we need to have dialogue and collaborations with world-class universities abroad. Hence we have organised this conferen
    vor 7 Jahren von @prophe
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    Autocrats dislike independent, internationally-oriented, autonomous universities free of corruption and hence, they attack them. In order to add the appearance of legitimacy to purely political actions, autocratic regimes use the law to advance their goals. That is why their favorite strategy is to work through the legislature and courts. This seems to be the case with the European University at St. Petersburg and the Central European University in Budapest, both currently being harassed by the ruling political regimes. The European University at St. Petersburg is a private university, founded in 1994 by the Committee for Real Estate Management of St. Petersburg City Government, St. Petersburg Institute for Economics and Mathematics at the Russian Academy of Sciences, St. Petersburg branch of Sociology Institute at the Russian Academy of Sciences, and St. Petersburg Association of Scholars with support from the MacArthur, Ford and Soros Foundations. Organizations funded by George Soros, through the Open Society Foundation, were expelled from Russia in 2015. This is no surprise, since authoritarian regimes fear democratic initiatives and do not share the idea of civil society that is promoted by George Soros. Russia’s Federal Agency for Supervision in Education and Science says that the university’s political science and sociology departments do not have a sufficient number of full-time faculty who do applied research, and that faculty on fixed-term employment contracts are not properly certified. Quite a few other minor violations, including missing a fitness center, are cited as well. While the university administration works on addressing these issues, the state agency continues its offensive. The European University at St. Petersburg has lost its state license and accreditation and may well lose its historic building, the Small Marble Palace. It turns out that the university installed new plastic windows in parts of the old building, and it goes against the city’s historical preservation ordinance. Russian Pr
    vor 7 Jahren von @prophe
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    The future of thousands of medical students may hang in the balance, as the Medical Council of India (MCI) has started taking action against private medical colleges. These colleges are believed to have illegally admitted students in Under Graduate Courses by ignoring the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET). Students must pass this test before they can gain admission to any medical college. Keeping a tab on the admission process to ensure that all admissions were being done through clearing NEET, the MCI has recently issued a discharge notice of at least 36 students admitted in Ponnaiyah Ramajayam Institute of Medical Sciences, Manamai-Nellur, Tamil Nadu. The students did not appear for the NEET exam but still were given admission in the college. “Our monitoring committee is keeping a strict vigil on admissions in all the medical colleges. We haven’t yet found out the exact numbers of students who were admitted without appearing in NEET. But we are aware that there are several medical colleges who have provided back door admissions by ignoring the NEET exam. Such admissions will not be considered,” said Dr Jayshree Mehta, President, MCI. Similarly, the Dental Council of India (DCI) is also scrutinizing admissions in dental colleges. “It has come to our notice that in states such as Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh some dental colleges have taken students without NEET. We are under a process of scrutinizing the list of admissions. We will take appropriate action against the erring colleges once we find out the exact number of students admitted illegally,” said Dr A K Chandna, member, DCI. Through NEET, the government is aiming to bring in more transparency in the admission process and curb the practice of capitation fee charged by private colleges. Also, common counselling for admission to all Undergraduate and Postgraduate Courses (Diploma/MD/ MS/DM/M.Ch.) in all medical educational institutions on the basis of merit list of the NEET has been introduced by the Union Health Ministry to curb malpractices
    vor 7 Jahren von @prophe
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    Finishing an engineering project does not require knowledge but money. At least that’s the case in a few colleges in the city. Most of the students have been found resorting to buying readymade projects from small firms who are into this business full-time. These firms also help in getting research papers published for students. Some of these firms have even taken the route of e-commerce and have displayed the projects on their website in detail according to the technology it is based on, its price along with pictures, abstracts and research papers. Engineering students are expected to put the concepts that they learn into practice twice in their four-year long course –once in the third year as a mini project for 50 marks and again in their final year for 200 marks. However, majority of the students buy readymade projects which can cost anywhere between Rs 2,500 to Rs 50,000 depending on the technology, components used and complexity of the project. When contacted, JNTU-Hyderabad registrar, Dr N Yadaiah, said, “The university cannot ensure that at each and every affiliated college, students are genuinely doing the projects. The colleges also share this responsibility and should take required measures for it.” Private colleges in cahoots with project vendors While the university says that the onus is on private colleges, unfortunately these colleges are also involved with students in making a mockery of engineering education for earning a quick buck. A senior professor of a well-known engineering college said, “In many private engineering colleges, the teachers and Heads of Department provide business to firms selling engineering projects. They take commission on the cost that the students pay to such firms for buying projects. Not just this, but some college managements too are involved in this business by setting tie-ups with firms selling engineering projects. When the time comes for external evaluation, even invigilators are handled by the college management. It does not usually happen that some student i
    vor 7 Jahren von @prophe
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    Local President of the Private Universities Association of Ghana (PUSAG) at the All Nations University College in Koforidua, Eastern Region has made a call on government to make them enjoy subventions as they also pay taxes. Addressing a gathering of the college’s management and the media to report on the performance of the College at the recent PUSAG,Ebenezer Appiah-Kubi lamented how private universities have to compete with public universities in the area of recruitment and retention of highly qualified faculty. “There is the non-ubiquitous lack of finances for expansion, research, inadequate infrastructure among others,” he noted, adding that “libraries are ill-resourced and laboratories are also acute”. He pointed out that the recent salary increment for government workers makes compensation packages in public universities more attractive than what most private universities can afford. “In well-endowed countries, [private] universities receive funding from a variety of sources including government agencies such as sponsorship, falls into contract, corporate agreement, gift endowment and royalties". However, he said, private universities in Ghana do not have access to these funding sources and have to rely mainly on internally generated funds (IGFs) and loans that attract abnormally high interest rates from banks. He said public universities, on the other hand, are subsidised by government and “we think it is good and natural for government to assist us”. “We think private universities should not be deprived of government intervention such as GETFund, state scholarship and research grants and even subsidize for infrastructure expansion.” All Nations University College was awarded overall best in the just-ended PUSAG Games held at Cape Coast in the Central Region after its students took medals in volleyball, football, athletics, among others. The Registrar, Andrian Ion, commended students for the laurels won.
    vor 7 Jahren von @prophe
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    PESHAWAR: The district administration on Friday sealed 40 private educational institutions, mostly schools, in the upscale University Town locality of Peshawar over the nonconforming use of residential buildings. Around 140 nonconforming commercial entities have so far been sealed in the weeklong operation in the area in compliance with the orders of the Peshawar High Court. Though a case of the contempt petition is pending with the PHC for not implementing its earlier orders to stop commercial activities in the University Town, the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly recently amended the relevant law and allowed commercial activities there for five years. However, the legislation needs the notification of the relevant rules for enforcement. Few years ago, the high court had declared the carrying out of commercial activities in residential areas of Hayatabad Township and University Town illegal. The judgment was upheld by the Supreme Court. In 2015, the high court again issued directives in that respect over the petitions filed by some local residents. Nazim says action taken in line with high court orders Few months ago, they again moved the court and filed contempt of court petition saying the said judgment had not been implemented. The commercial buildings sealed by the district administration, include educational institutions, health care centres, guesthouses, beauty parlours, hotels, banks, shops etc. The closed offices also include around 30 government offices. “The sealed educational institutions will remain closed until further orders in light of the court’s directions,” an official in the district administration told Dawn. He said the court’s orders to seal commercial buildings in University Town were still valid even after legislation by the provincial assembly in that respect. “We have yet to receive any instruction from high-ups on the changes to the law about commercial activity in residential areas,” he said. The official said hearing into the contempt of court petition over nonconforming use
    vor 7 Jahren von @prophe
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    The private sector has been called upon to support efforts to create skills and capacity in Africa to contribute to Africa’s transformation and economic growth. At the recent fourth World Bank’s Partnership for Skills in Applied Sciences, Engineering and Technology, or PASET, forum in Nairobi, the World Bank Group’s Vice-President for Human Development Keith Hansen said the private sector should expand its support for skills-building in Africa, with both resources and technology. The forum was organised by the World Bank and the Kenyan government from 5-7 April. It was attended by 19 African countries, including education and higher education ministers, and key partners such as South Korea, China, Brazil and Malaysia, which share knowledge and technical assistance with PASET's African members. “Links between education and industry are crucial, and Germany, Singapore, Korea and China all offer know-how around forging these links,” said Hansen. Private sector firms that attended included Microsoft, the State Grid Corporation of China and Philips. According to Hansen, PASET reflects two key World Bank Group priorities: “Our commitment to Africa, and to investing in people.” Human capital The World Bank invests in people because it is the right thing to do, and because people are an often untapped engine of inclusive economic growth, he said. Human capital is integral to ending poverty, explaining up to two-thirds of income differences between countries across the world. “To strengthen human capital in Africa, we need to achieve the right skills mix for young people. It is fantastic to see partners and governments converge around PASET, because there is no smarter shortcut to a bright future than education – when it is high-quality and relevant.” He noted that a critical mass of expertise and institutions that drive scientific and technological advancement in key sectors such as agriculture, energy, manufacturing, construction, ICTs and health also help sustain economic growth and boost resilience. “
    vor 7 Jahren von @prophe
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    The acting Vice-Chancellor, Elizade University, Ilara -Mokin , Ondo State, Professor Theophileus Oyeyemi Fadayemi , has appealed to the Federal Government to allow private universities to benefit from the Tertiary Education Trust (TET Fund) grants . Fadayemi made the appeal made at a press conference which was held at the university campus on Friday in preparation for the school’s 1st convocation ceremony. The VC said such intervention from the Federal Government would help in manpower development in private universities across the country. While noting that Education Trust Fund was set up by the Federal Government to assist the development of the Nigerian Higher Education System, decried a situation whereby it is only government-owned universities are allowed to accessed the funds “We appealed to the Federal Government to allow private universities to benefit from TETfUND which has been restricted to Federal universities. The private universities that are ready to go into research should be able to have access to TETfUND. “We have all the capacity here at Elizade University in terms of our commitment .What we are asking for is that they should give us access to TETFUND. ” Fadayemi said a total of 35 out of 64 students that was admitted as first set of students of the university on January 6,2013 ,will be graduating at the convocation. He said that five students had first class honours while 17 and 13 had second class upper division, second class lower division respectively. The VC also said all courses the school runs are fully accredited. “The 17 programmes presented for NUC ‘s accreditation with all the 17 having full accreditation status. ” he said.
    vor 7 Jahren von @prophe
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    Jaipur, Apr 20: A group of Kashmiri students at a private university in Rajasthan were on Wednesday allegedly called “terrorists” and beaten up by locals, upset over soldiers being targeted by stone-throwers in the strife-torn border state. The assault is the latest incident of violence against Kashmiris studying at Chittorgarh’s Mewar University, which has around 500 students from Jammu and Kashmir. “Six of us were assaulted in three separate attacks that took place at the same time in the market. The attacks seemed coordinated,” said Bahar Ahmed Giri, a student of pharmacy. Though no one suffered serious injuries, students are upset with the university administration for failing to protect them and have demanded the arrest of the offenders. They were beaten up for no reason, Giri said. “They hurled abuses, called us terrorists and said we throw stones at the army. They told us to go back to Kashmir and threatened that they won’t let us study here,” he said. Police have registered an FIR against two unknown people for causing hurt but gave a different version of events. Two Kashmiri students had an argument with two motorcycle-borne men in the market over giving way, local station house officer Dinesh said. “The two men hit the students and the students, too, retaliated,” he said. The university, too, backed police’s version. “A little scuffle happened between the students and the outsiders. There is nothing serious,” university director Harish Gurnani said. The locals even reached the hospital where students were being treated and abused them in the presence of police, Waseem Khan, who studies computer science, said. “Police did not do anything. They say that the locals did not harm us. Will they act when the locals kill one or two of us?” he said. In March 2016, four Kashmiri students were beaten up over rumours of beef being cooked in the university hostel. The following month, some Kashmiri students got into a scuffle with another group over India’s loss to West Indies in the T20 cricket world cup. Sixteen K
    vor 7 Jahren von @prophe
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    The Department of English at University of Liberal Arts Bangladesh (ULAB) organises its Inter-University Students’ Conference and Cultural Competition for the third time. The two-day event began today at the ULAB auditorium commemorating the 200th death anniversary of British novelist Jane Austen and will end tomorrow, April 22, 2017, according to a release. The event is featuring students’ paper presentations on the first day and cultural competition on the second day. Students from 14 public and private universities, including Dhaka University, North South University, BRAC University, East West University, and ULAB, are participating in the event. Professor Fakrul Alam of Dhaka University, Professor Kamaluddin Ahmed of Chittagong University and Professor Mobasshera Khanam of National University were the judges of the academic papers on the first day of the event. Renowned actress Suborna Mustafa and Professor Sudip Chakraborty of Theatre and Performance Studies department of Dhaka University will be the judges of the cultural competition to be held on the second day of the event. Professor Emeritus Serajul Islam Chowdhury of Dhaka University attended the opening ceremony of the programme as the chief guest, while the Country Director of British Council Barbara Wickham will be attending the closing ceremony as the chief guest, the release read.
    vor 7 Jahren von @prophe
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    The national tone of public criticism of higher education has sharpened recently. Many in both the public and private sectors are questioning the cost of higher education, and others are questioning its value. We are being exposed through all forms of media to predominantly negative stories about higher education. As one whose life was transformed by my collegiate experience, and now as a college president, I am a bold and proud apologist for higher education, its value and its necessity to the future of our country and the global economy. With deference to a 2017 report from the Association of Governing Boards entitled “The Business of Higher Education,” I share some facts about the economic benefits of higher education. A generation ago, a high school graduate earned 77 percent of what a college graduate earned. Today, for millennials, high school graduates will earn 66 percent of their college graduate neighbors. Over a lifetime, that is well over $1 million in additional earning for the college graduate, making the financial value proposition a good one. However, beyond earning potential, the recent study cited other equally important benefits for college graduates: “Higher education…efficiently creates human capital that improves communities and contributes to the economic well-being of the nation over the course of graduates’ entire lives. College graduates enjoy better health, longer lives, and greater degrees of individual and professional satisfaction. … They also use the skills learned in college to foster democracy and human rights, as well as to accelerate technological advancement.” We have witnessed recent debate within the West Virginia state legislature, as well as in many other state legislatures, concerning appropriations for public higher education. I am a supporter of both a robust public and private higher education sector, and recognize through empirical research, that investing public funds in all types of education is prudent and wise. I offer food for thought concerning the value
    vor 7 Jahren von @prophe
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    Over the years I have seen many retirement plans ruined, simply because substantial amounts of investment dollars, originally allocated for retirement, were used to pay for college education. This selfless act of support can create a long-term problem for the retiree. However, it is not the act of paying for the education that is at issue but rather how and when you choose to pay is what needs to be explored. First, let's take a look at general college costs; according to collegedata.com the average cost of tuition and fees for the 2016–2017 school year was $9,650 for state residents at public colleges, $24,930 for out-of-state residents attending public universities and for those in private colleges the average was a whopping $33,480 a year. Add to that room and board, books and supplies, ancillary living expenses and possible travel costs needed for either the student or family members throughout a school year, and you have a hefty draw down of savings. –– ADVERTISEMENT –– Read: How to get into an Ivy League school — by someone who got into 6 of them For many, that lump sum draw down, each year over four years — potentially four plus years — will create significant, irreplaceable, long-term loss of reserves needed to support your future, ongoing monthly retirement income. To avoid diminishing your retirement savings or general investment accounts, be creative; explore the various options that may be available to pay for college. With that said, here are a few suggestions intended to help support higher education needs and at the same time designed to help keep your retirement savings intact: • Plan to have your child apply for scholarships. Discuss with your child, early on, what is required to be granted a scholarship. Visit with a school counselor to get information on the qualifying rules and learn what types of scholarships and student aid may be available. Remember; it is cheaper to pay for a summer tutor to help your child strengthen a subject they are weak in, than it is to forfeit a
    vor 7 Jahren von @prophe
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    A recent development in New York State, called the Excelsior Scholarship, will make state schools free to attend for residents of the state. This is completely unfair for many reasons, as any college that is funded by the state of New York will now have free education for most people living in the state. This, of course, does come with some restrictions, the first being that the amount of money that your family brings in every year must be under $100,000 (this is expected to go up to $125,000 in three years) to qualify for free education. The median household income in New York State is just under $61,000 in 2016. This would mean that most people living in the state will qualify for this “Excelsior Scholarship.” Family income is not the only requirement to receive free tuition to a SUNY school—there are numerous others. There is a responsibility to cover all costs outside of tuition, including room and board and meal plans. The only part that gets paid for under this scholarship is the tuition to attend the school. To receive this scholarship, the student must attend the school as a full-time student and average 30 credits a year. In addition to that, the student must maintain a certain GPA that the state deems to be “successful” to keep the scholarship. The student is also not allowed to be an employee of the state during the period they are attending college and receiving the Excelsior Scholarship. After graduation, any student who received the Excelsior Scholarship must remain in the state for the same number of years that they attended the college. This means that if one goes for a four-year degree and receives this scholarship, one must plan on his/her first job being in state for at least four years. If the student leaves the state, he/she are required to pay the tuition he/she had received for free. I know that because of the free tuition, going to a SUNY school is pretty alluring. A lot of people I have spoken to are already considering switching over to a SUNY school from their private institution, b
    vor 7 Jahren von @prophe
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    Separate studies into how the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education (PASSHE) operates and what cost-savings can be found amid dropping enrollments could have significant implications for our own Lock Haven University. The PASSHE board has hired the nonprofit National Center for Higher Education Management Systems (NCHEMS) of Boulder, Colo., for a maximum cost of $400,000, to assess the system and its 14 state-run universities, including Lock Haven. The state Senate this week ordered a similar study that tasks the Legislative Budget and Finance Committee to finalize a review by Dec. 1. Combined enrollment at the 14 schools — Lock Haven, Bloomsburg, California, Cheyney, Clarion, East Stroudsburg, Edinboro, Indiana, Kutztown, Mansfield, Millersville, Shippensburg, Slippery Rock and West Chester universities — has dropped by 12 percent to nearly 105,000 since peaking in 2010. As a result, some things have to give. The already deficit-ridden state government cannot afford to give the state system the additional $61 million it is requesting to maintain programs and facilities. At the same time, PASSHE says it’s operating on state funding levels that mirror 1999. Whether two studies are needed is another question, though state Sen. Dave Argall, R-Schuylkill County, who sponsored the resolution calling for the Senate study, said he considers it necessary to do an outside study of the system because “there are always some concerns when a system studies itself as to how independent, no matter how hard they try, their study may be.” In its nearly 50 years of studying higher education, the nonprofit NCHEMS has recommended public universities closing or merging in other states due to falling enrollment, rising costs, reduced state funding and duplication of services and degree programs, the nonprofit’s vice president Patrick Kelly told The (Allentown) Morning Call newspaper (www.mcall.com) this week. But politics, he said, often trumps recommendations and schools stay open. “The reality is the mergers, conso
    vor 7 Jahren von @prophe
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    The state has 11 of the schools, and a hearing is scheduled for Monday on a bill requiring annual reviews of them by the State Board of Education. AUGUSTA — A new report finds students at for-profit colleges in Maine carry much heavier debt loads than those at public and private nonprofit colleges in the state. The non-partisan Center for Responsible Lending says the debt burden falls on low-income, female and minority students who disproportionately enroll at Maine for-profit schools. About 75 percent of students at such institutions take on student loans, compared with 66 percent and 41 percent, respectively, at private and public institutions. Meanwhile, 76 percent of students are women and 8 percent are African-American. The report found 60 percent of students received federal Pell Grants, which are awarded to those with low incomes. “One of the things we see consistently across the board: Students who attend for-profit colleges are burdened more by debt,” said Whitney Barkley-Denney, legislative policy counsel for the nonprofit organization. Maine’s student borrowing figures closely track national data. In the 2011-2012 school year, 73 percent of students at for-profit colleges took out loans, according to the Brookings Institution. Career Education Colleges and Universities, the for-profit higher education sector’s primary trade association, didn’t respond to requests for comment. Several for-profit schools have been the subject of state and federal investigations in recent years and faced lawsuits alleging deception in advertising and recruiting tactics. The industry has declined since rising from 650,000 students in 2000 to 2.5 million students in 2010, and several have closed down, leaving students with debt. In January, federal officials said hundreds of programs at for-profit colleges are at risk of losing federal funding unless their graduates start earning better wages. However, Education Secretary Betsy DeVos has said she would take another look at the so-called “gainful employment” federal r
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    It was big news when outstanding student loan debt surpassed credit card debt and then later exceeded $1 trillion for the first time. That shocking statistic keeps climbing, with no sign of slowing down: Americans now have more than $1.4 trillion in unpaid education debt, according to the Federal Reserve. Meanwhile, college-bound kids and their families try to avoid going into debt by heeding advice like "save more," "apply for scholarships" or "go to a cheaper school." Of course, none of those address the major issue of rising costs that have far outpaced wage growth. It's smart to avoid student loan debt if you can, because those loans affect your credit and your financial future. (You can see how much by checking your free credit scores on Credit.com.) However, strategically choosing a school isn't quite as straightforward as comparing tuition and fees. One thing you can do is check out an institution's net price calculator, which should be on its website, to see how much a student like you would pay after grants and scholarships. Another thing you can do is look at how much student loan debt recent grads ended up with. (You can read more about options for repaying your student loans here.) Where Is Student Loan Debt the Lowest? The response to that question is a little trickier to figure out, but organizations like The Institute for College Access & Success (TICAS) have compiled such data to help. According to their Project on Student Debt, 68% of 2015 bachelor's degree recipients graduated with student loan debt. The average was $30,100 per borrower. TICAS put together their project based on student loan debt figures from the "Common Data Set," a survey of colleges used by college-guide publishers. The colleges voluntarily self report their data, which presents problems. "Colleges that accurately calculate and report each year's debt figures rightfully complain that other colleges may have students with higher average debt but fail to update their figures, under-report actual debt levels, or never re
    vor 7 Jahren von @prophe
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    Pack your bags, Mules. Colby College is promising that, beginning in the fall, every student will be able to study abroad, regardless of income, under a new program made possible by a $25 million gift from a wealthy alumnus. Colby, home to 1,800 students in Waterville, Maine, says it is the first liberal arts college in the country to eliminate the financial barriers to international travel, to ensure that every student gains experience overseas during their undergraduate years. The program, announced Wednesday, will allow students at Colby — whose mascot is the Mule — to travel for work, study-abroad programs, internships, or research. David A. Greene, the private school’s president, said the goal is to make international education accessible to students whose parents may not have connections to internships in foreign corporations or be able to afford an airline ticket and a Eurail pass for a summer of sightseeing in European capitals. The program, which is being funded by Andrew Davis, an investor who graduated from Colby in 1985, will pay for airfare, housing, meals, and stipends to allow students to take unpaid internships, a luxury often available only to higher-income families. “What we’re trying to do is make sure these experiences are universal when students come to Colby, no matter your ability to pay or your own personal network,” Greene said. Currently, 70 percent of Colby students study abroad. Still, the fact that the benefit is being offered to students at an elite New England college like Colby underscores how study-abroad experiences are still out of reach for most college students. Nationally, only 10 percent of American undergraduates, including community college students, study overseas by the time they graduate, according to the Institute of International Education. Mark Farmer, director of higher education and public policy at the Association of International Educators, said it was encouraging to see a private donor at Colby support study-abroad efforts at a time when
    vor 7 Jahren von @prophe
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    Educators have called on the government to pay more attention to research as only 10 Thai universities made it on the Times Higher Education top 300 Asia University Rankings this year, and six out of the universities' rankings slipped from last year.
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    You can now study Mechatronics (a combination of mechanical and electrical engineering) at the private TeamLease University in Baroda. ITM Skills Academy now has a year-long postgraduate programme in Aadhar housing finance. Liberal Arts subjects are compulsory if you’re doing a BTech or BBA at the Great Lakes International University, Sri City. Free to frame their own course structures and syllabi, private universities are thinking out of the box, offering courses and combinations that are based on today’s industry needs rather than on templates set in the 1990s. This means niche specialisations, tie-ups with industry for apprenticeships and updated subject pairings. “Interacting with Indian engineers abroad, I learned that they cannot socialise and adapt to different cultures as well as they should be able to, because there is a huge gap in their knowledge of cultural binders such as art and films and often a lack of ability to communicate as well,” says Parag Diwan, founder and chancellor of GLIU. “So we have made it compulsory for tech and management students to take at least eight courses in liberal arts subjects such as art appreciation and film appreciation throughout the four-year course tenure.” There’s a realisation that the ‘one size fits all’ approach doesn’t work anymore, says educational entrepreneur Sudhanshu Sinhal, founder of the Sinhal coaching classes. “Students too want their learning experience to fit their lifestyle; it must be relevant, collaborative, personalised, engaging, and accessible.” For private universities, this kind of innovation on campus is easier because they are not governed by authorities that resist change, adds Dhiraj Mathur, partner (Education) at PwC India. “They also have better interaction with industry and are funded well, so they are able to provide personalised, tailor-made courses — at a cost, of course.” For students who can afford it, this is good news. Parth Shah, 23, for instance, says he picked mechatronics at TeamLease because he was excited by the c
    vor 7 Jahren von @prophe
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    “Interacting with Indian engineers abroad, I learned that they cannot socialise and adapt to different cultures as well as they should be able to, because there is a huge gap in their knowledge of cultural binders such as art and films and often a lack of ability to communicate as well,” says Parag Diwan, founder and chancellor of GLIU. “So we have made it compulsory for tech and management students to take at least eight courses in liberal arts subjects such as art appreciation and film appreciation throughout the four-year course tenure.” There’s a realisation that the ‘one size fits all’ approach doesn’t work anymore, says educational entrepreneur Sudhanshu Sinhal, founder of the Sinhal coaching classes. “Students too want their learning experience to fit their lifestyle; it must be relevant, collaborative, personalised, engaging, and accessible.” For private universities, this kind of innovation on campus is easier because they are not governed by authorities that resist change, adds Dhiraj Mathur, partner (Education) at PwC India. “They also have better interaction with industry and are funded well, so they are able to provide personalised, tailor-made courses — at a cost, of course.” For students who can afford it, this is good news. Parth Shah, 23, for instance, says he picked mechatronics at TeamLease because he was excited by the content and wants a career in automation engineering. “I like the fact that the university has an industry-first approach to teaching,” he adds. “You can opt to work as an apprentice through the entire duration of the course. I opted for a six-month long internship in place of Semester 5, where I applied what I had learned in my first four semesters.”
    vor 7 Jahren von @prophe
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    CHANDIGARH: The Punjab government has decided to scrap the contentious Khalsa University Act that the previous Shiromani Akali Dal-BJP government had passed in September last year, just before assembly elections. The Act allowed Khalsa College Charitable Society, run by Satyajit Singh Majithia, father-in-law of former deputy chief minister Sukhbir Badal, to carve out a private university from the land belonging to the 125-year-old Khalsa College in Amritsar. The decision was taken at Wednesday's cabinet meeting chaired by chief minister Captain Amarinder Singh. . . This is Amarinder's third big decision overturning the previous government's pronouncements. He had first cancelled permits to a number of private bus companies, including those owned by Sukhbir. He had also removed halqa in-charges and ordered a third-party probe into the alleged Rs 12,000-crore foodgrain scam. . . According to Wednesday's cabinet note, the government will repeal the Act through an ordinance. The note cited four reasons for not letting a private university come up on the land including "damage to character and loss of heritage status of 125-year-old institution". . . "The Khalsa University (Repeal) Ordinance, 2017 aims to repeal the Khalas University Act, 2016 with a view to protect the heritage character of Khalsa College, Amritsar. The Khalsa College, Amritsar has over a period of time become a significant icon of Khalsa heritage and the decision for the university taken in 2016 is likely to shadow and damage its character and pristine glory," the note states. .
    vor 7 Jahren von @prophe
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    Lynn University will hold the ground breaking for its $35 million student center on Thursday, April 20. The 65,000-square-foot project will be the largest ever undertaken by the non-profit university in Boca Raton. The ceremony will start at 11 a.m. at 3601 N. Military Trail. The event is by invitation only. Lynn University received a $15 million challenge grant for the project from Christine E. Lynn, who owns a local insurance business. It has named the student center after her.
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    OSKALOOSA — William Penn University, like many other private colleges in the state, continues to find unique ways to attract Iowa students. They’ve invested in their curriculum, made the programs more flexible with daytime, evening and nontraditional classes and focused on developing the campus culture to be a meaningful, purposeful experience. To celebrate William Penn University’s legacy of educational opportunities, they’re offering a new scholarship to Iowa high school seniors enrolling in traditional coursework at the Oskaloosa campus. If eligible, the student will pay $5,000 or less for tuition for the 2017-18 school year.
    vor 7 Jahren von @prophe
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    HARRISBURG – This may be a growing trend in Pennsylvania: private colleges and universities are doing something to bring back students and families scared away by the sky-high cost of higher education. In some cases, tuition plus room and board can cost $50,000, $60,000, even $70,000 a year. As a result, enrollment is down. “Sticker shock is an issue. In fact, some research suggests 60 percent of parents and students will rule out a school based on just the price,” said Don Francis of the Association of Independent Colleges and Universities of Pennsylvania. To get students back on campus, private schools are either slashing or freezing tuition. Immaculata University near Philadelphia is reducing tuition from $34,400 to $26,500 a year. At LaSalle, tuition is down from $40,400 to $28,800, and Rosemont College on the Main Line reduced tuition to $18,500 from $31,500. Rosemont also knocked $1,900 off room and board. Other schools like Harrisburg University of Science and Technology, Manor College, Wilson College in Chambersburg, and the Pennsylvania Institute of Technology have decided to freeze tuition. It appears to be working. Many of the schools report enrollment numbers are going up. After Rosemont cut tuition and room and board, applications soared by 64 percent and actual enrollment jumped by nearly 15 percent. The AICUP also launched the “Just Apply” campaign. The message: students just don’t know what the college will offer unless they apply. “Many students will discover if they apply to private institutions that institution will cost maybe less, maybe the same, and maybe slightly more than a public institution,” Francis said.
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    While very few people study poetry or classics to get rich, studying the humanities has a big financial payoff at a surprising array of colleges, a new analysis of college grads’ earnings has found. Of course, students who major in engineering, economics, business or computer science at the best schools tend to have the highest financial return on their tuition investments, according to new salary data collected by PayScale.com. But liberal arts and other humanities majors at 16 schools have, on average, earned at least $500,000 more than they paid for school and the typical earnings of someone who did not attend college, PayScale said. Humanities majors at 245 colleges have typically earned at least $200,000 more than they spent on college within 20 years of graduation, PayScale found. Leading the pack: Yale. PayScale estimates that Yalies who receive financial aid pay a total of only about $80,000 for their four-year degrees. And, on average, people whose education stopped at high school earn about $30,000 a year. Yale humanities majors report earning about $80,000 a year, on average. So 20 years out, Yalies have earned a total of about $1.6 million, which puts them a total of $812,000 ahead of high-school grads - even after subtracting the cost of school. Making these numbers even more impressive: they’re only for students who finished their education with a bachelor’s. They don’t count, for example, history majors who went on to earn law degrees or M.B.As. Ivy League colleges, which offer generous aid and thus have low costs for middle class families, tend to have among the highest “return on investment” for humanities and many other majors, PayScale found. But many more accessible colleges also paid off well: Wabash College, a private men’s college in Crawfordsville, Ind. that accepts 61% of applicants, ranked in the top 20 for financial return for a humanities degree. After 20 years, the typical Wabash humanities grad had earned a financial return of about $500,000. San Jose State University, had one
    vor 7 Jahren von @prophe
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    How much would you say it costs to attend a top private college like Dartmouth or Pomona for one year? I’m guessing that the first number that pops into your mind is quite large, like $60,000. For most Americans, that’s the wrong answer — and it’s wrong by a lot. The list-price tuition at these college does indeed run so high, but just a small slice of the population pays the list price. Typically, only families earning at least $200,000 a year fail to qualify for financial aid. For families with middle-class incomes, highly selective colleges are much, much less expensive. The widespread misimpression about the cost of college causes real damage. It leads many middle-class and lower-income families to believe, incorrectly, that college is unaffordable. When they respond by discouraging their child from attending or finishing college, they hurt the child’s long-term economic prospects. Today, a new online calculator is launching, and it’s designed to combat misimpression with fact. It’s also highly useful, for families up and down the income spectrum. The calculator is a joint effort of 15 colleges, including Dartmouth, Pomona, Columbia, Williams, Wellesley, Rice and Colorado College. You use it anonymously, and you answer about six quick questions about your finances, such as your annual income and home ownership status. With just a minute or two of work, you can get an estimate of how much college will really cost. As an example, I entered data for what would be a pretty normal American family: a homeowner with $75,000 in income and some savings. I selected Rice as the college. The calculator estimated that this family would have to spend $18,500 a year while receiving a $42,900 scholarship. That cost is still significant, and I wish our country made college less expensive. But for the great majority of students, a Rice education is still worth a lot more than $18,500 a year. College graduates are much more likely to be employed, to earn more and to be happy and healthy than non-graduates, and much of th
    vor 7 Jahren von @prophe
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    For too many Americans, the rising costs of college are putting higher education out of reach. This comes at a time when a postsecondary degree is almost mandatory for earning a middle-class living. In New York alone, 70% of jobs require a college degree, but only about 46% of adult New Yorkers have one. We must close that gap. Last week, Gov. Cuomo made history when he signed into law a first-in-the-nation policy to cover tuition at all public colleges and universities in the state. In allowing students from families making up to $125,000 a year to attend SUNY and CUNY two- and four-year schools tuition-free, the Excelsior Scholarship promises to transform the lives of thousands of students and countless more potential students. Historically, such groundbreaking programs face initial criticism. In the 19th and early 20th centuries, there was resistance to compulsory education. In the 1960s, the American Medical Association warned that Medicaid would destroy quality health care.
    vor 7 Jahren von @prophe
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    Student debt is a personal challenge for more than 44 million Americans, but a lucrative business opportunity to the firms that manage the more than $1 trillion now outstanding. With a delinquency rate currently exceeding 11 percent, some see student loans as a major risk to the U.S. economy, one rivaling the mortgage loan market that crashed in 2007. There has also been widespread concern about the effects of college debt on the lives of individual students “what authorities describe as systematic mistreatment of borrowers.” Because these loans are guaranteed or are made directly by the federal government, the U.S. Department of Education is responsible for managing this complex system and balancing the competing interests of the various stakeholders. Last week, Education Secretary Elizabeth DeVos took action to reverse the course she inherited from the prior administration. In 2015, President Obama announced his Student Aid Bill of Rights, which aimed both to create a more efficient loan management system and to “reduce student loan defaults and encourage borrower success.” In recognizing the needs of borrowers, it sought to more fairly balance the interests of individual borrowers with those of the federal government and those doing business managing the debt under government contract. Two policy directives from the Obama administration’s Department of Education, which Bloomberg News described as directing the Federal Student Aid office to “do more to help borrowers manage, or even discharge, their debt,” were cancelled. The Obama administration sought to balance the interests of those taking out student loans and the business interests of the private firms contracted to service and collect these debts. Ideally, by taking borrowers’ interests into account, the amount of unpaid debt would be decreased, as would the cost to the federal government, and the harmful effect of predatory practices could be lessened. In her memo to the FSA, Secretary DeVos showed that efficient repayment was the singular goal of her
    vor 7 Jahren von @prophe
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    Private colleges across New York state are calculating their next steps in light of the state’s new Excelsior Scholarship program, which will provide free tuition for low- and middle-income families at public colleges but private college leaders warn could have devastating effects on their institutions. “The fundamental landscape of higher education in New York state just changed,” said St. Bonaventure University interim President Dr. Andrew Roth. “We’ll have to think about how exactly we respond to do that.” The plan has been a talking point for leaders of the state’s 150 private colleges since Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced it in January, and is now a reality after its passage with the state budget earlier this month. Private college presidents, including those of local institutions, say the program could hurt their enrollment by attracting more students to public schools with the promise of free tuition. They say weakening of private colleges, often the focal point of small towns throughout the state, could have economic consequences. Free tuition even has some schools re-examining private colleges’ long-standing high-tuition, high-aid model — the practice of charging a high list price while also providing a large discount through financial aid. “Certainly the idea of free tuition is such a powerful sound bite,” said Houghton College President Dr. Shirley Mullen. “I think it does pose a threat, at least in the short run, for the well being of these institutions.” Privates preferred TAP increase The Excelsior Scholarship program will make SUNY and CUNY schools tuition-free this fall for students whose families earn less than $100,000. That number will rise to $125,000 in 2019. However, there are several requirements, including that students remain full-time with at least 30 credits a year and maintain a minimum grade point average. Students will also have to live and work in New York for as many years as they received free tuition, or the scholarship becomes a loan. “I have to commend the gover
    vor 7 Jahren von @prophe
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    States could save money and increase college-graduation rates by providing modest financial incentives for students to choose private colleges over comparable public ones, according to a report released this week. The conclusion, which was quickly disputed by a group representing public colleges, comes at a time when a growing number of states are providing the opposite incentives. This week New York became the first state to offer free tuition at both two- and four-year public colleges for middle-class families. Other states are considering similar moves, prompting widespread concern that enrollments could plunge at some tuition-dependent private colleges that recruit heavily from their states. The report was prepared for the Council of Independent Colleges as part of its efforts to promote the value of the liberal arts and independent colleges. The report was distributed this week to all of the council’s members, to provide talking points when they make the case for financial support from state lawmakers, especially in states where free public-college tuition is on the agenda. It’s hardly surprising that the council, which represents more than 700 nonprofit independent colleges, would promote a report based on the argument that costs per degree are lower and graduation rates higher at private institutions. But the report’s authors, both of whom work at public universities, say it is based on a comprehensive analysis of federal data and state-specific simulations in 24 states. In all but two of those states, the proposed shift would save money, the researchers concluded. The findings were dismissed by Barmak Nassirian, director of federal relations and policy analysis for the American Association of State Colleges and Universities. "I empathize with their plight, and I don’t begrudge them their moment in the sun, if that’s what their report is, but there are lots of problems with it," he said in an interview on Thursday. "They’re trying to make the counterintuitive case that expensive schools are cheaper t
    vor 7 Jahren von @prophe
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    As financial difficulties take their toll, more mergers like that between UCL and the Institute of Education look inevitable – or will private equity firms step in? hen academics at the Institute of Education were told that they would be merging with University College London, they were assured it would boost their profile. The IoE was already ranked as world-leading in education. But in a climate of squeezed research funding and highly competitive student recruitment, the merger was seen as a sensible move by many in the sector, who felt that smaller institutions might be at risk. The alliance crowned UCL as the biggest university in London, with more than 35,000 students, and the largest postgraduate institution in Britain. But two years on, angry educationists say they are underpaid and undervalued in their new institution. Last month John Yandell, president of the IoE branch of the University and College Union, delivered a petition signed by 1,000 staff and students to UCL’s provost, Michael Arthur, calling for a rise in London weighting to match their UCL counterparts – IoE academics claim they are paid £600 less. He believes members struggle to cope with the high rent, mortgage and travel costs of living in the capital. But he isn’t optimistic about their chances of being heard. With some modern universities suffering declines of up to 25% in student numbers, experts say an increase in university mergers is inevitable. “The main driver will be that some institutions will become financially unsustainable – if they aren’t already,” says Prof Roger Brown, former vice-chancellor of Southampton Solent University. Glynne Stanfield, head of the international higher education practice at law firm Eversheds, who has advised on several university mergers, says lower-ranking institutions that are not meeting student-number targets may well look for a partner. But he argues another likely scenario is that struggling universities may be taken over by private sector players waiting in the wings. “Would the private s
    vor 7 Jahren von @prophe
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    JINAN, April 13 (Xinhua) -- The ruling Communist Party of China (CPC) piloted a program in Shandong Province by sending cadres to occupy senior positions in private universities to overhaul weak party building and ideological work. Unlike public universities, private schools generally do not have Party chiefs at the core of management, or any strong Party organizations. In the first part of the program, five cadres were assigned to head Party committees of Qilu Institute of Technology, Qingdao University of Technology and three other schools, according to the higher education commission under the CPC Shandong provincial committee. The cadres, all former Party chiefs or deputy chiefs in public universities, are to serve four years in their new posts. A second batch will be sent later this year, and all 40 private universities in the province will have Party chiefs by 2018. The authorities said the priority of these cadres was to improve party building and ideological and political work in private higher learning institutions. About 368,000 students study in Shandong's private universities. Huang Qi, deputy director of the higher education commission of CPC Shandong provincial committee, said the measure aimed to introduce the successful experience of public universities in party building and ideological and political work to private ones. He said unignorable problems existed in private universities' ideological education: there were not enough Party cells; supervision of the Party was sometimes loose; and ideological education remained weak. China's central leadership heightened the importance of college student political education in a high-profile meeting last year. The leadership pointed out that higher education must be guided by Marxism, and the Party's policies in education must be fully carried out. Students should be educated to be aware of the development trends of China and the world at large and should develop firm beliefs and confidence in communist ideals and socialism with Chinese character
    vor 7 Jahren von @prophe
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    Universities are caught in a privatization trap that they built themselves and that will be difficult to take apart, argues Christopher Newfield. This country’s public universities face the Trump administration in a weakened condition. That is partly because they have suffered years of state funding cuts and still aren’t back to pre-2008 levels. But it’s also because they have long embraced a private-funding model that doesn’t work and whose weaknesses Trump and his people can exploit. A painful example is the proposed 18 percent cut to the National Institutes of Health, which Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price has contended would not hurt research, as it would mostly focus on cutting back on overhead expenses to universities. An 18 percent budget slash sounds catastrophic -- until you remember that companies take these kinds of hits and survive. So do American families, where illness or job loss lead to cuts far greater than that. The same goes for public universities: few have not had a cut on that scale sometime in the past 25 years, and still fewer have admitted that such losses hurt educational quality. Since universities survived the financial crisis with little damage -- that they have disclosed -- what would keep the citizenry awake at night about an 18 percent cut for medical research? Research directors reply that it would be terrible indeed: National Science Foundation Director France Cordova, for example, has said the proposed cuts endanger the economy, since “half of our present GDP is due to investments in science and technology.” Researchers have noted that the current funding austerity already appears in the form of the declining average success rate for grant applications, which has been cut nearly in half since 2001, from 27 percent to 16 percent. Four in five applications go unfunded, with presumably valuable results to medical knowledge possibly lost. Such arguments might work if voters thought science needed public funding to get to the public. But the unfortunate fact is that
    vor 7 Jahren von @prophe
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    Private universities and colleges have an important role in the massive expansion of higher education in India in the last two decades. According to latest official statistics, there are 777 universities in India. Of these around 261 are private universities. Among the 38498 colleges, more than 77% are in the private sector. They cater to 67% of the total higher education enrolment in the country. However, not enough discussions are happening in the country about the status and role, especially the social impact, of these institutions. Recently, Pritam Singh, former director of the prestigious public business school Indian Institute of Management Lucknow, made an important observation about the state of private business schools in India: While certain private institutes have managed to break away from the stereotypes attached and emerged as quality Institutes, there are still several problems plaguing the private sector today. The most important one is that owners of private colleges consider them to be businesses rather than educational institutes. More importance is put on infrastructure rather than research work and the quality of faculty is bad. Quality faculty is not willing to take up such jobs because such institutes don’t pay well or give their teachers autonomy and freedom for research. Similarly, eminent Indian journalist T.J.S George had recently brought the pathetic state of certain private professional institutions in the country into public attention through his weekly column in the Indian Express. He questioned not only the commercialisation of education but also the institutional culture in private institutions by citing a recent incident happened in South India in which the chairman of an engineering college was hacked to death by a gang armed with sickles. This brutal incident was the culmination of a long-running gang war. George raised a very pertinent question in his column: what have people of this kind got to do with colleges of engineering and stuff? In India, the majority of private
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    Purdue University’s plan to buy for-profit Kaplan University to expand its reach is the latest twist on an old idea: boost enrollment by attracting students online.
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    Granting autonomy to colleges will ensure that the public good that is higher education, will become a private business. ‘Autonomy’ is the new buzzword echoing in the halls of higher education today. The word conveys high and cherished ideals like independence, freedom, self-reliance, self-determination – all of which are now being invoked, by various authorities, inside and outside the government, to rationalise and justify the newfound urgency with which a select few colleges are being ‘invited’ to ‘apply’ for autonomy. Why then has this become controversial? For one, the University Grants Commission (UGC) in its ‘Guidelines for Autonomous Colleges During the XII Plan‘ (2012) had stipulated that only colleges that were awarded a least a B-Grade by the National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC), three times, over at least ten years could be considered for autonomy. It had also stipulated that the staff of the college should be ‘involved in the thinking and planning processes from the very beginning’. None of this has happened, but ‘autonomy’ has now become a juggernaut, barrelling on, unstoppably. The ‘autonomy’ that is being planned will benefit only the various private trusts that now ‘manage’ the colleges in question – not the faculty, nor the non-teaching staff, nor the students, and certainly not their parents. The terms of autonomy are such that the administrative and financial powers and control of the private trusts will subsequently increase dramatically, de facto, and possibly de jure. The checks and balances that exist by virtue of being affiliated to the university will gradually disappear completely. For instance, faculty service conditions: these are supposed to remain unchanged but, in real terms, the obligation of the trusts to honour these conditions is greatly reduced ‘post-autonomously’. Why? Because the current financial and administrative accountability of the college trusts to the university authorities will disappear completely with ‘autonomy’, and consequently, so will employ
    vor 7 Jahren von @prophe
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    NEW DELHI: As many as 122 private engineering colleges have opted for "progressive closure" since last year. Most of these colleges are in Maharasthra, Gujarat and Haryana. If a college goes for "progressive closure" in an academic year, it means the institution cannot admit students anymore. However, the students of the previous batches continue their studies till the completion of their courses. According to statistics available with the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE), the country's technical education regulator, 23 engineering colleges in Pune, Nagpur, Aurangabad, Jalgaon and Kohlapur and other areas of Maharashtra closed down during the 2016-17 session. "Failing to survive, private engineering colleges either seek progressive closure to ultimately shut down or turn into polytechnic or science and art colleges. "Since the best lot of students takes admission in prestigious colleges like IITs and NITs and other centrally funded institutions, others left in the fray settle for private colleges. The low number of enrolments make it difficult for institutions to survive," a senior AICTE official said. Fifteen engineering colleges in Gujarat, seven in Telangana, 11 in Karnataka, 12 in Uttar Pradesh, six in Punjab, 11 in Rajasthan and 13 in Haryana closed down during the period. Only one technical college from the national capital opted for closure.
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    JAIPUR: The technical education sector in the state is facing a bleak future with large number of faculty positions in the government aided engineering colleges remaining vacant which adversely affecting the quality of education in these colleges. In nine engineering colleges, out of 1,080 sanctioned posts of teaching facility, only 590 are now in existence. This means 46% of the total sanctioned post of teaching faculty is vacant. Similar, is the case with non-teaching staff. Out of the total sanctioned post of 1096 non-teaching staff, only 658 are now working while over 40 % of the sanctioned posts are lying vacant. These nine Engineering colleges in consideration are the Government Engineering College Ajmer; Government Women's Engineering College Ajmer; Government engineering college Bikaner; CET Bikaner; Government Engineering college Jhalawar; MLVT Bhilwara; MLVT Bhilwara; Government Engineering college Banswara ; Government Engineering college Bharatpur and RTU Kota. These government aided engineering colleges are generally the next preference of students after the high profile IITs and NITs as students prefer government aided colleges over private ones. The reason for this is the presence of experienced faculty. However things are not looking good for these colleges either with students preferring to migrate to reputed private colleges in the South due to the lethargy of the college administration and the government inability to put the functioning of these colleges in order. Sources in the Higher education department said these government aided engineering colleges are autonomous bodies. Each college had a board of governors and the principal of the college is the member secretary. Secretary technical education is also a member of the board of governors. He said the government role is limited to providing land, building and other infrastructure and the day today administration like faculty positions are to be decided by the college administration. They have to find money for new appointment similar to th
    vor 7 Jahren von @prophe
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    Purdue University held its first classes on its Indiana campus in 1874 and was ranked as the sixtieth best undergraduate university and twentieth best public university in US News and World Report’s most recent list. The University particularly excels in science and engineering, supplying a substantial number of NASA’s past astronauts, including Neil Armstrong. Kaplan University began offering online courses in 2003 as part of The Washington Post Company’s growing education division. Kaplan was started as a test prep company in 1938 by Stanley Kaplan. When The Washington Post was making more money than it knew what to do with, it purchased Kaplan in 1984 and grew it to an education empire that included brick and mortar campuses, an online university, international schools, and test preparation materials. By 2010, Kaplan was doing $2.9 billion in revenue, but then the landscape dramatically changed for for-profit education companies as they became accused of aggressive sales techniques and poor educational quality. Donald Graham, the Post Company’s CEO, defended for-profit institutions in his 2010 letter to shareholders, by arguing that its student population was more likely to face challenges because Kaplan was providing access to at-risk student populations, but that adjusting for these risk factors, for-profit schools were often better than their non-profit counterparts. Whether or not he was right, it became clear as time passed that he had lost the war. After the Graham sold the namesake newspaper to Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, the name of the company owning Kaplan changed to The Graham Holdings Company. The deal allows Purdue to create a separate, online university with little investment in technology and infrastructure. The University will pay Graham Holdings $1 initially, but up to 12.5% of the university’s revenues. The deal also involves 32,000 students compared to the 40,000 currently enrolled at Purdue. After the deal closes, only The University of Maryland would have more online students among publi
    vor 7 Jahren von @prophe
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    A private Catholic university in Kansas is planning to offer a support group for its LGBTQ students, using a model implemented at Notre Dame. WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Newman University, a private Catholic school in Wichita, plans to offer a group next year to support its LGBTQ students while continuing to emphasize Catholic teaching that condones sex only in marriage between a man and a woman. In response to growing interest among students to recognize the school's diversity, the university formed a committee to plan the LGBTQ group. The committee met over the summer and fall of 2016 and used a model used at Notre Dame, The Wichita Eagle reported (http://bit.ly/2oR44Ux ). The group's formation was spurred in part by a speech by Ruben Lerma at a public forum, where he discussed being gay on the Newman campus. He said he attended Newman because it offered him a full scholarship, even though he was concerned about being "that gay student." Lerma recounted overhearing Newman students saying gay people should go to hell and legalizing gay marriage would make gays want to marry animals. "I'm not the only gay person here, I'm not going to be the only gay person here, there will be more," Lerma remembers saying. "If for their sake, if not mine, you should make it more amiable, make the environment better." Lerma's speech came as interest in recognizing diversity was growing. The university has restarted the Black Student Union, added a club to support Asian students and hired a diversity coordinator last year. Newman's mission has always included concern for the dignity of all students, said spokesman Clark Shafer, but the events in 2016 raised awareness of the need to make LGBTQ students feel more welcome. Before making the "Pastoral Plan" public, Newman contacted important alumnus and donor, who approved how the group upheld the school's Catholic values, Shafer said. "The University exhorts all to hear and live the Church's teaching that 'the deliberate use of the sexual faculty, for whatever reason, outside of mar
    vor 7 Jahren von @prophe
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    CHENNAI: After a prolonged delay caused by the state government and the search committees appointed by it, now it is the turn of the Tamil Nadu governor to sit on the files pertaining to appointment of vice chancellors to three premier universities. University of Madras, Anna University and Madurai Kamaraj University . Files relating to Madras and Anna varsities have been pending in Raj Bhavan for close to a month and that of Kamaraj varsity for a week. Incidentally , nine out of 13 varsities in the state do not have full time registrars and eight of them do not have controllers of examinations. "The ball is in the governor's court," a government official said. The posts of VCs have been lying vacant in the three varsities for more than a year.While the appointments of varsity heads were mired in controversies relating to payment of bribes in the past few years, the Raj Bhavan's inaction is not helping the varsities either. Incidentally , governor C Vidyasagar Rao, who is also chancellor of all state varsities, appointed SFelix as vice-chancellor of Tamil Nadu Fisheries University 10 days ago. In the absence of VCs, the institutions are run by convener committees led by the higher education secretary . It is a fivemember panel in the Universi ty of Madras since April 21. Because of the absence of a VC, the University of Madras put off annual convocations last year, affecting higher studies of students. There was an attempt in the university to hold convocation with degrees signed by the convener committee chairman, but it was dropped following objections.The institution, insiders say , faces its worst financial crisis and is plagued by irregularities as pointed out by the government's own local audit for the year 2015-16. Much of the decision-making in the varsities involves research projects and degrees for which a board of research studies led by a VC is the backbone."Now, all research related decisions are either pending or taken on ad hoc basis," Prof G Ravindran, general secretary of Madras University Teache
    vor 7 Jahren von @prophe
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    How do you turn a for-profit college into a not-for-profit? Partner with a public university—and pay $50 million for the privilege. That’s basically what happened on Thursday, in a financial deal between the for-profit Kaplan higher-education chain and Purdue University, the flagship Indiana college run by Mitch Daniels, the state’s former governor. The arrangement may help Kaplan parent Graham Holdings Inc. shed the for-profit education sector’s tarnished reputation. Purdue—paying Graham only a symbolic $1—immediately enters the ranks of public universities expanding their reach with online degrees targeting older Americans—many of them minorities—who are unable to attend traditional schools. “We thought it would be a bad idea for us to build this on our own,” said Daniels, Purdue’s president. “We’ve seen a lot of schools throw a lot of money at online education without much result.” Under the contract, Graham will transfer Kaplan University’s online programs, as well as its 15 campuses and learning centers—with 32,000 students—to the Purdue-related non-for-profit. Kaplan will then operate them and guarantee that Purdue’s venture, for five years, receive at least $10 million a year from its revenues after expenses. After that payment, Kaplan is entitled to reimbursement for its own cost of providing services, plus a fee equal to 12.5 percent of the Purdue affiliate’s revenues. Kaplan Higher Education reported $617 in revenue last year and almost $67 million in operating income. Kaplan was once the crown jewel of Washington Post Co., as its fast-growing colleges helped support its financially struggling newspaper. In 2013, the company sold the Post to Amazon.com Inc. founder Jeff Bezos and then changed the name of the company to Graham Holdings, after the Washington family that had long controlled the paper. Donald Graham, then the Post Co. chief executive officer, is still the Graham Holdings chairman. For-profit colleges including Kaplan have seen their fortunes dim amid scrutiny from Congress and state
    vor 7 Jahren von @prophe
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    A private North Carolina college is calling on faculty and staff to sign and live in accordance with a document that opposes same-sex marriage and abortion. One faculty member says she and eight of her colleagues have refused to sign it and are leaving. MONTREAT, N.C. (AP) — A private North Carolina Christian college is insisting that its faculty and staff sign a document that opposes same-sex marriage and abortion. One faculty member says she and eight of her colleagues have refused to sign it and are leaving the school. News media outlets report that part of Montreat College's "Community Life Covenant" expects those who work there to affirm "the sanctity of marriage between one man and one woman" and the "worth of every human being from conception to death." Covenant opponents blame the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, which contributed $100,000 to the college's scholarship fund last month. The fund is led by Franklin Graham, a Montreat College alumnus and an outspoken opponent of same-sex marriage and abortion. The association has denied any role in the covenant, however. School spokesman Adam Caress told The Charlotte Observer in an email that only two faculty members — one of its 39 full-time faculty and one of its 142 adjunct faculty — have cited the school's "core documents," including the covenant, as the reason they will not return to the school after this semester. Caress said Montreat College spent the past 2 1/2 years "reviewing and revising" those core documents in a "transparent and deliberative process" that included 13 "listening sessions," during which the school heard and responded to the concerns of faculty, staff, and alumni. Corrie Greene, an English teacher at the school who also directs its writing center, said the document doesn't just pertain to what faculty do and say in the classroom and on campus. She is among the nine faculty members who said they won't be returning. "It says we must affirm and uphold the college's specific spiritual stances in our full 24 hour/seven-day-a
    vor 7 Jahren von @prophe
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    A private college in Minnesota has denied the request of a student to create a rifle club because it goes against the school and its partner church's stance on gun control.
    vor 7 Jahren von @prophe
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