Let’s be honest: Does anyone really enjoy taking Pre-Calculus in college? Or Economics I or Accounting I, for that matter? I well remember sitting through these less-than-fun general education courses and wondering, “Why am I paying A LOT OF MONEY to be subjected to this?”

Fortunately, Pre-Calculus despisers like me can now rest a bit easier - the dreaded gen ed may be here to stay, but there’s a new way to avoid some of its (financial) pain. continue reading

I am very pleased that my most recent book, “Harnessing America’s Wasted Talent: A New Ecology of Learning” (Jossey-Bass, Jan, 2010) was published in January. Writing the book has been a journey for me: changing me in the writing and changing the book as a result of the intellectual ferment created. I have come to understand this technological revolution as more  than a set of linked events with a cumulative widespread impact on almost every facet of our lives. Indeed, I now understand it as a new ecology, a new environment for information and intellectual activity which cannot be controlled by existing hierarchical structures, such as universities and governments. continue reading

I am excited and pleased today because I am holding my new book, Harnessing America’s Wasted Talent: A New Ecology of Learning (Jossey-Bass, Jan. 2010), in my hands. It lives up to its title, I think, describing how our technology-rich environment, populated with platforms, networks, social sites, and downloads, makes possible a level of access and completion in higher education that has been unattainable up to this point. I illustrate this point with a number of examples. Primary among them is being able to self-assess your experiential learning and then, if you wish, get it reviewed formally for academic credit , all on-line. continue reading

I am sitting at the opening session of the Kaplan University Faculty Retreat in Miami, a biannual event that precedes KU’s graduation ceremonies, listening to my colleague and fellow Rethinking Higher Education blogger Peter Smith talking about his new book, Harnessing America’s Wasted Talent. I am proud to be his colleague and his friend. continue reading

Yesterday (December 9), Public Agenda released With Their Whole Lives Ahead of Them, a report funded in part by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, which explores the reasons why college students drop out prior to completing their studies and earning their degrees. There is an interesting YouTube companion piece that presents some personal stories that reflect the report’s themes. continue reading

I take strong exception to the tone and the substance of Samantha Stainburn’s article, “Promises, Promises” in the New York times Education Life Section. Market-driven higher education is big, growing, and substantively different from the traditional model of higher education. These are all reasons for people who have been traditionally educated. or who work in and around traditional higher education, to be critical. After all, there is a reason why traditional higher education has resisted change more effectively than any other sector over the years!
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What’s the world coming to when Harvard upperclass students can no longer get a hot breakfast in their dorms? “Students generally feel that if you come to Harvard, for what you’re paying, you should probably have the right to a hot breakfast,” says the President of Harvard Undergraduate Council. Students, she continues, want to “preserve the things that are at Harvard that you can’t get anywhere else.” Further, the Taekwondo club must now share space and practice time with the Crimson Dance Team. “OMG,” to borrow a phrase from the net. continue reading

As a former community college founder and president, I share Jill Biden’s passionate advocacy for community college students and the institutions that serve them. If we are committed to successfully serving marginalized learners, doubling our graduation rates, and strengthening our workforce, community colleges are an essential part of the solution. continue reading

In prior posts, I’ve highlighted several reasons why access to higher education in the US is shrinking.  The ranking system used by the US News and World Report magazine contributes to this problem in two ways.  It rewards universities for being selective and for higher spending.   Following are the ranking criteria and the weighting for master’s universities and baccalaureate colleges. 

Peer Assessment                             25%

Student Selectivity                           15%

Faculty Resources                            20%

Graduation and Retention               25%

Financial Resources                         10%

Alumni Giving                                    5%

Fewer Students - Student Selectivity is based on the percentage of students who are admitted from those who apply.  In other words, the more students who are denied admission, the higher the ranking.  Graduation and Retention is based on the percentage of freshmen who return and the percentage of freshmen who graduate within six years.  Students who have strong high school grades and score well on admission tests have higher retention rates so if schools deny admission to lower scoring students, they will do better on this criterion.

More Spending-The Faculty Resources criterion is based on several factors which encourage spending such as higher faculty salaries, lower class sizes, low faculty/student ratios and higher percentages of full time faculty.  Financial Resources is based directly on expenditures per student.  The more you spend, the higher you rank. 

This ranking system encourages schools to be selective and spend as much money as possible which limits access because it encourages higher tuition.  It’s impossible to determine how institutional admission standards and budget decisions are influenced by this ranking system.  However, institutions that are highly ranked frequently cite this in their marketing materials.  Some presidents are evaluated and rewarded based on higher rankings.  A few have made headlines recently by their questionable tactics to increase rankings.  The issue of the magazine that includes the rankings is a big seller.   To the extent the rankings influence decision making, it’s bad for the country because we need more people going to college.

President Obama has sent a strong and badly needed message of philosophical and financial support for community colleges. But they, and their students, are still in deep financial trouble in many states whose economic recovery is key to the national economic recovery, including California and Florida. continue reading