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

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 vividly recall how uncomfortable I felt my first day in Budapest.  I was sponsoring a group of college students on an exchange visit there and my host had dropped me off at the dormitory where I was staying.  Being hungry, I took a walk and found a nearby restaurant.  I didn’t speak Hungarian and it was very confusing to not be able to read the menu or ask anyone for directions.  I noticed a counter with a buffet table behind it and a variety of food dishes, most of which I didn’t recognize.  Not being sure if I was supposed to sit down and order from a menu, I sat down at an empty table and just observed.  It didn’t take long to see that patrons walked past the buffet table and told the staff what they wanted and then paid for their tray of food at the end.  I desperately looked through my English-Hungarian dictionary to see if I could figure out what any of the signs meant.  Failing that, I finally got the nerve to walk through the line and point to various dishes that looked appetizing.  When it came time to pay, I handed the man at the cash register a stack of bills and hoped that he was honest.

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Anyone interested in the evolution of higher education in this country should read “Served, Yes, But Well Served?” by Doug Lederman in today’s (October 8, 2009) Inside Higher Education. Lots of good analysis and comments about the role of community colleges, traditional public and private four-year colleges, and for-profit providers of higher education. continue reading

So, I am not quite sure what to make of the “Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act,” a bill passed yesterday by the U.S. House of Representatives. The legislation - which is apparently expected to sail through the Democrat-controlled Senate and then be signed into law by President Obama - would make the federal government the sole source for federal student loans as of July 1, 2010. continue reading