While the notification date to college applicants varies dramatically depending upon the path selected for admission consideration, the notifications will largely be complete by April 1, even at the most selective schools. It’s at this point that the ball shifts to the applicant’s court. Until the notification, most of the applicant’s time, and corresponding anxieties,…

The recent decision by the Board of Trustees to close Sweet Briar College raises an important question.  Is there a better way to coordinate the findings of ratings groups to assist colleges and universities going forward? What would have happened if Sweet Briar College had worked more closely with a better educated group of internal and external…

Inside Higher Education recently released a summary of its fifth annual survey of College and University Presidents, in advance of the annual meeting of the American Council on Education, the cross-sector presidential national higher education association. Gallup Education conducted the survey with responses from public, private, nonprofit and for-profit higher education institutions. The results are…

The decision by the Board of Trustees of Sweet Briar College to close its doors on August 25 shocked the American higher education community. In announcing its decision, Sweet Briar officials noted the lack of interest from applicants to women’s colleges like Sweet Briar, a declining interest in liberal arts colleges, and a growing unwillingness…

There is something to be said for how the selection process works in American higher education. Within a decentralized system offering both public and private opportunities, there are various levels of selectivity, sticker prices, and public subsidies both to students and institutions – in principle, something for everyone. Some opportunities start with bold ideas, like…

Now is the time of the year that most college and university boards of trustees meet to set in place what the comprehensive fee – tuition, fees, room and board – will be for next year. It’s a telling moment for higher education.   The emerging trends drawn from hundreds of institutional decisions will provide a…

As American colleges and universities seek to refine, and in many cases rebrand, their student life experience, one of the questions that regularly arises on college campuses is whether there is a place for Greek life in the 21st Century. It’s a legitimate question, especially at those institutions that are working hard to differentiate themselves…

One of the great battles ongoing in American higher education centers on the continued vitality and relevance of a liberal arts education.   Nearly every American has seen some video variation of an underemployed liberal arts graduate at a fast food window asking: “Would you like biggie-sized fries with that?” Historically, the defense of the…