It’s often said that students go to college to learn.  Yet the statement misses an important point in its simplicity.  Students also go to college to live. Politically, there are raging debates that continue in social media and often spill out into print about the development and direction of the academic program and the ideologies…

Word is leaking out from the spring meetings of college and university governing boards across the country that the most expensive institutions have now crossed the $60,000 level in their just posted annual comprehensive fees. It’s an important psychological threshold. The comprehensive fee – generally defined as tuition, fees, room and board — is a…

In a world increasingly dominated by social media, it is no longer possible for a college community to present what it values “in plain sight.” Prospective applicants and their families judge a college today largely by what they find on the web. In the old days, crafting an image was perhaps easier. Marketing was more…

It’s early April and most students have received word from the colleges and universities to which they applied.  They – and their families – have reached one important marker on a road traveled that had detours, bumps, and occasional bad weather.  But, the visibility improved and the direction is clearer now. Congratulations to these applicants…

Last week  Peter Sung Ohr, the regional director of the National Labor Relations Board in Chicago, ruled that football players at Northwestern University could unionize. In issuing the ruling, Ohr found that the players were employees of the university. The ruling sent shock waves reverberating through American higher education since no one expected this outcome.…

It’s time.  The college acceptance letters — distributed via the web or in “fat or thin” envelopes — are beginning to trickle out as we move to the formal notification date of April 1.  Those who have applied to American colleges and universities are experiencing some mix of optimism, consternation, anxiety and resignation. Now is…

Numerous studies indicate that the skills produced by a quality liberal arts education correspond precisely to what employers seek beyond technical training. The ability to articulate, write, apply quantitative methods, use technology, and work in a collaborative setting will continue to shape the parameters of the skill set needed in the 21st century. So, why…

One impact of the great recession has been resurgence in demand by cities and towns that colleges and universities pay a greater portion of the region’s tax bill. Municipal authorities make valid arguments to support these demands. They point to the percentage of taxable land taken off the tax rolls by higher education institutions. They…

Seldom have the shifting sands upon which college athletics are built been more apparent than today. For those of us who have an interest in college sports, including millions of loyal alumni, the choice of an athletic conference is roughly tantamount to “the company that you keep.” At innumerable colleges and universities, nothing stirs alumni…

Writing for the Associated Press, Hope Yen reported recently that the earnings gap between young adults with and without bachelor’s degrees has stretched to its widest level in nearly half a century. She suggested that it is a sign of the growing value of a college education despite rising tuition costs. Citing Pew Research Center…