As American colleges and universities scramble to cut costs, hold down tuition, and support academic programs, the parameters shaping student life remain at best undefined. What role does support for student life play in an academic setting? At residential campuses, most of the energy and financial support is appropriately directed toward the academic program. Student…

For many who think and write about American higher education, the quality of the industry-wide conversation on how best to accommodate change seems increasingly defensive. It often appears that the strongest defense is a weak regurgitation of “look at me . . . look at me” rather than a deeper understanding of how pieces fit…

CBS news reported this week that a number of colleges and universities had or planned to cut their sticker prices significantly. CBS noted that the reported tuition price for independent colleges and universities was slightly over $30,000 per year – or up about $1,100 since last year. These numbers translated into a 2.9 percent increase or…

As we watched the government shutdown and fiscal crisis play out in Washington this week, the first thought crossing the minds of most Americans was how silly and dangerous the high stakes game of “we’re not sure what we want but we still want it” was in the court of global public opinion. The agreement…

This week the articles, blogs and op eds on higher education share a common, repetitive theme. The Wall Street Journal carried an opinion piece on rising costs, for example, naming the usual suspects. U.S. News & World Report published its ten most expensive colleges listing. They pick up on popular rhetoric now baked into the…

It has been well established that two-year students face enormous problems when they decide to complete a four-year degree. By one estimate, only 11 percent of those who indicate their intention to acquire a degree on the day they start in a two-year program actually do so. There are many reasons for this failure. Certainly,…

Freshmen move-in day is over. This year’s crop of students has begun classes. On college campuses, it’s already time to think about next year’s class. This means you. For prospective students, application season has begun. Here are some tips as you sit down and begin the application. Get started on them. Dream big dreams. Think…

Great colleges are an almost perfect and imperceptible mix of people, programs and facilities.  Among them, this mix works best when founded on a culture based upon a strong sense of self.  This also differentiates further the subtleties that exist among them.   It’s why in the end prospective applicants choose one institution over another. Students…

In a conversation with a newly retired and highly respected college president late last week, the conversation turned to the growing problem of how to govern American colleges and universities in uncertain times. American higher education operates on a system of shared governance. It is often presented as a 3-leg stool with each leg balancing…

President Obama has set the higher education agenda for the remainder of his term by linking consumer fears with politics. There is substance in the president’s arguments about sticker price, the squeezing of the American middle class, and the failure to provide access to a higher education degree for those who seek it. The fundamental…