Broader Economic Trends and Student Debt
There are many signs that the slow economic recovery may finally be picking up some steam. Economists are forecasting 4% growth for 2014. Both the official and the actual unemployment numbers have been declining, albeit very incrementally, month after month and are finally approaching levels that could be impacted meaningfully by targeted jobs programs—if, of…
The Ten Most Popular Majors among Millionaires
Recently, the New Statesman ran a short piece on a study that tracked the majors of millionaires by the baccalaureate and graduate degrees that they have completed [http://www.newstatesman.com/business/2013/10/top-ten-university-degrees-taken-millionaires]. The ten most popular degrees among this select group were reported as follows: 1. Engineering 2. MBA 3. Economics 4. Law 5. Business Administration
Texas A&M’s Politically Charged Selection of an Interim President
The Board of Regents at Texas A&M have selected Mark Hussey as Interim President of the University System. Hussey has served as a Vice Chancellor at the institution and as Dean of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. Governor Rick Perry, an alumnus of the Texas A&M, had expressed his preference for another candidate…
On the Issues: The End of History?
An “On the Issues” Post from the Campaign for the Future of Higher Education [http://futureofhighered.org] _______________ Many colleges and universities around the country are cutting programs (or have already done so) that just a few years ago were considered at the core of any college or university. The case of one campus highlights the price…
A Bit More on Football Coaches Salaries: The Case of California
Here’s a brief note to add to Martin Kich’s interesting post on the salaries of Division I college football coaches. Not on the list of the 25 most highly paid college football coaches provided by Marty is Sonny Dykes, who just completed his first year of coaching the University of California, Berkeley Bears. Dykes’s contract…
More on the Corporatization of Big-Time College Football and Our Institutions
In yesterday’s post, I highlighted the disproportion between the revenues being generated by major college football programs and the value of the scholarships provided to the 85 players per team permitted to receive scholarships. If the compensation being received by the players seems disproportionately low, that being received by the coaches heading major programs seems…
It’s Not Personal. It’s Just Business.
In a recent post, I detailed the “golden goodbyes,” the no longer extraordinary, very generous retirement packages, being negotiated by university presidents across the United States. I described this trend as salient evidence of the corporatization of our universities, but I don’t think that one can truly understand what is occurring with pensions without knowing…
House Hearings on the Impact of the ACA on Education: Part I: Maria Maisto’s Testimony on the Impact on Part-Time Faculty
In her testimony, Maria Maisto correctly emphasizes that the ACA itself is not the problem but, instead, the efforts by colleges and universities to avoid providing to their part-time faculty the health insurance that the ACA makes available. _________________________ 1700 West Market Street #159 Akron, OH 44313 Testimony for the Record Submitted to the…
House Hearings on the Impact of the ACA on Education: Part II: News Release from the Committee on the Hearings
Not surprisingly, the following news release reflecting the ideological position of the GOP majority on the committee completely ignores Maria Maisto’s testimony and frames the hearings in which she participated as providing just further evidence of the supposedly devastating impact of the ACA. Notice that Maria’s testimony is not quoted even once in the excerpts…