BY MARTIN KICH Frank T. Brogan, the Chancellor of the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education, has moved forward with a review of the finances of the 14 institutions in the system, with the goal of “reorganizing” the system—or merging or closing some of the institutions—to make it more “sustainable.” There is a considerable range…
BY BRIAN C. MITCHELL There is plenty of data suggesting that education, particularly a college or university degree, leads to higher incomes. Less is known about the impact of higher education — and specific schools — on socioeconomic mobility, that is, moving from one “rung” of the income ladder to another. A new study by…
POSTED BY MARTIN KICH This is a follow-up to my December 29 post, “Court Blocks Mandatory Drug Screening at State College.” Given the substantial reductions in state support very recently announced for the state colleges and universities in Missouri, the pursuit of this appeal does not seem an especially prudent allocation of institutional resources. The…
BY MARCELLA BENCIVENNI This is a guest post by Marcella Bencivenni, associate professor of history at CUNY Hostos Community College. The City University of New York (CUNY), the nation’s largest public urban university, has been recently the subject of several articles exposing its growing challenges: steep budget cuts, climbing enrollment and class sizes, infrastructure decay,…
BY BRIAN C. MITCHELL There is a basic, fundamental truth about the American college or university operating model: It doesn’t work. In the second half of the 20th century, America’s colleges and universities moved toward a similar operating model, depending upon their size, purpose, and funding source. Some scaled up to the research powerhouses that…
POSTED BY MARTIN KICH Currently featured on the website of University Business magazine is an article by Matt Zalaznick titled “‘New Voices’ Laws Aim to Ensure Student Press Freedoms in Higher Ed: College Media Outlets, However, Face More Threats than Just Censorship.” Zalaznick reports: “Campus newspapers face many of the same challenges confronting the professional…
POSTED BY MARTIN KICH In an article for Reason, Jacob Sullum reports: “Last week a federal appeals court ruled that requiring incoming students at a state college to surrender their urine for drug testing violates the Fourth Amendment’s ban on unreasonable searches. . . . “Linn State Technical College, now known as the State Technical…
POSTED BY MARTIN KICH The following data is from the Student Loan Report produced by 24/7 Wall St. This news release provides a summary explanation of that report, highlighting the key findings and aspects of the methodology: “Total student debt in the United States, at approximately $1.26 trillion, is the second largest consumer debt in…
