By Scott Jaschik. An administrative law judge in Florida this week upheld new rules by the State Department of Education that require significantly more of state college faculty members -- particularly in the areas of student success -- for them to earn continuing contracts (the equivalent of tenure). The United Faculty of Florida, the faculty union in the state, had challenged the new rules as beyond the scope of the department's powers. But the judge rejected that view and said that the board was within its rights. Read more...

By Matt Zalaznick. Colleges find efficiencies—and a dose of nostalgia—in repurposing rather than rebuilding facilities. Repurposing an old campus building may not have the wow factor that comes with creating a new facility from scratch. But colleges and universities driven by financial, environmental and sentimental forces sometimes find rejuvenating the buildings they already have is a more practical solution. More...

By Nancy Mann Jackson. Campus bookstores can help in the adoption of new technology.Not everyone on campus is ready to use e-books, video lectures and other digital learning materials. But the campus bookstore can help in the adoption of new technology.. More...

By Lauren Williams. Students say phone are both a great study tool and a distraction. More college students are using their smartphones as a study tool even though the internet and activities like texting were cited as the biggest distractions to hitting the books, according to a new study by McGraw-Hill Education. More...

By Rhiannon Lucy Cosslett. Rhiannon Lucy Cosslett was on benefits when she graduated, but now earns a living doing what she loves. Troubled by tales of a generation in crisis, she decided to track down her sixth form. I was already signing on when I graduated. This was not unusual, but during the ceremony I felt pretty sad and hopeless. It was difficult to quaff champagne and toast our futures when I couldn't make rent. Plus I was horrifically hungover, thanks to the four-bottles-for-a-tenner wine deal my dad had provided the night before.
Although I'm now earning money as a freelance writer, at the time it seemed unlikely I would ever make a living from doing what I loved. Almost half of those who have graduated in the last five years in the UK are in non-graduate jobs for which they are overqualified and underpaid. This means the average graduate "starting salary" of £29,000 is a distant dream for many university leavers, as they take anything that's going in a competitive labour market and render it even more difficult for the less qualified to find work. More...

Von Marion Schmidt. Unternehmen fördern Hochschulen und Studenten mit jährlich 2,5 Milliarden Euro. Sie vergeben Stipendien, finanzieren duale Studiengänge und Stiftungsprofessoren. Die Wirtschaft schafft so bessere Studienbedingungen als der Staat. Werden die Universitäten zu Dienstleistern der Industrie? An der Frankfurter Goethe-Universität gibt es neuerdings ein "Welcome Centre". Hier werden ausländische Wissenschaftler bestens umsorgt, egal, ob sie eine Wohnung suchen oder einen romantischen Ausflug in den Rheingau machen wollen. Ein Angebot, das nur wenige Unis in Deutschland haben. "Wir hätten uns das aus dem normalen Haushalt nicht leisten können", sagt der Präsident der Universität, Werner Müller-Esterl. Finanziert wurde das Center mit einer Spende von der Santander Bank in Höhe von 340.000 Euro. Die Bank will damit den internationalen Austausch von Wissen fördern. Mehr...

Von Johanna Ritter. Der Hochschulforscher Kolja Briedis über chaotische Auswahlverfahren, lästige Tests und den Weg zum Studienplatz. 
ZEIT CAMPUS: Herr Briedis, stimmt es, dass nicht alle Bachelorabsolventen einen Masterplatz bekommen? 
Anna Fräßdorf: Einen echten Mangel an Masterplätzen können wir nicht erkennen. Das kann man durch eine einfache Rechnung veranschaulichen: Es gibt etwa 7.000 Masterstudiengänge in Deutschland. Pro Jahr werden 180.000 Bachelorstudenten fertig. Von diesen entscheiden sich rund zwei Drittel für einen Master. Wenn jeder Masterstudiengang jährlich 15 bis 20 neue Studenten zulässt, dann ginge die Rechnung schon auf. Mehr...