By Henrik P. Minassians - EvoLLLution. Performance budgeting for public colleges and universities, which ties state support to institutional results, exhibits the conflicting characteristics of popularity and volatility. By the mid-1990s, we witnessed a shift in accountability in higher education institutions and public sector services, away from merely accounting for expenditures — a bean-counting mentality — to a serious attempt to measure results. More...

By Cathy Sandeen - EvoLLLution. American higher education has evolved over time, and we find ourselves in an era today of increasingly dynamic and potentially disruptive transformation. Continuing and professional education leaders are quite accustomed to rapid change and agile adaptation. That is necessary when one’s work involves contributing to workforce development, often within a volatile self-supported environment. The need to constantly develop innovative programs and services is in the DNA of continuing education (CE) leaders. In this new era, the traditional strengths of CE will be increasingly recognized and appreciated by the broader campus community. There is no time like the present for stepping up and taking on a broader leadership role. More...

By Chari Leader-Kelley - EvoLLLution. Three promising innovations hold the greatest potential for cutting costs (and student loan debt) for the millions of adults who seek to remain competitive in our challenging and dynamic labor market. All three of these innovations were likely viewed as “fringe elements” only five years ago. But, with the call for greater accountability, transparency and innovation in higher education coming from the folks who hold the purse strings, all three of these innovations are gaining traction. In fact, all of these innovations are possible because of technology and because they leverage experiential, self-directed learning. More...

By Sarita Brown - EvoLLLution. The following interview is with Sarita Brown, president of Excelencia in Education, a non-profit organization focused on accelerating Latino success in higher education. At the recent University Professional and Continuing Education Association (UPCEA) Conference in Miami, Brown gave a keynote presentation focused on strategies to support Latino student success at postsecondary institutions. In this interview, she expands on that topic and discusses the importance of ensuring institutions are focused on driving enrollment and retention of first-generation students from underserved communities. Click here to download The EvoLLLution’s interview with Sarita Brown. More...

By Mohamed Elmeshad. Mohammed Nassar, a 28 year-old Palestinian from the town of Qalqilya in the West Bank, is like many of the ambitious young men and women in his hometown. He is eager to study abroad to increase his chances of finding work. But he is doing one thing differently: He is trying to pay for his education by “crowd funding” his studies on a site called Indiegogo. More...

By Rasha Faek. Over the decades, the Arabic language has been considered sacred because it is the language of the Koran. Many Arab linguists consider it the expression of perfection, never to be touched. Arabic was also associated with the idea of Arabism and Arab identity in a way that any attempt to modernize it has been risky. At the same time, many universities in the Arab region either already teach in foreign languages, particularly English or French, or are considering dong so, potentially diminishing Arabic as a language of education. More...