By Stefanie Botelho. Moody's Investors Service Inc. has never seen any of the colleges it rates default on their debt. Only two nonprofit colleges rated by Standard & Poor's have defaulted in the past dozen years. More...
Ivy Tech achieves high grad rates among first-generation students
By Stefanie Botelho. Ivy Tech Community College’s nationally-recognized Associate Accelerated Program (known as ASAP) has achieved a 66 percent graduation rate, one of the highest graduation rates in the nation amongst at-risk, first-generation college students who are at a greater risk of not completing a college degree. More...
Cheating, student authentication and proctoring in online programs
By Stefanie Botelho. This pitch is more than incredibly crass. It is really just outright pimping of hired poseurs to online students willing to “pay for performance.” With the massive growth of online education, such parasitic companies have sprung up like weeds, presenting a serious threat to program integrity. More...
Confessions of a college rankings guru
By Stefanie Botelho. I spend several months each year helping FORBES compile its annual rankings of colleges and universities. Why do I do it? It does not increase my income (I get paid by the Center for College Affordability and Productivity whether we do the rankings or not) or personal name recognition. More...
The future of higher education in America
By Stefanie Botelho. More students are graduating college than ever before. But for too many students, the nation’s higher education system isn’t delivering what they need and deserve. Earlier today, Secretary of Education Arne Duncan outlined a new vision for higher education in America at a speech at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. More...
Obama poised to give financial aid to federal, state prisoners
By Stefanie Botelho. More prisoners may soon have access to federal subsidies to pay for college under a new Obama administration initiative, ending a 20-year ban on Pell grants for state and federal prisoners. More...
What university presses have done for urban design
By Stefanie Botelho. Think of universities as a series of ivory tower silos? Think again. Not only can urban-set institutions of higher learning be vital anchor institutions in their neighborhoods, university presses throughout the U.S. play a pivotal role in publishing game-changing work about cities. Those books, both practical and philosophical, result in real benefits to our built environments. More...
Meaningful experiences for millennials means engagement post grad
By Stefanie Botelho. As the influence of millennials increases, their donations after college to their alma maters will be critical to the institutions’ growth. However, because the increasing costs of higher education, many millennials do not feel like they owe their alma maters any monetary donation after they graduate. More...
Florida officials approve performance-based funding for higher ed
By Stefanie Botelho. A new performance-funding system for state colleges was approved Thursday by the State Board of Education, the latest step in Florida officials' drive to tie money for higher education to how well institutions and their students do. More...
West Virginia University to hire 'Wikipedian in residence'
By Stefanie Botelho. West Virginia University will aim to close Wikipedia’s gender gap during the upcoming fall semester by hiring a “Wikipedian in residence.” More...