By Denise Cummins. During the height of Israeli’s air war against Gaza this summer, Salaita’s tweets about the conflict (some with “vulgar and inflammatory language,” according to the Chicago Tribune) caught the attention of his new employer. The chancellor didn’t think the trustees would approve his appointment, and she’d heard from several donors who said they wouldn’t be giving if Salaita joined the faculty. The university maintains that Salaita didn’t yet have tenure because he hadn’t started the job, and the trustees have stood behind the chancellor, saying the school “values civility as much as scholarship.” More...

By Samuel Speciale. Students are considered full-time if they take at least 12 credit hours a semester, but state higher education officials are saying more hours are needed to complete a degree on time. Those education officials say on-time degree completion takes four years and that students who fall behind are less likely to graduate. To remedy this, the West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission started an initiative Tuesday that will encourage students to expedite graduation by taking more classes each semester. See more...

By Joaquim Moreira Salles. Prospective students in the United States who can’t afford to pay for college or don’t want to rack up tens of thousands in student debt should try their luck in Germany. Higher education is now free throughout the country, even for international students. Yesterday, Lower Saxony became the last of seven German states to abolish tuition fees, which were already extremely low compared to those paid in the United States. More...

By Ben Sheffler. Imagine not being able to access your course materials online because you have a print disability such as dyslexia or blindness. The technology and capability for access is out there, but your college has no rubric to follow to use the tools that provide it. More...

By Morgan Jacobsen. College enrollment in the U.S. dropped by 463,000 students last year, the second year in a row that enrollment has declined. Between 2011 and 2013, enrollment plummeted by almost 1 million students, according to a U.S. Census Bureau report. More...

By John Wasik. As I peruse glossy college brochures for my daughter, there’s one important fact missing: How much public funding for college education has eroded in recent years and escalated costs for families.
Not only are state colleges getting less support from their legislatures, private colleges are sending millions of students into debt as well. All told, student debt has breached the $1 trillion mark. Many observers say this is our latest bubble. More...