Holistic admissions policies -- in which colleges consider a candidate as an individual, and base decisions on more than a formula of grades and test scores -- have long been common among undergraduate institutions, but have also gained ground in health professions admissions, according to a report released today. Read more...

Pennsylvania State University is the second institution within a week to confirm that it will not be continuing its agreement to host a Confucius Institute, a center for Chinese language and cultural training funded by the Chinese government. In confirming that the university will be ending its Confucius Institute agreement at the end of this year (Dec. 31), the dean of Penn State’s College of the Liberal Arts cited goals that are inconsistent with those of Hanban, the Chinese government agency that administers the institutes. Read more...

The U.S. Department of Education is not doing enough to make sure that the programs it runs for low-income students do not end up providing duplicative services, according to a report released this week by the agency’s inspector general. Read more...

The U.S. Department of Education is not properly overseeing the entities it pays to administer and insure federally guaranteed student loans, according to an audit released this week by the agency's inspector general. Read more...

Degree programs that award students credit by assessing their skills – rather than making them pass courses – have been touted by the Obama administration, members of Congress and many in higher education as a promising new innovation. But the U.S. Department of Education’s Inspector General this week threw some cold water on the enthusiasm for that model, known as direct assessment, criticizing how officials have allowed the first handful of programs of that type to become eligible for federal funding. Read more...

Anti-sexism group UltraViolet is targeting students who attend the 79 institutions listed by the U.S. Department of Education as under investigation for violations of Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 with two online video ads, including one that mimics retro pornography. Read more...

A federal court on Thursday ruled that the Obama administration had again failed to adequately justify its ban on colleges paying recruiters bonuses that are tied to students' graduation. The court also faulted the Department of Education for not properly addressing the effect the rule may have on minority students. Read more...

By Nate Kreuter. Sometimes we are overwhelmed. The forces of life converge, place us in a bind, and restrict our ability to do our jobs. We’ve all watched it happen to a friend or colleague. Perhaps many of us have experienced it for ourselves. In these moments, our work life can become secondary, and probably should become secondary in many cases. Read more...

By William Bradley. Recently, I have had two sources of stress in my life. One was the knowledge that my visiting assistant professor appointment at my alma mater, St. Lawrence University, is coming to a close, necessitating my return to the academic job market. Read more...

By Christine Kelly. I attended a conference recently and stayed at a hotel that required me to take a shuttle to get to my events. On my first shuttle ride back to the hotel I chatted with another hotel guest who was attending a different conference and also not staying at his conference hotel. We chatted about a variety of things before we got to that pivotal point where I was very glad I chose this particular hotel. Read more...