By Ry Rivard. Salaries for executives at higher education trade associations rival those of top-paid college presidents. Compensation for the leaders of these higher ed groups – which are considered nonprofits by the IRS – has climbed in recent years. Twenty-seven of 48 association heads earned about as much or more than the median salary for a university president, which was about $400,000 in 2012-13. Read more...

By Colleen Flaherty. Everyone knows that there’s only one use for single quotation marks, and that’s to denote a quote within a quote. Right?
Apparently not. Composition instructors report seeing an uptick in the intentional use of single-quotation marks outside their traditional use, to indicate internal dialogue, irony, non-original short phrases or neologisms. Read more...

By Kaitlin Mulhere. A group of influential education organizations has stepped in to support a private prep school in its appeal against a former student, saying the case could have far-reaching negative effects on study abroad trips. Read more...

By Michael Stratford. The Obama administration announced Wednesday that it had finalized its plan to loosen the credit requirements needed to obtain federal PLUS loans. Under the new regulations, which will take effect next year, it will be easier for students and parents with damaged credit histories to take out PLUS loans. Read more...

By Jack Grove for Times Higher Education. A Times Higher Education analysis of funding and enrollment levels. Statistics cover period from 2008‑09 to 2013‑14 unless stated, and are based on data from the European University Association (EUA). Read more...

By Paul Fain. A bipartisan group of federal lawmakers wants to bring back financial aid for college students who do not hold a high school diploma or its equivalent, like a GED. The U.S. Congress eliminated aid eligibility for these so-called “ability to benefit” students in 2012. The motivation was to rein in spending on Pell Grants, and the cut was easier to make, politically, than other trims. Read more...

By Michael Stratford. As Democrats look to keep control of the U.S. Senate and hold on to House seats, they are continuing to raise student loans as an issue in this fall's election. After several Democrats last month pushed student loan refinancing on the campaign trail, some Democratic candidates in both House and Senate races are now trying to put their Republican opponents on the defensive on higher education issues. Read more...

By Colleen Flaherty. Part celebration, part intervention, a conference on the future of the liberal arts at St. John’s College last week offered high praise and harsh advice for an embattled tradition. Speakers on Friday said that while the future of the democracy depends on a broadly educated public, advocates need to return to a less politicized, more siloed vision of the liberal arts for them to survive. Read more...

By Carl Straumsheim. The University of Arkansas System in March approved the creation of a fully online institution that would spring from the system’s pool of talent and resources. Seven months later, some of the other institutions in the system are balking at the idea of footing the bill for what may become a direct competitor. Read more...