By Susanna Tardi. On Nov. 6, 2014, the National Commission on College and University Board Governance issued a report that was highly critical of higher education governing boards, finding they aren't serious enough about oversight, "fail to add value to decision making," are generally inattentive and out of touch, and have outdated policies and practices. The public's erosion of faith in the value of higher education is testimony to the fact that boards have dropped the ball in dealing with the challenges facing higher education. More...

By Sean Seymour and Julie Ray. Although studies of employers show internships in college can give job seekers an edge in today's job market, a Gallup-Purdue University study of college graduates shows only about one-third of the most recent grads strongly agree they had an internship or job as undergrads that allowed them to apply what they were learning in the classroom. More...

By Ginia Bellafante. Last year at its annual gala, LaGuardia Community College, arguably the most ethnically diverse college in the country, honored Marilyn Skony Stamm, the chief executive of a global heating and air-conditioning business. A child of the South Side of Chicago who had gone to Northwestern on scholarship, Ms. Stamm maintained a committed interest in education and joined LaGuardia’s foundation board six years ago, proving herself a skilled networker for an institution with minimal capacity for soliciting money. More...

By Barry Bozeman and Derrick Anderson. It is with good reason that for-profit universities have become in recent years a punching bag for the Federal Trade Commission, state government boards of inquiry, assorted litigants, and the media. Today’s for-profit universities are largely inhabited by short-sighted leaders who make lofty claims about vocationally relevant education while at the same time milking the working poor, the harried single parent, the returning veteran, and, particularly, the possessor of government loans. More...

By Frank Bruni. BETWEEN the last application season and the current one, Swarthmore College, a school nationally renowned for its academic rigor, changed the requirements for students vying to be admitted into its next freshman class.
It made filling out the proper forms easier. More...

​Three dozen community college districts so far have applied to host a pilot baccalaureate program recently approved by the governor.
“The districts’ strong interest in building baccalaureate degree programs is heartening,” California Community Colleges ​Chancellor Brice Harris said in a statement. “They are pioneering a new mission for the California Community Colleges and opening up pathways for Californians who may not have had the chance to earn a four-year degree.” More...