How to retain quality and balance the budget

By William Patrick Leonard. Four years of post-secondary study at a college or university leading to a baccalaureate degree was accepted as the norm in the United States just a few decades ago. An informal metric, it was accepted as a simultaneous proxy of the host institution’s quality and the student’s academic proficiency. Those not graduating within four years were the exception when there was a relatively smaller and more homogeneous student cohort. The vast majority were recent secondary school graduates enrolled in residential institutions. The majority completed the baccalaureate within the four-year norm. Read more...