Higher Education

The Gap Year: A Post-Graduation Exploration

Jasmeet Sidhu | Posted 11.06.2009 | Living


Jasmeet Sidhu

After three years of lectures and spending several hours and nights churning out essays, it was finally time to decide what I wanted to do with the rest of my life.

Why Doesn't Colorado Become The University Of The World?

Gary Hart | Posted 11.02.2009 | Denver


Gary Hart

Why wouldn't it be possible for professors at the University of Colorado, Colorado College, the University of Denver, Regis, or a number of other centers of learning offer classes to students in Buenos Aires, Beijing, and Moscow in real time?

Private College Salaries Of More Than $1 Million Paid To 23 Presidents

AP | JUSTIN POPE | Posted 11.02.2009 | Home


The fast-growing group of millionaire private college and university presidents hit a new record in recent years, and it's likely more college leaders...

A Sanctuary Attacked, and With it, Pakistan's Future Further Imperiled

Mark Levine | Posted 10.27.2009 | World


Mark Levine

The Taliban confirmed it was behind the double suicide bombing that occurred in the International Islamic University in Islamabad last week.

A Test for Our Nation

Linda Darling-Hammond | Posted 10.21.2009 | Politics


Linda Darling-Hammond

Today, the U.S. is the only industrialized nation whose next generation is on pace to be more poorly educated than the last -- a shocking blow to the American Dream. We need a new strategy.

The College Insider: Admissions Freak Out Countdown #3: The Squeeze Play - Early Decision, Budget Cuts, And No Vacancy Signs

Karen Stabiner | Posted 10.12.2009 | Living


Karen Stabiner

Early applicants take up as much as 25 percent of an incoming class. If you're the kind of person who buys movie tickets on-line so you can choose the best seat, you know that the later it gets, the fewer options you have.

The Forbes 400 Shows Why Our Nation Is Falling Apart

Les Leopold | Posted 10.01.2009 | Business


Les Leopold

Collectively, the Forbes 400 have $1.57 trillion in wealth. It's hard to get your mind around a number like that. So let's imagine that it was available for the public good. What does $1.57 trillion buy?

Scholarships Short-Changed Per Audit

Morgan Carroll | Posted 09.29.2009 | Denver


Morgan Carroll

Yesterday in committee we heard the results of the recent audit of CollegeInvest and there are findings we should all be concerned about.

KAUST: Saudi Arabia's First Coed University Unveiled (King Abdullah Science and Technology University)

AP | Posted 09.23.2009 | World


Saudi Arabia inaugurated on Wednesday its first-ever fully integrated coed university, and its ruler declared the institution will be a "beacon of tolerance" in a world attacked by extremists.

The multibillion dollar King Abdullah Science and Technology University, or KAUST, boasts state-of-the-art labs, the world's 14th fastest supercomputer and one of the biggest endowments worldwide. It breaks many of the conservative country's social taboos by allowing, for the first time, men and women to take classes together.

Saudi officials have envisaged the postgraduate institution as a key part of the kingdom's plans to transform itself into a global scientific hub – its latest efforts to diversify its oil-reliant economy.

Saudi royals and dignitaries attended the inauguration ceremony outside the coastal city of Jeddah, where the university is located.

"Humanity has been the target of vicious attacks from extremists, who speak the language of hatred," King Abdullah said at the inauguration. "Undoubtedly, scientific centers that embrace all peoples are the first line of defense against extremists. And today this university will become a house of wisdom ... a beacon of tolerance."

You Say You Want a Virtual Revolution?

Lisa Petrides | Posted 09.18.2009 | Media


Lisa Petrides

While it's true that the Web-based economy poses tough new challenges for higher education, we shouldn't let ourselves get too sentimental about the way things were in the old days.

University Of Illinois Faculty Vote For Leaders' Ouster After Scandal

AP | Posted 09.15.2009 | Chicago


URBANA, Ill. — The University of Illinois Faculty Senate has voted on a resolution supporting the removal of President B. Joseph White and Chanc...

College and the Recession

Nicolaus Mills | Posted 11.10.2009 | Business


Nicolaus Mills

At colleges across the country, faculty have acted the opposite of executives in the banking industry, who have insisted they deserve bonuses despite benefiting from a government bailout.

Does the Ivy League Turn You Into a Moron? Walter Kirn Critiques Princeton in "Lost in the Meritocracy"

Anis Shivani | Posted 10.23.2009 | Politics


Anis Shivani

Walter Kirn, author of the novels Up in the Air and Mission to America, has written the most enticing recent indictment of education in this country.

Students Borrowing Dramatically More To Pay For College

The Wall Street Journal | ANNE MARIE CHAKER | Posted 10.18.2009 | Home


Students are borrowing dramatically more to pay for college, accelerating a trend that has wide-ranging implications for a generation of young people....

Friday Talking Points [91] -- Win One For Teddy

Chris Weigant | Posted 09.28.2009 | Politics


Chris Weigant

Calling for some sort of decorous avoidance of politics during politicians' funerals is downright ridiculous. It'd be like eulogizing Charles Lindbergh and not mentioning airplanes.

Stealing From California's Young People

Joseph A. Palermo | Posted 09.24.2009 | Politics


Joseph A. Palermo

By blocking any new revenue streams to fund higher education, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and the Senate Republican minority are not only taxing California's young people and their families, they are crippling the state's future.

America's Greenest Colleges: Did Your School Make the Grade?

Avital Binshtock | Posted 09.20.2009 | Green


Avital Binshtock

While the good folks at U.S. News and World Report ascribe certain measurements of prestige to their college rankings, we rated schools based on what matters most to us.

Young Science USA

James M. Gentile | Posted 09.18.2009 | Politics


James M. Gentile

If the future of our nation is not continually renewed by young Americans well supported in their advanced scientific research, we likely will have a very dim future indeed.

5 Aspects of the University of California Budget Crisis That Haven't Gotten Enough Attention

Jeffrey Wasserstrom | Posted 08.29.2009 | Business


Jeffrey Wasserstrom

Here are five things I wish would be discussed more, both by the press and by those responsible for making the case for UC to legislators and the public at large.

President's Community College Initiative Promising

Tom Vander Ark | Posted 08.18.2009 | Politics


Tom Vander Ark

We should use a big investment like President Obama called for the creation of the American Graduation Initiativeto make some big improvements:

An Elephant in the Classroom

Steven G. Kellman | Posted 08.09.2009 | Politics


Steven G. Kellman

If universities filled their faculties not with certified experts but with the objects of their expertise, children would be teaching pediatric medicine and psychopaths social psychology.

Georgia State University Stands Behind a Professor Who Discriminated Against An Arab and Muslim Woman

Yvonne R. Davis | Posted 08.06.2009 | Politics


Yvonne R. Davis

It seemed okay in 2008 for a University Professor to harass a Muslim student and get away with it.

How High is Too High for the Cost of Higher Education?

Manisha Thakor | Posted 08.02.2009 | Business


Manisha Thakor

For years the subliminal messaging we received was that "no price tag is too high for a quality higher education." It may be time to ask if that graduation cap tassel is really worth the financial hassle.

Education in Chicago: Wringing The Passion Out Of Higher Learning

Bill Sweetland | Posted 07.18.2009 | Chicago


Bill Sweetland

Here is the unacknowledged truth of undergraduate life in 2009: Everyone, students included, feels alienated and bored by what we have made our universities.

Higher Education Should Maximize Service, Not Status

Gordon Davies | Posted 07.11.2009 | Politics


Gordon Davies

Here's the new definition of prestige: an institution that serves the people of its state or region carefully at a price all of them can afford. Now, make that part of the definition of 'elite'."