Higher Education

Innovation In Higher Education

Sarah Ashworth — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 13:00:00 +0000

In an era of soaring tuition and student debt, colleges and universities are looking for new ways to pursue affordability and flexibility – offering everything from online courses to three-year degrees. We’ll talk with some at the forefront of this trend and explore some of the questions being raised about these approaches.

Guests

SNHU's College For America Receives D.O.E. Approval

Virginia Prescott — Thu, 18 Apr 2013 17:56:07 +0000

In his state of the union address in February, President Obama asked for legislative help in making higher education more accessible to American students.

“So tonight, I ask Congress to change the Higher Education Act so that affordability and value are included in determining which colleges receive certain types of federal aid. And tomorrow, my administration will release a new “College Scorecard” that parents and students can use to compare schools based on a simple criteria -- where you can get the most bang for your educational buck.”

The President’s calls for reform come at a time when an estimated 40 million Americans want to go further with their education. Beyond the rhetoric, Obama’s 2013 budget outlined plans to overcome common barriers to getting a degree, including access, affordability, and completion. An initiative from Southern New Hampshire University is looking to change that.

Fight For Your Long Day

Rebecca Lavoie — Thu, 04 Apr 2013 15:21:01 +0000

Alex Kudera published Fight for Your Long Day, in 2010, but it’s still gaining traction because of its unflinching look at the swelling academic underclass that is adjunct faculty, recently getting notice from the chronicle of higher education. We spoke with him about the book and the perception of adjuncts in higher education today.

SNHU Responds To Military Students Hit By Sequester

Amanda Loder — Thu, 14 Mar 2013 18:39:23 +0000

Until about two weeks ago, active duty armed service members could count on $4,500 a year to help pay for college tuition. But with the military suspending the benefit because of sequestration, Southern New Hampshire University is trying to bridge that gap.

The College Admissions Double Standard

Virginia Prescott — Tue, 05 Mar 2013 16:05:40 +0000

In his first term, President Obama boosted Pell grants and reformed federal financial aid in hopes of increasing college access for low-income students. Despite these efforts, there is another problem preventing the less privileged from getting an education – a disconnect between poor families, and the arcane bureaucracy surrounding the admissions process.

Sarah Carr is author of the new book “Hope Against Hope: Three Schools, One City, and the Struggle to Educate America’s Children.” An excerpt from that book featured in The Atlantic tells the story of one New Orleans high school’s efforts to bridge the admissions process gap.

Public Universities Ponder Their Future

Laura Knoy — Fri, 21 Dec 2012 13:00:00 +0000

Higher Ed Gets an Online Overhaul

Virginia Prescott — Thu, 06 Dec 2012 17:11:57 +0000

As more and more students head to American colleges and universities to advance their education and economic prospects, there is dwindling faith in the quality of a four-year degree, especially given the high price tag. Meanwhile, a whole new model of learning is quickly gaining ground. Massive open online courses (MOOCs) offer education to anybody with a reliable internet connection, often for free. MOOCs are attracting massive amounts of students, investment capital, and accolades.

Businesses To Educators: More STEM Grads Now

Sam Evans-Brown — Tue, 27 Nov 2012 22:41:34 +0000

Higher Education officials and Business leaders gathered for a forum today on how to increase the number of New Hampshire STEM graduates – that’s Science, Technology, Engineering and Math. But while it was Community Colleges and Universities talking about the issue today, the lack of interest in STEM is a problem at every level of the American education system.

Higher Ed and the Candidates for Governor

Sam Evans-Brown — Mon, 10 Sep 2012 09:30:00 +0000

In the last budget, one of lawmakers’ most controversial decisions was to cut the state’s contribution to New Hampshire’s public universities by 48 percent. Restoring those cuts has emerged as a big issue in the governor’s campaign. But how that will happen is a question politicians have yet to answer.
The people who don’t approve of the cuts that the New Hampshire legislature made to the university system – like UNH president Mark Huddleston – describe those them in a certain way.

More NH High School Students Head to College, Leave NH

Sam Evans-Brown — Tue, 31 Jul 2012 20:58:29 +0000

The New Hampshire Department of Education says that in the past decade there has been a 6 percent increase in the number of high school graduates continuing on to college, but also a five percent increase in the number of high schoolers leaving the state for college.

Off the Beaten Tenure Track

Virginia Prescott — Mon, 04 Jun 2012 18:11:57 +0000

An increasingly common anxiety for freshly-minted undergraduates is finding a job in their field with a decent enough salary to pay off their student loans. Jon F. Wilkins, founder of The Ronin Institute, helps wayward professionals put their highly-trained brains to work.

Dartmouth Conflict of Interest Claims Attract AG's Attention

Sam Evans-Brown — Tue, 29 May 2012 22:01:18 +0000

The New Hampshire Attorney General is looking into claims that the trustees of Dartmouth College are funneling money for the investment of the school’s endowment into their own pockets.
An anonymous letter written three months ago sparked the Attorney General’s review. A group of Dartmouth faculty claims to have written it.

Chester College Students and Faculty Demand Resignation of President

Sam Evans-Brown — Tue, 08 May 2012 00:14:21 +0000

Students and Faculty at Chester College are demanding the resignation of college President and former Manchester Mayor Bob Baines.

Rivier College Seeks University Status

Sheryl Rich-Kern — Mon, 07 May 2012 09:00:00 +0000

Rivier College in Nashua may be getting a makeover.

From Silicon Valley, A New Approach To Education

Wed, 18 Apr 2012 13:49:00 +0000
Last year when Andrew Ng, a computer science professor at Stanford University, put his machine-learning class online and opened enrollment to the world, more than 100,000 students signed up.
"I think all of us were surprised," he says.
Ng had posted lectures online before, but this class was different.
"This was actually a class where you can participate as a student and get homework and assessments," he said.
The class was interactive. There were quizzes and online forums where teaching assistants, fellow students and Ng answered questions.