Author: greta@academicimpressions.com

Developmental Education: Making a Greater Impact

by Daniel Fusch, Academic Impressions The White House’s 2020 college completion goal and funding opportunities such as the Walmart Initiative and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation’s focus on college completion have placed fresh pressure and attention on both college preparation and “remedial” education. According to a new analysis by a national education advocacy group using data from 2007-08, remedial education for college students costs the United States $5.6 billion a year, including $3.6 billion in tuition. One in three students require a remedial course. While much of the attention is given to teacher preparation and reform for the K-12 system, it’s also critical for colleges and universities to examine what they can do to improve the developmental education programs that are needed at the post-secondary level. To trim costs and prepare students for academic success, colleges need to continue improving success rates in developmental courses and need to be able to move students through developmental courses faster. In November 2010, on the heels of an earlier, more regionally-focused report that demonstrated that the state of Georgia spends $22 million annually to provide developmental education at colleges and universities, we turned to Nick Bekas, professor of English and project director for the […]

The Changing Shape of Title IX Compliance

May 12, 2011. In 2010, the Office for Civil Rights (OCR) rescinded the 2005 “third prong” standard for Title IX compliance, and recently, at NCAA’s Gender Equity Forum, OCR and Department of Education (DOE) officials have sought to clarify what Title IX compliance entails; the resulting picture suggests a need for more rigorous standards and assessments than have been seen over the past decade. To learn more about what’s changing and where institutions need to be proactive in order to manage their Title IX liability, we turned to Betsy Alden (who has conducted many Title IX reviews for higher ed institutions) and Jeff Orleans (who helped write the original regulation for Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972) with Alden & Associates Inc. A Shift from the Past What became apparent from the OCR representative’s remarks at the NCAA’s Gender Equity Forum earlier this month, Jeff Orleans comments, “is that schools that have been can no longer rely on the ‘third prong’ standard that if you show that you are satisfying the interests and abilities of student athletes regardless of the counts, you were in compliance. Under the Bush administration, you just had to survey and account for student interest in […]

Social Media and the Capital Campaign

During the recession, many institutions scaled back their campaign goals and timelines, but as donors begin to bounce back (a new study (subscription required) finds that 4 in 5 donors intend to give as much if not more to nonprofits in 2011 as they did in 2010), some institutions are considering more ambitious efforts. For example, the University of Colorado has just launched its $1.5 billion capital campaign (although without a projected finish date). If your institution is preparing for a campaign as the economy (and donors) bounce back, it will be important to consider thoughtfully — and as early as possible — how you will make use of social and interactive media channels and tools to support your campaign goals. This week we interviewed Rob Moore, president of Lipman Hearne and a nationally-recognized expert on branding and marketing in higher education, to learn more about some of the opportunities and caveats in the use of social media for campaign branding and messaging. AI: Rob, what is the first thing you would want to tell fundraisers about the use of social media in branding a capital campaign? Rob Moore: Know where it is useful. It’s important not to oversell social media. There’s a […]

Recruiting and Admitting First-Generation Students

A 2011 Chronicle of Higher Education review of federal data found that less than 15 percent of undergraduates at the 50 colleges and universities — both public and private — with the largest endowments received Pell Grants in 2008-09; the findings gathered considerable attention in the media because of the conclusion that America’s most selective schools are finding only slow improvement in bringing in more lower-income students. It’s important to note, though, that many four-year institutions of varying size and selectivity struggle with how to effectively recruit and retain lower-income and first-generation students. In an interview with Academic Impressions this week, Mary Ontiveros, Colorado State University’s vice president for diversity, suggested four key steps to boosting the enrollment of lower-income, first-generation students in ways that not only admit them to your institution but also help set them up for success after they arrive: Educate your staff about the challenges first-gen students face Form a first-gen faculty outreach group Engage in proactive outreach to local high schools Provide resources for parents of first-generation students Educate Your Staff about Challenges First-Gen Students Face “Too many institutions don’t recognize the extent to which first-gen students are really at a disadvantage. We’ve completed research […]

Greening Your Dining Services: Key Opportunities

A quick scan of the nation’s media will show a plethora of stories about institutions adopting practices such as trayless dining and — in some cases — composting or purchasing of local and organic food. Dining services professionals continue to face pressure from student groups and administrators to “green” their operations, work with local farmers, and reduce waste emissions; yet few institutions have taken a comprehensive approach to sustainable dining, moving beyond going trayless to making a substantive impact on the campus’ carbon footprint. To identify some low-cost opportunities and learn more about how dining services professionals can think comprehensively about greening dining services, we turned to one of the forerunners in this area — Nell Fry, the sustainability coordinator for Georgia Tech’s dining services. Here is Fry’s advice. Understand Your Footprint “Where to start: think about your carbon footprint as a dining services operation on campus. With all the equipment and water we’re using, often a dining services operation can have five times the footprint of anywhere else on campus.” Nell Fry, Georgia Tech “Trayless and composting are very good and easy first steps,” Fry suggests, “but there are lots of easy, simple, and inexpensive next steps you can take. Look at […]

A Strategic Road Map for Campus Sustainability Efforts

Recent stats from The Princeton Review indicate that 69 percent of college applicants now cite as a factor in their college choice an institution’s level of commitment to environmental sustainability. Higher education institutions in the US and globally are recognizing the importance of sustainability, but many struggle with knowing where to begin or how to develop the grassroots initiatives already in play. The media is filled with stories of institutions adopting various one-off programs, from trayless dining to student-directed recycling programs to “green” capital projects and energy efficiency measures. However, few institutions have established an institution-wide strategy for directing investments in sustainability in ways that have positive and measurable impact on key measures of institutional health (such as cost savings, student recruitment and retention, and alumni/donor engagement) and that differentiate the institution from competing schools. “The campus sustainability movement has been gaining momentum for more than a decade, and yet it still adds up to little more than an itemized list of ad hoc actions taken in the areas of curriculum, research, facilities, campus operations, and community outreach. These actions are many times implemented without an overarching strategic model that guides and informs appropriate sequencing or rationale. It’s time for […]

Supporting International Student Success

A recent preliminary survey conducted by three researchers — Peter Mather, an Ohio University assistant professor of higher education and student affairs; Bethany Schweitzer, a recent Ohio University doctoral graduate; and Gunter Morson, head of higher education and careers at England’s CATS College — revealed that while most international students feel welcomed and at home on their college campuses, many have a low sense of belonging in the US generally and face challenges in making the transition to American culture. These same students voice concern over the lack of support from the institution in making that transition. One student remarked about the international student services available, “The office helped in all administrative matters, but nothing more. Please, do not get me wrong: they were very helpful, but they did not help in my transition from Mexican to American culture.” Other students cited feelings of isolation and culture shock, as well as difficulties adjusting to the social expectations of the American classroom. The survey results, though taken from a small sample, raise interesting questions. As more colleges and universities feeling the pressure of budget cuts make significant investments in recruiting and admitting international students, what steps can they take to ensure that […]

Safety and Risk Management Training for Faculty Leading Study Abroad: Part 2

Recent international crises have prompted evacuations of American and Canadian students studying abroad, and have lent some urgency to reviewing risk management for study abroad programs. One area needing particular attention is the role of faculty who are on the ground leading study abroad programs overseas. Trained in scholarship and pedagogy, these program leaders may be unaware of what additional safety and risk management training they may need in order to lead students overseas — and many institutions offer little clarity of faculty members’ roles while abroad. This week, we turned to Margaret Wiedenhoeft, associate director of the Center for International Programs at Kalamazoo College (who manages study abroad programs in China, France, India, Italy, Germany, Spain, and Thailand), to ask for a checklist of questions faculty leading study abroad need to have answers to, informed by lessons learned from recent overseas crises. Checklist of Safety Questions Wiedenhoeft advises that faculty leaders of study abroad programs need to be equipped with ready answers to a series of safety and risk management questions: What is the faculty member’s role while overseas, and what specific responsibilities do they have beyond delivery of the academic content of the program? “Make expectations explicit,” Wiedenhoeft […]

Helping Veteran Students Succeed

April 14, 2011. Veteran students represent a growing demographic of college students, and that demographic is likely to grow further as more military members return to the states from the overseas wars in the Iraq and Afghanistan, seeking college degrees and transitions into the civilian workforce. Yet veterans (and military students in general) face unique challenges in the transition from combat to the classroom, and colleges and universities face continuing challenges in supporting veteran students and integrating them effectively into the campus community. Two challenges in particular stand out: Many veterans continue to feel isolated on college campuses Many veterans face confusion over their GI Bill benefits Both of these challenges impact the likelihood of retention and degree completion. The first is an obstacle to securing peer support that would improve academic performance, and the second is a barrier to the financial viability of degree completion. An article in USA Today this week highlighted some of the measures colleges are taking to make their campuses “military-friendly” — measures such as peer mentoring programs, special orientation sessions, and establishing veterans centers on campus. To learn more about where colleges can see the greatest impact on academic performance and retention for veteran students, we […]

Recruiting Students: Five Tips for Making the Most of Facebook

April 14, 2011. In our January – February 2011 edition of Higher Ed Impact: Monthly Diagnostic, which identified opportunities for using social media to move the needle on key objectives in student recruitment, student engagement, and fundraising, we highlighted the ethnographic research of danah boyd (sic), a social media researcher with Microsoft Research New England and a fellow at Harvard University’s Berkman Center for Internet and Society. Among other findings, boyd noted that young adults use Facebook not to build or expand their personal or professional network (as, for example, adults in their 20s and 30s use LinkedIn), but to connect with their pre-existing network of friends and social contacts. This has implications for how institutions leverage Facebook for recruiting. A lot of institutions have invested in posting large amounts of content to Facebook pages that are designed to interest prospective students in the campus community, invite them to subscribe, and build networks of prospects and applicants. More efficient and effective uses of Facebook, however, use smaller amounts of very targeted content to get prospects conversing with their current network about the institution, sharing information, or completing specific tasks. To learn more about how institutions can make the most out of Facebook for recruiting students, […]