A State College Begins to Transform Its Curriculum

When Stephen R. Portch became chancellor of the University System of Georgia in 1994 he traveled the state, hearing the same pitch, again and again: Georgia needed a public liberal-arts college. In 1996 the regents designated Georgia College & State University, a regional institution in Milledgeville, the state's antebellum capital and home of the writer Flannery O'Connor, as Georgia's public liberal-arts college. Actually transforming it into one has been a slower process.

Full text article by Karin Fischer is available via The Chronicle of Higher Education, 2/28/10.

Baylor U. to Receive $200-Million Bequest for the Study of Aging

A graduate of Baylor University has pledged to leave a bequest with an estimated value of $200-million to the university for the study of aging, Baylor announced on Thursday. When received, it would be the university's largest donation. The gift will finance research in the College of Arts and Sciences, the School of Social Work, and other university programs. The university, in Waco, Tex., said the interdisciplinary nature of the gift would contribute to a holistic study of aging, including the physical, psychological, social, emotional, and spiritual needs of the aging population.

Full text article by Kathryn Masterson is available via The Chronicle of Higher Education, 3/4/10.

Alumnus gives University of Nebraska-Lincoln $20 million

A Texas cattle baron and University of Nebraska alumnus has pledged $20-million to support the institution's agribusiness curriculum. The gift from the Paul F. and Virginia J. Engler Foundation, in Amarlllo, Tex., is the largest ever for the Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources at the university's flagship Lincoln campus. Mr. Engler, a Nebraska native and 1951 graduate of the school, runs Cactus Feeders, the country's second-largest cattle-feeding operation.

Full text article by Art Hovey is available via Lincoln Journal Star, 3/1/10.

Washington state foundations suggest changing nonprofit funding methods

A study commissioned by seven of Washington State's leading foundations recommends that grant makers support charities' administrative and operating needs rather than just financing specific programs. Such an approach would help nonprofit organizations better weather tough economic times and strengthen the field over the long term, according to the report

Full text article by Clay Holtzman is available via Puget Sound Business Journal, 2/26/10.

Oil Tycoon Pledges $100-Million to Oklahoma State U.

T. Boone Pickens, the founder of the investment firm BP Capital Management, has pledged $100-million to Oklahoma State University to establish a scholarship endowment. With this pledge, Mr. Pickens has committed nearly a half-billion dollars to the university.

Full text article by Maria Di Mento is available via The Chronicle of Philanthropy, 2/26/10.

Kenneth Starr Named Baylor University President

Baylor University today named Kenneth W. Starr, the former independent counsel who investigated allegations of misconduct by President Bill Clinton, as its new president.
The appointment at Baylor, the world's largest Baptist university, will take effect June 1.

Full text article by Nathan Black is available via The Christian Post, 2/16/10.

Wal-Mart's $10-Million Diplomas

Students quit college for all kinds of reasons. They can't pay; they have to work; they struggle academically. When they're the first in their families to pursue higher education, the hurdles can seem higher. Just getting to college does not guarantee success. Numerous studies have found that first-generation students are much less likely to graduate. They enroll less prepared and less confident than their classmates whose parents have degrees, and their performance is worse, according to data from the Higher Education Research Institute and the U.S. Education Department.

Full text article by Sara Lipka is available via The Chronicle of Higher Education, 2/14/10.

Zionist group urges donors, students to forgo UC Irvine after tension with Muslim students

A pro-Israel advocacy organization is asking donors to stop contributing and would-be students to stop applying to the University of California, Irvine, amid growing tension between Jewish and Muslim students. In a statement Tuesday, the Zionist Organization of America, in New York, blasted Chancellor Michael Drake for not condemning what the group characterizes as anti-Semitic speech on campus and discriminatory actions by the school's Muslim Student Union.

Full text article by Gillian Flaccus is available via The Associated Press, 2/17/10.

Bachelors of Arts in Philanthropic Studies

Students who want to change the world and make their passion their profession can earn a new degree that prepares them to do just that starting in fall 2010. The Center on Philanthropy is launching the nation's first Bachelor of Arts in Philanthropic Studies degree, which will be offered through the IU School of Liberal Arts at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis, where the Center is headquartered. The program will help build the future of the nonprofit sector by attracting more students to choose a career in philanthropy and developing new professionals equipped with the knowledge and hands-on experience needed to succeed in entry-level positions in philanthropy and nonprofit organizations.

Full text article is available via The Center of Philanthropy at Indiana University Press Release, 2/15/10.

Teach for America's federal funds threatened by grant competition proposal

Officials of Teach for America, the nonprofit program that trains recent college graduates for teaching jobs in many of the country's most-troubled public schools, are worried that a new Obama administration proposal could mean the loss of some of the $18-million in federal money it currently receives. The plan would end the practice of earmarking money specifically for Teach for America and would add the money to a bigger pot designated for teacher training and recruitment and distributed as part of a competitive grants process.

Full text article by Nick Anderson is available via The Washington Post, 2/11/10.

Expecting a Surge in U.S. Medical Schools

The Commonwealth Medical College in Scranton, Pennsylvania is one of nearly two dozen medical schools that have recently opened or might open across the country, the most at any time since the 1960s and ’70s. These new schools are seeking to address an imbalance in American medicine that has been growing for a quarter century. Many bright students were fleeing to offshore medical schools, or giving up hope entirely, when they could not get into domestic schools.
Full text article by Anemona Hartocollis is available via The New York Times, 2/14/10.

Mystery Abounds as U. of North Texas Regents Accept President's Resignation

The University of North Texas system's Board of Regents on Friday voted to accept the resignation of President Gretchen M. Bataille after an emotionally charged meeting in which about a dozen students and faculty members urged the regents to keep her on. The vote was 7 to 2.

Full text article by Katherine Mangan is available via The Chronicle of Higher Education, 2/12/10.

Investor Groups May Be Nonprofit Colleges' Next Saviors

Nonprofit colleges in financial trouble have options other than merging, shutting down, or, as was the case for institutions like the College of Santa Fe and Daniel Webster, Kendall, and Waldorf Colleges, selling themselves to for-profit higher-education companies. With so many private investors now looking to get a piece of the higher-education action—and especially, to get in on the boom in distance education— institutions, whether ailing or not, have growing opportunities to form joint ventures with private investors.
Full text article by Goldie Blumenstyk is available via The Chronicle of Higher Education, 2/2/10.

Radio host’s remarks cost University of Central Missouri a big benefactor

The University of Central Missouri had a strong friend in Benoit Wesly. The Dutch entrepreneur funded scholarships. An endowed chair in the business department was about to be created. Wesly’s money built the 80-foot Maastricht Friendship Tower, a campus landmark since 1998. Now, after 20 years, Wesly has withdrawn his support because of an on-air remark by a Warrensburg radio personality who is affiliated with the university.

Full text article by Mara Rose Williams is available via The Kansas City Star, 2/1/10.

University Fund Raising Suffers Record Drop

With a battered economy and volatile financial markets taking their tolls on donors' pocketbooks, private giving to American colleges dropped sharply in 2009, according to findings of the annual Voluntary Support of Education survey, which were released on Wednesday. Donations were down $3.75-billion from the previous year—a decline of 11.9 percent, the steepest in the survey's 50-year history. Colleges brought in an estimated $27.85-billion in gifts in the 2009 fiscal year, according to the survey, which included 1,027 institutions and was conducted by the Council for Aid to Education. The year before, colleges raised $31.6-billion, which was the highest total ever reported in the survey. In 2009, alumni participation dropped to a record low, and the size of the average alumni gift was down, too.
Full text article by Kathryn Masterson is available via The Chronicle of Higher Education, 2/3/10.

Leader of nation's biggest campus wants to change rules that govern granting of tenure

The leader of the country's largest university thinks it's time to re-examine how professors are awarded tenure, a type of job-for-life protection virtually unknown outside academia. Ohio State University President Gordon Gee says the traditional formula that rewards publishing in scholarly journals over excellence in teaching and other contributions is outdated and too often favors the quantity of a professor's output over quality.

Full text article by Andrew Welsh-Huggins is available via the Los Angeles Times, 2/4/10.

Tuition-Free University Gains a Following

A nonprofit, tuition-free online university started by an Israeli entrepreneur last year has attracted 300 students and is seeking to carve out a niche in the largely commercial online-education field. The University of the People began classes in September with students from nearly 50 countries, mostly in the developing world. Shai Reshef, a veteran of Internet-based educational ventures, has won the backing of the United Nations for the project, which recently announced a research partnership with Yale University.

Full text article by Alison Damast is available via Business Week, 1/24/10.

After 10 Years, Federal Money for Technology in Education

A national trust to funnel federal funds into programs to help schools, libraries, and museums tap into emerging digital technologies will be introduced Monday after nearly a decade in the making. The National Center for Research in Advanced Information and Digital Technologies grew out of a 2001 recommendation by Lawrence K. Grossman, a former network-news executive, and Newton N. Minow, former chairman of the Federal Communications Commission. It could begin distributing grants by fall.

Full text article by Elizabeth Jensen is available via The New York Times, 1/24/10.

Average Return on Endowment Investments Is Worst in Almost 40 Years

College endowments lost an average of 18.7 percent on their investments last year, the worst showing by far in the nearly 40-year history of the National Association of College and University Business Officers' annual survey.

Full text article by Goldie Blumenstyk is available via The Chronicle of Higher Education, 1/28/10.

Minnesota Colleges Find Diverse Ways to Say 'Welcome'

A recruitment brochure printed in nine languages? Public and private colleges alike are working to attract a multicultural student population. When politicians and education leaders talk about demographic shifts, people usually think of Texas and California. But for decades Minnesota, especially the Minneapolis area, has had growing Asian and African immigrant populations, who are now being joined by Latin Americans. In all, the state's immigrant population has nearly doubled since 2000, according to the State Demographic Center.

Full text article by Emma L. Carew is available via The Chronicle of Higher Education, 1/17/10.

At State U. of Haiti, Officials Count Their Losses and Mourn Their Dead

As rescue workers struggle to provide food and medical care to survivors of Haiti's devastating earthquake last week, administrators at the State University of Haiti are mourning their dead while working to assess the damage to the country's main institution of higher education.

Full text article by Marion Lloyd is available via The Chronicle of Higher Education, 1/22/10.

Using a Pfizer Grant, Courses Aim to Avoid Bias

Stanford University is expected to unveil plans today to develop new, bias-free programs of continuing medical education for doctors. The work is being made possible by a $3-million grant from the drug maker Pfizer. The university announced in 2008 that it would severely restrict industry support for medical education in order to avoid conflicts of interest. Adriane Fugh-Berman, a Georgetown University medical professor, called the announcement "self-satirizing." But Stanford's medical dean, Philip Pizzo, said he understood the skepticism about whether an industry-backed approach could be free of bias, but asserted that Pfizer would have no say in how the grant was used.

Full text article by Duff Wilson is available via The New York Times, 1/11/10.

U. of Virginia Names Michigan Provost as Its New President

Teresa A. Sullivan, provost and executive vice president for academic affairs at the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor, will become the president of the University of Virginia on August 1 when John T. Casteen III retires, the university announced Monday. Ms. Sullivan will be Virginia's first female president and its eighth over all.

Full text article by Kathryn Masterson is available via The Chronicle of Higher Education, 1/11/10.

Drexel U. Brings On a New Wave of Applicants

With its "VIP Application," Drexel University set out to attract more students and enroll more. Amid a sea of paper, the plan is working. Admissions decision making has traditionally been a slow process, something that has added to the field's mystique. But early-answer programs show that the wheels can turn faster if need be.

Full text article by Eric Hoover is available via The Chronicle of Higher Education, 1/10/10.

Harvard University Audited as Part of IRS Probe of Nonprofits

Harvard University is among 40 academic institutions that will undergo federal audits this year in conjunction with an Internal Revenue Service review of nonprofit organizations’ tax-exempt status. The IRS sent questionnaires to 400 institutions of higher education in October 2008 seeking information on their fiscal management, investments, and use of endowment funds. The agency is looking into whether colleges’ tax exemptions should apply to income from activities not directly tied to their educational mission.

Full text article by Michael McDonald and John Lauerman is available via Bloomberg, 1/11/10.

Powerball winner gives $10M to Morris College

A South Carolina pastor who won a $260-million lottery jackpot last summer has donated $10-million to Morris College, a historically black Baptist institution. The Rev. Solomon Jackson Jr. announced the gift January 7 at the Sumter, S.C., campus. Morris officials said the gift, the largest in the 102-year-old college’s history, would be used to endow scholarships and build and repair dormitories, among other things.

Full text article by Wayne Washington is available via The State, 1/8/10.

University endowments fall 19 percent

While university endowments' average investment return was negative 19 percent for fiscal 2009, the toll would have been worse without the slight late-year rebound, a new study says. Last year's performance brings the 10-year average return, net of fees, to 4.2 percent, say preliminary data from a survey by the National Association College and University Business Officers and Commonfund.
Full text article is available via the Philanthropy Journal, 1/6/10.

Carnegie Foundation Calls for 'Radical Transformation' of Nursing Education

Nursing-education programs need to undergo sweeping change to remedy a severe shortage of nurses and stop producing undergraduates who are poorly prepared to deal with profound changes in science, technology, and the nature of their work, according to the results of a national study released Wednesday by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching.
Full text article by Peter Schmidt is available via The Chronicle of Higher Education, 1/6/10.

Update on Billion-Dollar Campaigns at 33 Universities

The 33 American universities that are seeking to raise at least $1-billion collected a total of $540.6-million in gifts and pledges in the month ending November 30, the latest period with results available. The campaign with the largest gain in that month was Cornell University, with $88.8-million.

Full text article by Marisa López-Rivera is available via The Chronicle of Higher Education, 1/7/10.

A Test of Leadership

When the history of American higher education in the 21st century is written, I suspect the end of the first decade will be known for two resounding themes: the growing importance of community colleges, and a move from college access to a focus on college success. The vocabulary of this important time centers on words like efficiency, productivity, and effectiveness. These are terms that, thanks in no small part to the work of foundations like Lumina and Gates, finally have traction among both administrators and consumers of higher ed. In a very real sense, this is nothing less than astounding progress for an institution built primarily to enroll students privileged enough to attend college -- and not necessarily to graduate them.
Full text article by Sara Goldrick-Rab is available via The Chronicle of Higher Education, 12/28/09.

Departing UVa President Will Help Raise Money for Community-College Students

When John T. Casteen III retires in August after 20 years as president of the University of Virginia, his days of college fund raising will not be over. Mr. Casteen, who helped the University of Virginia raise more than $2-billion in its current campaign, has agreed to help raise money for the state's community colleges.

Full text article by Kathryn Masterson is available via The Chronicle of Higher Education, 12/17/09.

IUP's Atwater replies to APSCUF vote

Faculty members at Indiana University of Pennsylvania have voted overwhelmingly for a resolution of no confidence in the institution's president, Tony Atwater. According to a statement issued by the campus chapter of the Association of Pennsylvania State College and University Faculties, the faculty union, more than 86 percent of the 777 eligible faculty members voted, and 85 percent of them (568) voted no confidence. The resolution cited Mr. Atwater for disregarding shared governance, overspending despite budget constraints, and an alienating leadership style.
Full text article is available via The Indiana Gazette, 12/18/09.

Survey of College Finances Finds Good Stewardship, but Some Possible Red Flags

Colleges are playing by the rules in their financial affairs and are generally being good stewards of their resources, concludes a new report by two higher-education associations that reviewed the financial data nearly 150 institutions recently submitted to the Internal Revenue Service.

Full text article by Eric Kelderman is available via The Chronicle of Higher Education, 12/17/09.

Harvard Swaps Are So Toxic Even Summers Won’t Explain

Harvard University paid almost $1-billion last year, much of it borrowed, to end agreements it made in 2004 to lock in interest rates on the bonds the university was using to finance a major expansion. The $2.3-billion bond deal for construction in Allston, Mass., near the university’s Cambridge campus, represented a bet that interest rates would rise, but instead central banks slashed rates to zero amid the credit crunch and the value of the contracts nosedived. Harvard suspended work last week on the $1-billion science building that was the expansion’s centerpiece. “For nonprofits, this is going to be written up as a case study of what not to do,” said Mark Williams, a Boston University professor of finance.

Full text article by Michael McDonald, John Lauerman and Gillian Wee is available via Blomberg, 12/18/09.

$30 million Danforth Foundation grant will fund Wash U studies on religion and politics

Former Senator John C. Danforth’s foundation has endowed a center for the study of religion and politics at St. Louis’s Washington University. The $30-million gift will support five new faculty members, including a permanent director for the center. The new entity, set to open next month, will aim to deepen understanding of the ties between faith and politics and encourage a civil discourse on the subject, according to Mark Wrighton, the university’s chancellor.

Full text article by Bill Lambrecht is available via the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, 12/16/09.

Ivy League's Budget Cuts Minimize the Pain

The cuts at Harvard were dictated by a record 30-percent drop in its endowment over the past year. Yale University's endowment has fallen about as much, and Princeton University's loss isn't far behind, at 22.7 percent. The losses have cost the elite universities tens of billions of dollars and gained them lots of press.

Full text article by Robin Wilson is available via The Chronicle of Higher Education, 12/6/09.

Endowment Investments Returned Negative 19 Percent Last Year for Some 500 Colleges

The average investment return for more than 500 colleges and university endowments was minus-19 percent for the fiscal year ending June 30, according to the preliminary annual report on endowments by the National Association of College and University Business Officers and the Commonfund Institute. The figure was a slight improvement over the minus-22.5 percent average return for 435 institutions over the first five months of the 2009 fiscal year but an unusually big loss for the year. Since 2000, there were only two other years when average endowment returns were negative: 2001, when the average return was minus-3.6 percent, and 2002, when it was minus-6 percent.

Full text article by Goldie Blumenstyk is available via The Chronicle of Higher Education, 12/10/09.

Harvard Law School Suspends Program Giving Students Free Tuition

Harvard University’s law school is suspending its offer to waive tuition for students who promise to spend five years working for nonprofit groups or the government, citing economic pressures and the program’s surprising popularity. Nearly twice as many students as expected applied for the waiver, introduced two years ago. Martha Minow, the law school’s dean, said the program “was always an experiment,” adding that “what we found is that we had less trouble than we thought encouraging” students to pursue public-interest positions.
Full text article by Tamar Lewin is available via The New York Times, 12/2/09.

Hofstra U. Is 2nd University in 2 Weeks to Drop Its Football Team

Hofstra University has eliminated its football program and will redirect the team's $4.5-million budget toward new academic ventures and need-based scholarships, the university's president said today, echoing a similar announcement last week at Northeastern University. The Hofstra team suffered from low attendance and flagging interest among students and the local community, and financial support was dwindling, the president, Stuart Rabinowitz, said in a letter to the university. He called the decision a "strategically driven reallocation of resources."

Full text article by Libby Sander is available via The Chronicle of Higher Education, 12/3/09.

Pittsburgh Pushes Tax on College Students

A proposal to levy a 1 percent tuition tax on students at Pittsburgh colleges and universities threatens to drive a wedge between the city and the institutions credited with playing a major role in its transformation from an industrial to an education and medical center. Backers say the tax, which would add an estimated $16-million to the strapped city’s coffers, is a relatively small charge for the police, fire, and other services provided to Pittsburgh’s estimated 85,000 college students. Officials say the money would help the city narrow a pension-fund shortfall and keep library branches open. The Pittsburgh Council on Higher Education, which represents 10 local colleges, says the institutions inject millions into the city’s economy and that tens of thousands of students who live in Pittsburgh already pay parking, commuter, and entertainment taxes. The council is lobbying Pennsylvania legislators to adopt a statewide ban on tuition taxes.

Full text article by Kris Maher is available via The Wall Street Journal, 12/1/09.

College Campaigns Meet Monetary Goals, Despite Bad Economy

Most capital campaigns by colleges and universities that seek to raise $1-billion or more are on track to meet their goals, despite the bad economy, according to a new report. The findings differ from those of a study last spring by The Chronicle of Higher Education, which found that a dozen billion-dollar campaigns were raising about a third less money (down 32 percent) then they had the year before.
Full text article by Holly Hall is available via The Chronicle of Higher Education, 11/18/09.

Number of Foreign Students in U.S. Hit a New High Last Year

The number of foreign students attending American colleges hit an all-time high in 2008, capping three consecutive years of vigorous growth, according to new data from the Institute of International Education. Some 671,616 international students attended U.S. institutions in 2008-9, an increase of almost 8 percent from a year earlier. First-time-student enrollments grew even more robustly, by nearly 16 percent.

Full text article by Karin Fischer is available via The Chronicle of Higher Education, 11/16/09.

Best Practices for Prospect Research in Higher Education Fundraising

WealthEngine recently released Best Practices for Prospect Research in Higher Education Fundraising, the latest in their series on best practices reports. This 60+ page report is the culmination of a 5-month research initiative which included an in-depth survey of colleges and universities and qualitative interviews with development professionals.

The report outlines eight best practices, details five university case studies, and includes helpful return on investment worksheets to help you achieve success in your prospect research and overall development efforts.

You may download a free copy of the report at http://www.wealthengine.com/pub/bpEDUorder.jsp.

A Real-Life Lesson in Why Accountability Matters

New leadership seems to be making a difference at one of the nation's most troubled urban universities. Students at Chicago State University now walk across a campus that the institution has renovated, including improvements to a rundown dormitory and a new shuttle service in an attempt to make the campus more appealing.

Full text article by Goldie Blumenstyk is available via The Chronicle of Higher Education, 11/8/09.

Beset by Financial Woes, U. of New Orleans Considers Leaving Division I

After several years of mounting deficits in its athletics department, the chancellor of the University of New Orleans announced that the university was considering a move from the NCAA's Division I to Division III. A move to Division III would allow the Privateers to run a more "cost-effective" athletics program, the chancellor said, reversing his views from just a few months ago.

Full text article by Libby Sander is available via The Chronicle of Higher Education, 11/11/09.

Gates Foundation Awards $4-Million to Help 7 Cities Improve College-Completion Rates

In an effort to improve college-graduation rates, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has awarded $4-million in grants to seven cities and to the National League of Cities' Institute for Youth, Education, and Families. The grants, which were announced on Thursday, will be used to better coordinate services that colleges, public school systems, and communities provide to students.

Full text article by Jennifer Gonzalez is available via The Chronicle of Higher Education, 11/4/09.

A Growing Roman Catholic College Puts Its Faith in a Broadened Mission

Sacred Heart University has grown from a commuter college of 1,500 to a residential campus of more than 6,000. As it grew past being a commuter college, Sacred Heart developed academic programs meant to "catapult [itself] into the residential market," Vice President of Enrollment Mr. Barquinero says.

Full text article by Beckie Supiano is available via The Chronicle of Higher Education, 11/1/09.

Tech-career jolt of $4.5 million bound for nonprofit

The Washington-area branch of the national technology-training organization Year Up will get $4.5-million from a group of local philanthropic investors to expand its programs to prepare low-income students for tech careers. Year Up hopes to double the size of its Northern Virginia operation by 2013. The group helps 18- to 24-year-olds get college-level information-technology training and internships at area corporations.

Full text article by Susan Kinzie is available via The Washington Post, 11/9/09.

PILOT deal is on its way

Boston officials are nearing an agreement with large nonprofit organizations that could double or triple the amount the city collects in payments from them in lieu of taxes. City Councilor Steve Murphy said a pact could be ready within 90 days that would raise the payments from colleges and hospitals for local services from the current $15-million a year to between $32-million and $46-million.

Full text article by John Ruch is available via the Jamaica Plain Gazette, 11/6/09.

Ford Foundation Commits $100-Million to Change Public Education

The Ford Foundation has pledged $100-million over seven years to support efforts to improve American public education. The New York philanthropic fund said the money will go to “reformers whose visions of a just and fair public-schooling system can galvanize all the players — parents, students, teachers, and community leaders, as well as scholars and policy experts.”

Full text article by Ian Wilhelm is available via The Chronicle of Philanthropy, 11/4/09.

College Leaders Offer Blunt Advice for Campuses Hit by Hard Times

Speakers at a leadership forum sponsored by the TIAA-CREF Institute called on public colleges to become more creative, efficient, and entrepreneurial. "The bigger issue is that most colleges are too concerned with trying to compete for prestige rather than serve their students and their communities," said Cal State's chancellor, Charles B. Reed.

Full text article by Goldie Blumenstyk is available via The Chronicle of Higher Education, 11/5/09.

Online Education, Growing Fast, Eyes the Truly 'Big Time'

Online education is a runaway best seller. At a growth rate of 12.9 percent, online education dwarfs the overall pace of academe’s student expansion. More than 25 percent of all students may have taken at least one online class this year, according to a speculative estimate suggested at a distance-education conference that wraps up here today.

Full text of the article by Marc Parry is available via The Chronicle of Higher Education, 10/30/09.

The Power of Race

New research on admissions at elite colleges shows the role of affirmative action, the extent and limits of cross-racial interaction among students, and significant gaps in academic performance. Based on these findings, and the reality that some states have barred affirmative action and that the U.S. Supreme Court's blessing for consideration of race in admissions came with a 25-year time limit, the authors suggest that it's time for a massive federally supported effort, equivalent in intensity to the Manhattan Project, to determine the source of academic achievement gaps and to develop plans to shrink them.

Full text post by Scott Jaschik is available via Inside Higher Ed, 11/3/09.

Lumina Foundation for Education Awards $4.5 Million to Minority-Serving Institutions

The Indianapolis-based Lumina Foundation for Education has announced nine grants totaling $4.5 million to foster models of success among minority-serving institutions (MSIs). Grants were awarded to organizations working to improve the capacity of MSIs to collect, analyze, and use data to inform decisions that promote student success; create a collective voice for policy advocacy on behalf of MSIs; strengthen policy and practice to improve developmental education; increase MSIs' commitment to transparency and effectiveness in improving student learning outcomes; and increase postsecondary completion rates for traditionally underserved students, especially men of color.

Full-text post is available via Philanthropy News Digest, 11/3/09.

Paychecks Top More Than $1-Million for 23 Private-College Presidents

Shirley Ann Jackson, president of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and the highest-paid private-college leader in this year's survey, joins 22 other private-college presidents with compensation above $1-million, according to an annual survey of the compensation packages of private-college chiefs (a companion survey of public-college presidents will be released in January). A total of 110 presidents of the 419 private colleges included in the analysis reported total compensation of more than $500,000.

Full-text post by Emma L. Carew and Paul Fain is available via The Chronicle of Higher Education, 11/1/09.

Fresh Surge of Flu Cases and Vaccine Shortages Raise Anxiety on Campuses

College campuses experienced a surge in flu cases last week just as vaccine shortages and delays were forcing many to postpone scheduled shot clinics, the American College Health Association reported on Wednesday. Some of the increases in what the association called "influenza-like illnesses"—widely thought to be the H1N1, popularly called swine flu—occurred in regions that had seemed to be recovering from severe outbreaks earlier this fall. The unexpected rebounds in the Southeast, Midwest, Mid-Atlantic, and Northeast have some health experts worried that the holiday season might bring some colleges a double dose of illness.

Full-text post by Katherine Mangan is available via The Chronicle of Higher Education, 10/28/09.

U. of Phoenix Expects to Spend Up to $80.5-Million in Settling Whistle-Blower Case

The parent company of the University of Phoenix expects to spend no more than $80.5-million to settle a contentious six-year-old whistle-blower lawsuit filed by two former admissions counselors, the company announced on Tuesday. While the amount could be a record settlement for an institution of higher education, the sum is far smaller than the $1.5-billion that the parties had hoped to collect for themselves and the federal government after accusing Phoenix of obtaining federal student-aid funds under false pretenses.

Full-text post by Goldie Blumenstyk is available via The Chronicle of Higher Education, 10/27/09.

Presidents Favor Reining In Athletics Costs but Feel Powerless to Effect Change

A majority of college presidents at the nation's largest athletics programs favor sweeping change to contain the escalating costs associated with big-time college sports, but are hard-pressed to identify an entity that can achieve it. Those are among the key findings of a new report on the financing of major-college athletics programs that was issued on Monday by the Knight Commission on Intercollegiate Athletics. The report was based on a survey of 95 college presidents in the National Collegiate Athletic Association's most competitive grouping and was conducted last spring. The report also includes comments based on interviews with nearly a quarter of the campus leaders surveyed.

Full-text post by Libby Sander is available via The Chronicle of Higher Education, 10/26/09.

Troubled Barber-Scotia College Seeks Revival

Barber-Scotia, a four-year college here, is on the edge of extinction. The college lost its accreditation in 2004, and total enrollment is down to a dozen, 10 of whom are first-year students. The historically black college, which is affiliated with the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), is saddled with nearly $11-million in debt and can afford neither to maintain many of the buildings on its historic campus nor to tear them down. Its supporters, however, are trying to resuscitate the college.
Full-text post by Eric Kelderman is available via The Chronicle of Higher Education, 10/18/09.

Online College Access Comes at a High Price for Students, Survey Says

Online programs are expanding access to education, but a survey reveals new details about the cost of that access, suggesting that students enrolled in online programs may pay higher fees than their on-campus counterparts. The report found that, at nearly half of the 182 institutions surveyed, tuition for online students is often higher than for on-campus students. Students in some online programs may face bills that are 10 percent or more than those in parallel face-to-face programs.



Full-text post by Marc Parry is available via The Chronicle of Higher Education, 10/22/09.

Fulbright Program Adapts to Obama Administration's Priorities

The Fulbright Program, run by the U.S. Department of State, has always straddled the worlds of academe and public policy. Tailored to enhance both the international interests of the United States and the scholarship it supports, the program is sending 1,551 students and 1,250 scholars abroad this academic year. Now, with a new administration in place, the State Department is reviewing the disciplines and areas of the world on which it wishes to focus, with an eye toward putting President Obama's stamp on the program.

Full-text post by Beth McMurtrie is available via The Chronicle of Higher Education, 10/18/09.

The State of College Admissions: Full of Uncertainty

As the number of college applicants and applications have gone up, many colleges have seen other things go down, including their acceptance rates, their "yield" rates, and their confidence in predicting enrollment outcomes. A new report from the National Association for College Admission Counseling puts that trend in context. For the fourth straight year, about three-quarters of four-year colleges and universities saw an increase in applications over the previous year, says the report, which examined the admissions cycle for freshmen who enrolled in the fall of 2008. Twenty-two percent of those applicants had submitted seven or more applications, up from 19 percent in 2007.
Full-text post by Eric Hoover is available via The Chronicle of Higher Education, 10/20/09.

[Your Name Here] Chair of Economics

The New York Times reports on named giving opportunities at Harvard Law School. A gift of $4 million, for example, enables the donor to imprint a name on a newly endowed professorship. The amount for a named professorship is about the same at Princeton, according to a donation wish list that a Princeton official sent me last year.

Full-text post by Catherine Rampell is available via The New York Times, 10/15/09.

Regular Checkups of Green Buildings Can Yield Millions in Savings

Some universities have begun to hire energy consultants to go through campus buildings to look for inefficiencies. Experts say regular checkups on the buildings could save colleges thousands or even millions of dollars a year. And while such maintenance has so far been optional, LEED officials are considering a proposal that would necessitate more-frequent monitoring of building systems.

Full-text post by Scott Carlson is available via The Chronicle of Higher Education, 10/12/09.

NCSU sacks head of alumni association

The interim chancellor of North Carolina State University has fired Lennie Barton, associate vice chancellor for alumni relations, citing stagnant alumni-association membership and problems with the association's finances. Supporters of Mr. Barton believe his firing had more to do with the publication of an article in the university's alumni magazine that took a critical look at the university's role in a recent scandal over the hiring of the governor's wife.

Full-text post by Jay Price is available via The News & Observer, 10/13/09.

Community Colleges Begin $1-Million Project to Improve Graduation Rates

With money from two foundations, eight two-year colleges are starting a pilot project to produce more graduates at a lower cost per student. The project will begin by identifying a set of common data that community colleges need to collect to determine their effectiveness. The project's goal is to have a voluntary accountability system in 20 community colleges by 2011.

Full-text post by Eric Kelderman is available via The Chronicle of Higher Education, 10/6/09.

Updates on Billion-Dollar Campaigns at 32 Institutions

There are 32 American universities that are seeking to raise at least $1-billion and these schools collected a total of $244-million in gifts and pledges during the last month for which they had data available. The campaign with the largest gain in the last month is the University of Illinois system, with $20-million. Each university is recognized, along with its most recent total, last month's increase, the original goal, and the planned completion date.

Full-text post by Marisa Lopez-Rivera is available via The Chronicle of Higher Education, 10/4/09.

America Falling: Longtime Dominance in Education Erodes

The United States still leads the world in higher-education rankings, but the world is catching up. As American suffers from the worst recession in a generation, budget cuts threaten higher education at every level, as one result of this period of retrenchment is students stuck in overcrowded classes. In Asia, by contrast, some countries are investing in colleges to spur growth.

Full-text post by Karin Fischer is available via The Chronicle of Higher Education, 10/5/09.

Some States Substitute Stimulus Dollars for Their Own Education Aid, Inspector General Says

A provision in this year's economic-stimulus law aimed at preventing states from cutting their education budgets may be having the opposite effect, according to a new memorandum by the Education Department's Office of Inspector General. The memorandum urges the Education Department to track state spending on public education to determine whether the "maintenance of effort" requirement is backfiring and encouraging states to cut education spending. See, new memorandum.

Full-text post by Kelly Field is available via The Chronicle of Higher Education, 10/1/09.

Student Lenders, Fighting to Survive, Spend Millions to Lobby Congress

Between January 1, 2008, and the end of June 2009, the top 20 participants in the federal bank-based loan program spent nearly $14-million lobbying the federal government, some $3.1-million of it in the first half of this year alone. At the same time, they've showered members of the Congressional education committees with close to $600,000 in donations in an effort to persuade Congress to reject President Obama's plan to end bank-based student lending.

Full-text post by Kelly Field is available via The Chronicle of Higher Education, 9/28/09.

Recession’s impact felt less in campus coffers

Despite the down economy, area universities continue to bring in lots of donation dollars, as some donors express that the decision to give is “fairly simple.” In the fiscal year that ended June 30, four schools received cash, pledges and deferred gifts totaling more than $350 million. The University of Kansas even set a fundraising record.

Full-text post by Mara Rose Williams is available via The Kansas City Star, 9/20/09.

New Jersey Alleges Misuse of Funds by Stevens Institute of Technology's Leaders

The attorney general of New Jersey filed a 16-count civil complaint against the Stevens Institute of Technology, its president, and the chairman of its Board of Trustees charging that the college spent its endowment excessively, mishandled investments, failed to maintain accurate records, and gave too much money to its president. The state's lawsuit seeks the removal of the president and chairman and wants the defendants to repay Stevens's endowment.

Full-text post by Scott Carlson is available via The Chronicle of Higher Education, 9/17/09.

Record-setting year for Rutgers fundraising

Rutgers University collected more than $128 million in new gifts and pledges during 2008-09, a 6 percent increase over the previous year. Among the gifts was $13 million from an anonymous donor, the largest private donation in school history.

Full-text post by The Associated Press is available via Asbury Park Press, 9/17/09.

Name Change Follows Top Donor's Default on Pledge at Florida Atlantic U.

Florida Atlantic University will remove the name of an insurance magnate, Barry Kaye, from its business school after Mr. Kaye said he would not fulfill a $16-million pledge, which had been the university's largest, the Sun Sentinel and Palm Beach Post reported.

Full-text posting is available via The Chronicle of Higher Education, 7.30.09.

Lower Donations: Colleges, Universities Feel the Pain

Less than three weeks after their fiscal year ended, colleges and universities are sorting through the results of fundraising campaigns conducted during the worst recession since the Great Depression. Though the numbers are hardly catastrophic, many have seen declines in the smaller gifts used to cover annual expenses.

Full-text article by Childs Walker is available via The Baltimore Sun, 7.20.09.

Trustees Are More Engaged but Still Need Improvement, Survey Finds

College governing boards are becoming more effective and engaged, but still fall short in some areas, according to survey results released today by the Association of Governing Boards of Universities and Colleges.

Full-text article by Paul Fain is availabla via The Chronicle of Higher Education, 7.15.09. [Subscription required.]

Colleges Will See a Decline in Megagifts, Experts Predict

Speakers at the annual meeting of the Council for Advancement and Support of Education said that even when the economy recovers, the pace and number of big gifts to colleges will probably slow considerably. As a result, they said, major changes are needed in how campaigns are conducted to meet the challenges of the future.

Full-text article by Kathryn Masterson is available via The Chronicle of Higher Education, 7.13.09.

Update on Billion-Dollar Campaigns at 33 Universities

The universities collected a total of $387.5-million in gifts and pledges during the last month for which they had data available.

Full-text article by Marisa Lopez-Rivera is available via The Chronicle of Higher Education, 7.10.09. [Subscription required.]

How 5 Colleges Plan to Keep Growing in Hard Times

Momentum can stall in a time of diminished resources. For colleges on the fast track, leaders have shifted money around and made some hard choices to keep growing.

Full-text article by Kathryn Masterson is available via The Chronicle of Higher Education, 7.10.09. [Subcription required.]

Steering Clear of Hedge Funds, Small Universities' Endowments Are Losing Less

Small universities’ endowments did significantly better in the just-ended fiscal year than their larger, higher-profile peers, which plunged more deeply into alternative investments such as hedge funds.

Full-text article by Craig Karmin is available via The Wall Street Journal, 7.1.09.

Donor pledges $6M to Marian University

Marian University has received a $6 million pledge – the largest gift in the institution’s history – from a former trustee.

Full-text article by Kathleen McLaughlin is available via the Indianapolis Business Journal, 6.29.09.

Grandkids, Grandparents Have Grand Time at UNT

One of many programs spreading through US colleges, a University of North Texas (Denton, TX) program – in which grandchildren between 7 and 12 and their grandparents attend classes, sleep in a dormitory and attend a "graduation" luncheon – was a first for Texas. About 85 people signed up.

Full-text article by David Flick is available via The Dallas Morning News, 6.27.09.

Audit Rocking Kansas Higher Ed

The regents — with urging from Gov. Mark Parkinson — ordered audits of its universities, specifically to shine a light on the frequently shrouded workings of alumni associations, big-time sports corporations and inner-circle business deals.

Full-text article by Scott Rothschild is available via LJWorld.com, 6.28.09.

For Colleges Needing Cash, Summer’s No Longer a Quiet Season

In recent years, empty campuses have been recognized as potential cash cows, and colleges have tried to fill those once-sleepy weeks with enrichment workshops, for-credit courses, day camps, conferences, private parties and film shoots.

Full-text article by Lisa W. Foderaro is available via The New York Times, 6.21.09.

Dartmouth College Receives $50-Million Gift

Dartmouth College has received a $50-million donation from a family that wants to keep anonymous, the college reports. The gift is the largest in Dartmouth’s history.

Full-text press release is available via The Dartmouth News, 6.12.09.

Lawrence U Receives $10 Million Bequest

Lawrence University (Appleton, WI) has received a $10 million bequest from an anonymous donor; the $10 million future gift will support the college's endowment, including the establishment of a new endowed professorship in Lawrence's conservatory of music.

Full-text article is available via The Milwaukee Business Journal, 6.8.09.

Giving to Colleges and Other Charities Declines Nearly 6 Percent

Donations to education organizations and nearly every other type of charity faltered in 2008, as contributions declined by 5.7 percent last year after adjustment for inflation, according to the new edition of Giving USA, which is scheduled to be released this morning. It was the steepest decline in the history of the survey, which has been conducted since 1956.

Full-text article by Paula Wasley is available via the Chronicle of Higher Education, 6.10.09.

Moody's Warns of 'Sharp Deterioration' in College Finances

The latest report from Moody's Investors Service on private colleges shows that they are only now starting to feel the pinch of the recession and warns that a "sharp deterioration" is expected in the 2009 data.

Full-text article by Marc Beje is available via The Chronicle of Higher Education, 6.8.09. [Subscription required.]

U. of Colorado Freshmen Face New $70 Fee -- for Alumni Dues

The university's Class of 2013 will pay the lifetime membership fee when they enroll and, in turn, will get alumni's help with job placement and internships.

Full-text article by Marc Beja is available via The Chronicle of Higher Education, 6.8.09. [Subscription required.]

Thanks for Your Generosity. Now Can You Give Again?

As colleges grapple with declining endowments and increased financial needs, a growing number are asking their most generous supporters to dig even deeper.

Full-text article by Kathryn Masterson is available via The Chronicle of Higher Education, 6.5.09. [Subscription required.]

Update on Billion-Dollar Campaigns at 33 Universities

The universities collected a total of $403-million in gifts and pledges during the last month for which they had data available.

Full-text article by Marisa Lopez-Rivera is available via The Chronicle of Higher Education, 6.3.09. [Subscription required.]

Pimco’s Gross Says Harvard, Yale May Need to Alter Investments

Yale University and Harvard University may have to cut investments in hedge funds and private equity because the risks of holding the hard-to-sell assets outweigh the returns, said Bill Gross, co-chief investment officer of Pacific Investment Management Co.

Full-text article by Sree Vidya Bhaktavasalam and Gillian Wee is available via Bloomberg.com, 5.29.09.

Will Higher Education Be the Next Bubble to Burst?

The public has become all too aware of the term "bubble" to describe an asset that is irrationally and artificially overvalued and cannot be sustained. The dot-com bubble burst by 2000. More recently the overextended housing market collapsed, helping to trigger a credit meltdown. The stock market has declined more than 30 percent in the past year, as companies once considered flagship investments have withered in value.

Is it possible that higher education might be the next bubble to burst? Some early warnings suggest that it could be.

Full-text article by Joseph Marr Cronin and Howard E. Horton is available via The Chronicle of Higher Education, 5.22.09. [Subscription required.]

The Trouble with Public Colleges

Record applications. Soaring tuition. Tighter budgets. State U. may no longer be as great a deal or as easy a backup as it once was. Parents and kids, time to rethink your strategy.

Full-text article by Pat Regnier is available via CNN.com, 5.11.09.

Updates on Billion-Dollar Campaigns at 32 Universities

The 32 American universities that are seeking to raise at least $1-billion collected a total of $400.5-million in gifts and pledges during the last month for which they had data available.

Full-text article by Marisa Lopez-Rivera is available via The Chronicle of Higher Education, 5.6.09. [Subscription required.]

Colleges Take a New Look at the Role of Private Lenders

Colleges around the country are banking more heavily on increased support from the federal government to help students weather the financial aid storm; a recent survey by the research firm Student Lending Analytics found that 10.7% of colleges in the subsidized program are switching to direct federal lending for the 2009-10 academic year.

Full-text article is available via theday.com, 5.4.09.

Universities Cutting Teams as They Trim Their Budgets

After three decades of steady growth in the number of teams and student-athletes, colleges and universities large and small, private and public, east and west, are slashing millions of dollars from their sports budgets.

Full-text article by Ken Belson is available via The New York Times, 5.3.2009.

Grim Times Continue for Higher Education

Despite the promises made by the new Obama administration, the impact of America's collapsing economy continues to rattle the nation's higher education institutions. From the Ivy League universities to little-known colleges, falling revenues and the declining value of endowments have resulted in staff redundancies, cancellations of new building works and even cuts in enrollment numbers.

Full-text article by Leah Germain is available via University World News, 4.27.09.

Texas Baptists Cautious in Uncertain Economy

Texas Baptist churches and institutions report belt-tightening measures, but few are ready to push the panic button.

Full-text article by Ken Camp is available via The Baptist Standard, 4.16.09.

New Unrest on Campus as Donors Rebel

Financially strapped colleges are angering their benefactors by selling school radio stations, auctioning Georgia O'Keeffe paintings and dipping into endowments for purposes their donors may not have intended.

Full-text article by John Hechinger is available via The Wall Street Journal, 4.23.09.