Diverse Issues in Higher Education
August 03, 2018 Research, Student Success
A recent study reports that graduates lack soft skills such as emotional intelligence, complex reasoning and negotiation, and persuasion upon college graduation. As these skills are emphasized for successful applicants and employees in the work force, some universities are releasing extracurricular transcripts that demonstrate these skills to supplement a student’s academic performance.
Forbes
July 25, 2018 Enrollment Management Trends, Student Success
Community colleges are often seen as a gateway to achieve a bachelor’s degree for many first-generation, low-income students. However, new research from the American Talent Initiative highlights that more than 50,000 high-achieving, low-and moderate-income community college students do not transfer to four-year institutions each year. The Kaplan Educational Foundation provides insight from institutions dedicated to community college student success: transfer-friendly strategies, policies, and programs.
Chronicle of Higher Education
June 14, 2018 Research, Student Success
Two new reports by the Education Trust finds that states have a lot of work to do with regard to degree attainment for Black and Latino students. New Jersey was one six states with extreme gaps in degree attainment for Black students compared to their White peers. The Education Trust provides recommendations for states to close the attainment gap, including strategies that would assist adults who are well beyond high-school age. (Subscription required)
Inside Higher Ed
August 01, 2018 Enrollment Management Trends, Student Success
Conversations regarding increasing 4-year student completion rates has sparked debate on the effectiveness of incentivizing students to take more credits each semester. California currently provides one of the largest incentive programs in the country, offering a variety of grants to students who take 12-15 credits per semester. There is general consensus to focus efforts to move students through to graduation, and research of financial incentive programs has more often shown positive impacts; however, the debate is around how to best implement.
Inside Higher Ed
June 26, 2018 Research, Student Success
A new study by Campus Labs finds that first-generation college students are more engaged and committed to their education than their peers. The study challenges perceptions of first-generation college students including that they are unprepared or unsupported in their pursuit for a college education. First-generation college students scored higher than their peers in educational commitment, self-efficacy, and academic and campus engagement. They scored lower with respect to resiliency and social comfort, which are areas that institutions can potentially focus on to better support first-generation college students.
Fast Company
July 25, 2018 Student Success, Value and Affordability
New data from the University of California system shows that quality public education may still be one of the country’s most important economic equalizers. The study, which examined the UC system’s 2 million alumni and their trajectories after college, found that within 5 years of graduating, the majority of low-income students were out-earning their parents.
NPR
July 10, 2018 Student Success
When international students graduate from U.S colleges and wish to stay in the country to work, they have a few different visa options to explore. However, often the process begins – or ends – with a lottery system, and to enter the lottery, students have to first find a company that is willing to sponsor their visa.
Inside Higher Ed
June 20, 2018 Enrollment Management Trends, Research, Student Success
According to federal data on online enrollment, prices and completions, as well as state-by-state data from the National Council for State Authorization Reciprocity Agreements, it appears online education has successfully increased access to higher education for adult students, but those students graduate at sharply lower rates than their peers who study in-person or with blended learning modalities.
NorthJersey.com
June 12, 2018 Student Success
A 2017 workplace salary data study concluded that graduates of four-year colleges in New Jersey generally earn more than their peers nationwide. While the average salaries for graduates vary widely from school to school, the broad trend holds for both public and private colleges in New Jersey.
The New York Times
June 07, 2018 Research, Student Success
In 2014, 11 large public research universities began working in collaboration with the goal of increasing retention and graduation rates for their most vulnerable students. The alliance universities have increased the number of degrees awarded by 10 percent through a variety of strategies and interventions at the institutional level.