State may be hoist by market petard | Simon Baker| Times Higher Education | 23 December 2010
Hepi claims cuts to places revealed in grant letter could push up fees. Cuts to student places in 2012 could push tuition fee levels towards £9,000 as demand outstrips supply, the government was warned as it revealed details of its university funding plans.
Earmark Ban Would Cost Colleges Dearly | Kevin Kiley | Chronicle of Higher Education | 17 December 2010
The article discusses plans by members of the U.S. House of Representatives to impose bans on earmarks for appropriations legislation in an effort to cut back on federal spending. It examines the potential impact that the elimination of earmarking could have on research projects and educational program funding at U.S. universities and provides comments regarding this issue from university federal relations directors Zachery Moore and Keith Yehle.
Student loan costs could take further toll on sector | Simon Baker | Times Higher Education | 16 December 2010
Government may be forced to regulate if too many institutions charge maximum. University teaching funding could be cut still further when the full public costs of the new system of student finance become clear, it has been warned.
Decline in China numbers to persist | Michael Sainsbury | The Australian Higher Education | 15 December, 2010
THE future of Australia’s $5 billion Chinese foreign student market is bleak.Forward enrolments for critical English language courses are down by about 50 per cent next year and there is little relief in sight for at least two years.
Graduation Rates Fall at One-Third of 4-Year Colleges | Jeffrey Brainard | Chronicle of Higher Education | 10 December 2010
The article discusses trends in graduation rates at U.S. universities for the six-year period ending in 2008. It focuses on a decline in the graduation rate for students at the University of Akron in Akron, Ohio and examines ways in which college graduation rates are calculated by the U.S. government. It discusses academically under prepared students, presents reasons why students may dropout of college, and provides dropout prevention initiatives which include tutoring programs, college teacher training, and grant-funded student support services.
Wish granted: stifling demand brings result | Paul Jump | Times Higher Education| 9 December 2010
Research council pleased by fewer grant bids and higher success rate. The success of a leading research council in boosting the proportion of grant applications that are approved could herald the introduction of “demand-management” mechanisms across all the UK research councils. The Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council recorded a success rate of 30 per cent in 2009-10, up from 26 per cent the previous year. The increase follows the introduction of a number of measures to control demand, including a ban on the uninvited resubmission of proposals and temporary curbs on repeatedly unsuccessful applicants.
Growing signs of China crisis | Andrew Trounson | The Australian Higher Education | 08 December, 2010
THE number of Chinese students undertaking English-language tests in preparation for coming to Australia has plummeted by more than 25 per cent this year.This confirms fears of a downturn next year in the country’s single largest international student market.
States Seek Ways to Take Measure of College Degrees | Sara Hebel | Chronicle of Higher Education | 3 December 2010
The article profiles the efforts of the U.S. Lumina Foundation for Education to establish a system that clearly defines the skills and knowledge that are involved in achieving an academic degree in the U.S. It focuses on the details of this project, which hopes to implement statewide learning objectives for several academic subjects, and analyzes the use of rubrics to measure student achievement by members of the history department at Utah State University.
Fees pioneers map coalition wrong turns | John Morgan & Simon Baker | Times Higher Education | 02 December 2010
Loans architect and Browne panellist spot flaws in reforms. The government has “got it wrong” on a key aspect of its overhaul of university funding, according to one of the architects of top-up fees, while a member of the Browne Review panel has said that he “regrets” the coalition’s decision to reject one of its “highly intelligent” proposals.
Sector in uproar over visa changes | Andrew Trounson | The Australian Higher Education | 01 December, 2010
IMMIGRATION Minister Chris Bowen is being threatened with legal action over changes that advantage higher education diplomas over vocational diplomas. The changes have split the overseas student sector and sparked recriminations amid concerns students will shift from vocational colleges and TAFEs into higher education providers such as universities.
Higher Education in the Headlines 