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General Education, the Four-Year Degree and Employment: What Needs to Change?
Which segment of the four-year degree is supposed to enhance students’ employable skills and prepare them for a job? Most would probably think, the courses in their degree major. But increasingly, employers are saying they can train employees in the specialized technical skills associated with their jobs. It’s the intangible skills that they hope will be taught by colleges and universities.
Widener University Using Coffee to Support Sustainable Agriculture
Inside Higher Ed has a great look at a unique partnership between Widener University and a Costa Rican farm that helps support sustainable agriculture in Latin America and gives Widener students a caffeine jolt. Cultivation to Cup is the idea of a local PA coffee roaster and a Widener professor.
Who’s Missing From This Picture? Single Parent Students
The estimated 3.5 million students who also are single parents are almost always absent from the conversation surrounding higher education. These post-traditional learners now make up 15.2 percent of the undergraduate population, and their numbers are growing. Christopher J. Nellum and Mekaelia Davis discuss the importance of considering their needs.
Will the TEACH Act Make Higher Education More Accessible?
Colleges and universities are committed to creating the best possible learning experience for all of their students. In the case of students with disabilities, this means providing accessible campuses and learning materials that support their education. Meeting these goals can be challenging, but we believe that institutions working together with students can determine the best course of action.
Dear Colleague…
Sexual assault at colleges and universities is a serious problem. Protecting students is paramount to the mission of all institutions, and we know that sometimes we fail. But to help achieve real change, the federal government must partner with the higher education community on a single, clear set of federal requirements in this area.
DC Universities Partnering to Go Solar
American University and George Washington University recently signed a pact to power significant portions of their campuses with solar power by 2020. Together, the universities purchased solar power at a fixed rate for the next 5 years.
Inertia
As the academic year draws to a close, it’s an appropriate time to briefly recap higher education-related activity on Capitol Hill. ACE Senior Vice President Terry Hartle writes on recent action—or lack thereof—in Congress and the higher education issues waiting in the wings, including President Obama’s college ratings plan.
Credit for Prior Learning: Why All the Controversy?
Does the acceptance of prior learning actually lead to less or more revenue for colleges and universities? We don’t know yet, because no one has really researched the impact on institutions’ bottom lines. This research, while not easy, is necessary, writes Deborah Seymour.
Arizona State, Starbucks Team Up to Help Students Complete Degrees
Arizona State University is participating in a new effort to increase the number of students who complete their degrees. The Starbucks College Achievement Plan, a joint effort of ASU and Starbucks, will allow thousands of eligible Starbucks employees to enroll, with partial or full financial support from Starbucks, in any of ASU’s 40 online bachelor’s degree programs.