Universities Weblog

Here's an article with an interesting take on the whole 'affording college' conundrum. The author argues that college is indeed affordable, and making it more so actually increases the cost of a college education. Yes, it's a bit confusing…be sure to read on for a thought-provoking article.

The problem with continuing to propagate these ideas, as I and others have argued many times, is that if anything, making student aid cheaper and more plentiful actually drives college "sticker prices" higher by pulling up demand and allowing colleges to increase prices with impunity. We've also argued that politicians encouraging practically everyone to go to college - and providing them with big subsidies to do so - is hugely wasteful, pushing many kids into higher education who aren't prepared for it, and squandering huge bundles of student and taxpayer money in the process.

Finally, someone realized that college students are a hugely untapped source of expertise:

Nielsen Media Research has added college campus viewing to its national Sampling of U.S. television fare.

College students account for an estimated 50 percent of all television viewing not measured by Nielsen, with smaller portions attributed to bars, businesses, hotels and gyms, a researcher said. Under the new system, introduced Monday, Nielsen will follow college students within Nielsen families to campus, install meters on televisions in dorm rooms and include the data in the national sample.

Now when you watch television, you're not just having fun…you're shaping the entertainment industry.

The cost of higher education is growing and growing. Many students, parents, and educators feel that it has gotten to the point of being ridiculous. What can families do these days to manage the costs? This article contains some helpful advice.

With tuition rates rising at almost double the rate of inflation last year, the prospect of paying for four years at a university can be the source of many a family nightmare, worse than that recurring dream about the class you registered for but never showed up.

federal grants, scholarships and other nonloan forms of aid will be considered first by the college after a student submits a financial aid form, Vedder said. There are federal Pell grants, institutional grants and state grants awarded to students based on many factors, from financial need to academic achievement.

What have you done–or what do you plan to do–to handle the cost of a college degree?

(Source: Williams College)

Last week I reported that Princeton has decided not to raise tuition for the next academic year. (Room and board rates, however, will increase.) What are the implications for the rest of higher education?

Nothing, says one scholar (a former professor of mine at Harvard). Few universities are in the position to copy Princeton, given financial realities, and the likelihood of widespread tuition freezes remains slim.

Consider his opinion piece from InsideHigherEd.com:

For the second time in seven years, a highly visible and prestigious private institution has announced a decision not to increase tuition. In 2000, Williams College announced a tuition freeze for the coming academic year, and in 2007 Princeton University did the same. In both cases, the institutions cited substantial endowment gains as a central reason allowing them to hold tuition constant for one year. What are we to make of these episodic pricing decisions?

While Princeton is larger and may carry more punch in the world of higher education than Williams, I will be very surprised if this decision triggers an onslaught of Emulation. Only a tiny number of extraordinarily wealthy institutions could even consider following, and it is unclear why they would do so. The distributional consequences of the Princeton decision could be viewed as analogous to the early Bush tax cuts, in that the benefits will accrue to the very wealthy parents who pay full tuition, not exactly a blow for greater equity. If a small number of similarly wealthy colleges and universities did the same thing, it is hard to work up much enthusiasm for the virtue of the resulting redistribution of income.

Read the rest here. Then ask yourself if he's right.

College students are often shining examples of intelligence and forward thinking, which means their complexities stretch beyond convenient 'labels.' A recent survey nicely illustrates this fact.

Analysis of new survey findings released today show some unexpected relationships between students' religious and political views and attitudes on social issues, and how they label these views. Based on their attitudes toward 'hot button' social issues, the four most 'conservative' religious groups are Baptists, Mormons, 7th Day Adventists, and 'Other Christians' (mainly Evangelicals). Large majorities of students in each of these groups (58%-80%) oppose 'liberal' views such as legalizing marital status for homosexuals, keeping abortion legal, and legalizing marijuana.

However, in none of these denominations, nor in any other religious group do as many as half of the students describe themselves as either conservative or far right in their politics. Moreover, among 7th Day Adventists, students identifying themselves as 'liberal' actually outnumber those identifying themselves as 'conservative' (29% vs. 21%), despite their clearly conservative views on key social issues.

How would you define the difference between 'conservative' and 'liberal?' Do you define yourself with any 'labels?'

How often do you find yourself needing to capture something from you computer screen to show to someone else? Yes, there are lots of ways to do it, but how about a super easy way? That's what TechSmith Corporation thought about when it developed SnagIt 8.2 for Windows Vista™, Office 2007 and Firefox® 2.

From a company press release:

TechSmith Corp., the world's leading provider of screen capture and recording solutions, today announced the release of SnagIt 8.2 for Windows Vista™, Office 2007 and Firefox® 2. SnagIt enables computer users to take screenshots of exactly what they see on their screens to communicate ideas faster, explain concepts clearly, and archive electronic information with point-and-click convenience.

New Features in SnagIt 8.2 include:

• SnagIt Accessories - SnagIt Accessories enable knowledge workers to easily output their screen capture directly to the program or technology of their choice with just one-click. Microsoft Word, PowerPoint and Excel are included in SnagIt 8.2. The Flickr and MindManger accessories can be downloaded from within SnagIt.
• Print What You See With SnagIt's new printing enhancements, users can print exactly what they see in the correct size and dimensions including Scrolling Window and Webpage screen captures with accurate page breaks.
• Glassy & Classic Callouts Glassy callouts have been added to SnagIt's editing tools to provide users with more graphic-rich and professional options while the classic callouts will reduce file size when creating digital documentation. Each of the callouts can be customized and saved.

System Requirements and Availability

SnagIt 8.2 supports Microsoft, Windows NT, Windows 2000, Windows XP, and Windows Vista. SnagIt 8.2 can be downloaded immediately at www.techsmith.com. The suggested retail price is $39.95 for a single-user license. Free trial licenses are also available. For additional information, visit: http://www.techsmith.com/snagit.asp.

Sponsored Post: Techsmith

(Source: Princeton University)

More "big news" from Princeton: The University announced it will not raise tuition for next year. Yippee.

Princeton must love headlines. It dropped early decision. It eliminated loans for low-income students, giving them full rides and erasing debt. Now it freezes tuition. Will any of this change the complexion of Princeton's student body?

Not likely. Sure, a few more low-income kids might be able to attend. But keep in mind a high number of Princeton students–46 percent–don't even apply for aid; they don't need it. Ironically, this latest move might affect the wealthy more directly–those paying full tuition won't incur a cost increase. Despite these policy maneuvers, Princeton won't resemble Rutgers anytime soon.

Here's more from the Chronicle of Higher Education:

Princeton University announced on Sunday that for the first time in 40 years, it would not raise tuition for the next academic year, a move that will put pressure on other highly selective institutions to hold down their own cost of attending.

Princeton's decision is likely to prompt its Ivy League peers and other selective public and private colleges to consider similar action, if they can afford it. "Each institution will have to look at their own resources," said Mr. Ward, but "those that are well resourced will look at this very carefully."

You can read the full article here (password protected).

A new ad campaign aims to help low-income kids navigate the college admissions process. These public service announcements will soon appear on TV, on the radio, and in print, and will seem…well, let's say "rather contemporary." A companion Web site, called "KnowHow2Go," has already been launched.

Read this from the Chronicle of Higher Education:

A series of public-service announcements directed at low-income and minority students will begin appearing soon, part of a multimedia campaign designed to raise public awareness about the steps required to prepare for college.

The ads were created pro bono by the advertising agency Publicis. It is not yet clear when the broadcast ads will be played because, as public-service announcements, they will run on donated time. Television and radio stations' public-service directors decide which spots run, and when.

You can find the full Chronicle piece here (password protected).

It's nice to see politicians keep a promise. It's even nicer when it benefits college students so much. Thanks to the decision made today by the Democrat-heavy House of Representatives, Student Loan (need-based) interest rates will decrease by half over the next five years.

The vote was passed against the protests of President Bush and other Republicans.

"This legislation will be a vital first step toward helping lower college costs for millions of low- and middle-income students," said California Democratic Rep. George Miller. He is a chief sponsor of the measure that now goes to the closely divided Democratic-led Senate for an anticipated battle.

Democrats promised to cut student loan interest rates as part of their campaign that helped them win control of the U.S. Congress from Bush's Republicans in November's elections.

Good news…maybe more like it will follow.

Higher education in India–as in most countries–is already quite expensive. And it's about to get worse.

Recently, a proposal passed to raise university fees country-wide. Many people have protested, pointing out that higher education is becoming unattainable, and fee decisions should be made on a school-to-school basis, by each school's administration.

What do you think this means for the future of university education in India? What about in your own college? Do changes need to be made in the costs of college educations?