A Fair Fare Affair

Inside Higher Ed

College Endowments: Why Even Harvard Isn’t As Rich As You Think

Time

It seems everyone has an opinion about what colleges and universities should do with their endowments. Use them to lower tuition! Let students attend for free! Improve facilities! Hire more professors!

Harvard’s Voluntary Tax Spurs Ailing Providence to Press Brown

Bloomberg Businessweek

Rhode Island Governor Lincoln Chafee last week intervened to restart talks over Brown University's so-called payments in lieu of taxes after Mayor Angel Taveras said Providence was about to run out of cash. Providence is seeking to emulate Boston, which is on pace to raise collections in lieu of taxes from Harvard University and other institutions by 25 percent to about $19 million this year, city documents show. Mayor Thomas M. Menino is trying to double the number of schools, hospitals and cultural institutions that pay by pressing more than 20 that gave nothing last year.

College Coffers Are Filling Up, But Costs Are Slow to Come Down

Wall Street Journal

New figures show university endowments averaged total returns of more than 19% for the fiscal year ended last June, the second consecutive year of gains, according to the National Association of College and University Business Officers and Commonfund, a nonprofit asset manager. Yet schools say they can't cut tuition until their endowments have had more years of strong growth. "Dramatic changes won't come instantly," says David Warren, president of the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities, which represents more than 1,000 U.S. private colleges.

University of Charleston: How we cut tuition by 22%

CNNMoney - Interview

After seeing enrollment decline for the first time in a decade, the University of Charleston, in West Virginia, slashed tuition by 22% for the upcoming school year hoping to entice more students. Tuition for new students will be $19,500 per year beginning in August - down from the current rate of $25,000. In an interview with CNNMoney, the university's president, Dr. Edwin Welch, explains why he took this unusual step and what the impact has been so far.

Give UTC Credit For Employee Education

Hartford, Conn., Courant - Editorial

A company is better off when its employees are well-educated. Few firms have embraced that axiom as wholeheartedly as Hartford's United Technologies Corp. In 16 years, its landmark Employee Scholar Program has paid for more than 32,000 associate's, bachelor's and master's degrees worldwide. The program has earned UTC an award from the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities.

It's education, smarty

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

There is a direct link between the level of educational attainment (percentage of the population with a postsecondary degree) in a state and the growth of personal income in that state. Because of that link, there is also a clear and certain pathway to economic growth and job creation.

What’s Most at Risk for Traditional Colleges

JeffSelingo.com

A few weeks ago, I wrote a post about the coming disruption of the higher-ed system and asked if traditional institutions were prepared. A few college leaders gave me suggestions on how they're getting ready, while others trying to disrupt the space told me where they are finding the best opportunities. So what is the low-hanging fruit? Where are colleges most vulnerable? Where are they least at risk? Here are a few clues.

No Rust in Rochester

New York Times - Opinion Piece

While no one here is glad to see Kodak go bankrupt, it's hardly the catastrophe many imagine - in part, surprisingly, because of Kodak. The high-skilled workers it let go over the years created a valuable labor pool for start-up companies. It also helps that Rochester has a strong higher-education sector, which has likewise been supported by Kodak. The University of Rochester became a leading research center through gifts from Kodak's founder, George Eastman, who also gave generously to the Rochester Institute of Technology. These universities have an immense impact on the regional economy.

Saint Paul’s College fights for its survival

Westside Gazette, Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

Saint Paul's College is fighting for its future. The college founded in 1888 must raise $5 million by June 30, 2012 in order to make campus renovations and to support the school's operating budget. Saint Paul's College is in the second and final allowable year of probation. The Southern Association of College and Schools Commission on Colleges will decide in June if the college will retain accreditation.