Timely graduation rates reveal a lot about how well colleges are fulfilling their academic mission. If, for example, the majority of students don’t graduate in the traditional four-year period—or even … Continue reading “Did You Know? UNC Graduation Rates Have Increased, Many Still Very Low”
North Carolina public universities are more than just institutions of higher learning. They are each small cities of young adults with Olympic-level athletic franchises, massive dining and fitness clubs, and … Continue reading “The Ever-growing Costs of Mandatory Student Fees”
As college textbook prices have increased 88 percent since 2006, education reformers wonder how universities can make books more affordable. One simple thing they could do is to stop selling … Continue reading “Textbook Math: Students Avoid High Campus Prices, Buy Books Online”
Faculty salaries at public universities vary widely by rank and by institution type. The widest range of salaries occurs at doctoral universities with the highest amount of research activity (like … Continue reading “Did You Know? Average Salaries for Professors by Rank”
Many colleges assign “common readings” to incoming students as an intellectual experience outside the classroom to set the bar for the academic rigor that professors expect of students. This tradition … Continue reading “Common Reading Programs: Political Fluff for Freshmen”
There are a lot of good reasons to question the value of a traditional college degree. Tuition costs have been rising at a rate that’s almost eight times faster than … Continue reading “North Carolina Colleges Shouldn’t Confuse Cafeteria-Style Curriculum with Strong Liberal Arts”
Faculty pay can vary greatly across universities and even within the same university system. Among University of North Carolina schools, the type of institution can matter as much as a … Continue reading “The High Price of Faculty and Administrative Salaries in the UNC System”
Free speech on North Carolina’s campuses has come a long way in the last decade. North Carolina State University is the most recent school to earn a “green light” from … Continue reading “How NC State Became Free-Speech Friendly”
College meal plans can help students avoid buying groceries and cooking for themselves—but they can also cost thousands of dollars each semester. In the University of North Carolina system, some … Continue reading “UNC System Schools Profiting Off Unused Student Meals”
A long-time practice for many private universities has been to require most freshmen and sophomores to live in campus residence halls. State-supported public universities, too, have copied their private counterparts … Continue reading “Colleges Should Stop Forcing Students to Live On-Campus”