Universities Should Invest in Their Students, Not Securities
Nearly all American institutions of higher education raise money they put into endowments—money that is kept invested in securities. At the same time, many of their students borrow money from…
NC Promise’s Costs and Benefits: An Early Analysis
Concerned about the high cost of college, the University of North Carolina system is testing a low-tuition model at some schools to drive up enrollments. Though the experiment only started…
‘Free College:’ A Better Approach
Two facts about colleges stand out. First, they are largely (some argue almost entirely) a “private” good; that is to say, the benefits from college attendance accrue mainly to the…
Preparing Students for Life Beyond High School
Few factors affect the long-term direction of students’ lives more than the quality of their K-12 education. For students who decide to attend a four-year university, their ability to keep…
Collegiate Esports Programs Are Here to Stay
More money flows to arenas and building upgrades. The hunt for recruits gets more competitive. University presidents brag about how their new program will make the school nationally known. But…
What Is the Actual Value of a Master’s Degree?
In the past 20 years, the number of students earning a master’s degree has more than doubled. Over 42 percent of bachelor’s degree recipients now go on to earn their…
Arts Everywhere: Distracting from a UNC Scandal
Although the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s former chancellor, Carol Folt, will mostly be remembered for the numerous scandals and years-long protests on campus during her tenure, she…
Colleges Should Stop Forcing Students to Live On-Campus
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…
Looking at Higher Ed Through Rose-Colored Glasses
It can be tempting for college leaders to focus solely on data that support their policy initiatives—to the exclusion of other relevant information. Unfortunately, intentionally or not, University of North…
Parents, Student Loans, and Government: An Unhealthy Mix
Parent PLUS is not typically the loan program making headlines when student loans are in the news. But over the past several years, it has become a central part of…