Hendrix College’s Post

In case you missed it, Northern Kentucky University is ranked #40 on The Wall Street Journal's list of best colleges! NKU is the only public university in our region -- and in Kentucky -- to make it to the top 50 of this ranking. #NorseUp #NorseNation What's interesting about this ranking is the methodology has been changed to put more emphasis on student outcomes (e.g., graduation rates and graduate salaries) and less on college inputs (e.g., instructional spending). According to a WSJ article, "Gone is the survey of academics on schools’ reputations. Gone are the rewards for instructional spending and the assumption that the quality of education is largely dictated by how expensive it is to produce." Learn more ⬇️ https://lnkd.in/gExdvwkS https://lnkd.in/gEF9FUUr https://lnkd.in/eKGzkJgE

College rankings may not be everything, but they do matter. Recently, U.S. News & World Report released their latest rankings, and UNC-Chapel Hill, consistently a top public university for over two decades, climbed to No. 4 this year and No. 22 overall among private and public institutions nationally. We believe these gains are fueled by a commitment made long ago: we make the dream of an excellent college education possible. It’s a fine balance, becoming a globally competitive university while staying true to our roots as a proudly and passionately public institution. But it’s the same balance that North Carolina, on both sides of the aisle, is trying to strike. Please read more about the importance of making higher education affordable in my new op-ed published in the News & Observer: https://unc.live/3PQKV3R

New article on why colleges close - https://lnkd.in/gT_rnQyz. Reminded of when in the fall of 2019 I led an independent study for a doctoral student on why colleges close. We officially titled the class Institutional Instability. I wrote a few pieces on why colleges close back then but realized that I never shared the complete list of factors that we came up with based on our analysis of the literature and news stories where institutional leaders identified critical issues. With the exception of a few “degree mills,” I don’t ever want a college to close. One of the studies someone should do is on the impact of a college closing on the town where it is located and the living alumni. Most of these towns that lose a university experience negative downturns and the alumni, wherever they are, are often hurt or embarrassed that their institution no longer exists." For a complete list of 15 Big Factors and 50 Variables Linked to College Closures, see the link below.

Every day should start off with some new data from the Research Institute at Dallas College! This data release quantifies the earnings advantage for dual enrollment participation, as well as even more wage data, if you want to dig in. Please enjoy and share widely!

"Net price has risen more for the lowest-income than for the highest-income students at nearly 700 universities - At 80 universities and colleges, the net price more than doubled for the lowest-income students, while at 19 it more than tripled and at 10 it quintupled." My last post shared the article where I found this data and this post shares my mini-experiment on how the last 4 colleges I have worked at fared on this measure. Most disapppointing was Southern Methodist University, whose net tuition percentage increase for low income students (131%) was almost 5X higher than the percentage increase for upper income students (27%). Congrats to Texas Christian University and Baylor University who actually increased the cost to wealthier students more than the cost to low income students. https://lnkd.in/g9ene-6p

Dual credit and educational attainment are associated with higher long-term earnings, so when we can get students to and through the college pipeline early and seamlessly, the benefits are even greater! Explore wages, attainment levels, and field-of-study outcomes of students from 22 ISDs in the Dallas area in the Research Institute’s latest Dashboard, Academic Pathways of Dallas-Area Students. https://lnkd.in/gDUSkZ7Y

2024 College Viability TOP-bottom reports: Private Michigan Colleges (regional) Whether you are a college leader, faculty, staff or student/family, use these comparison reports to help you assess the financial health, enrollment, graduation rates and much more for 26 regional private colleges in Michigan. https://lnkd.in/gWnF32XT

Ferris State is one of the best universities in Michigan for students looking to get the “Best Bang for the Buck,” according to a Washington, D.C.-based online publication. Washington Monthly’s 2023 Best Bang for the Buck in the Midwest ranked 250 colleges and universities based on how they assist non-wealthy students in earning a marketable degree at an affordable price. Read the full story to see where Ferris ranked among Michigan and Midwest peers: https://lnkd.in/g9rgbw78

Seattle University ranks #1 as the most economically diverse university in Washington, according to The New York Times’s College-Access Index, which lists the country’s most selective universities ranked in order of economic diversity. Seattle University leads among schools in the state to make the list, topping the rankings for both private and public institutions. Learn more about Seattle University’s ranking and its programs: https://bit.ly/3Q5fQIB