The Funding Strategies Behind U.S. Colleges: Stocks, Tuition and More [ WSJ ]

I left academia. Here's why. [ Jared Henderson ]

Warren Buffett: College Is An Extremely Expensive Waste Of Time

FAFSA Completion Down 40 Percent [ InsideHigherEd.com ]

The flava:

As of March 29, 40 percent fewer high school students had completed the Free Application for Federal Student Aid than they did by that date in 2023, according to newly released data from the Department of Education, a massive drop caused largely by the new form’s disastrous rollout.

The article:

https://www.insidehighered.com/news/quick-takes/2024/04/09/fafsa-completion-down-40-percent

My dream died, and now I'm here [ Sabine Hossenfelder ]

COLLEGE DECISIONS REACTIONS VLOG + announcing where i'm going to college | UCs and Cal States [ Nicole Laeno ]

Harvard Fake Data Scandal - HUGE NEW DEVELOPMENT [ Pete Judo ]

Tech Glitch Upends Financial Aid for About a Million Students [ WSJ ]

The flava:

The new Fafsa application form was released in late December, nearly three months later than usual.  When families did gain access to it, they reported login woes and error messages. The Education Department said in late January that because it overlooked certain inflation calculations, it wouldn’t start releasing students’ aid information to schools until mid-March. Students who had already submitted their forms but made mistakes—like omitting certain schools from their lists or checking the wrong box regarding their own assets—were told they’d need to wait until the form was processed in mid-April before they could go back in and update their paperwork. 

Many schools already delayed the deadline by which admitted students are expected to put down deposits and claim their seats, pushing the cutoff to May 15 or June 1, rather than the traditional May 1. This latest issue further compresses the timeline for students to make college decisions and has led many families to not even bother submitting the forms. 

Fewer students have applied for aid under the new system. Completion rates were down nearly 29% through March 22, compared with a year earlier, according to an analysis by the National College Attainment Network, a nonprofit. Students in low-income high schools or schools with large populations of minorities were lagging even further behind.

The article:

https://www.wsj.com/personal-finance/fafsa-college-financial-aid-incorrect-tax-data-612e0bed

Fandango (1985)

Large language models can do jaw-dropping things. But nobody knows exactly why. [ MIT Technology Review ]

The flava:

Two years ago, Yuri Burda and Harri Edwards, researchers at the San Francisco–based firm OpenAI, were trying to find out what it would take to get a language model to do basic arithmetic. They wanted to know how many examples of adding up two numbers the model needed to see before it was able to add up any two numbers they gave it. At first, things didn’t go too well. The models memorized the sums they saw but failed to solve new ones.

By accident, Burda and Edwards left some of their experiments running far longer than they meant to—days rather than hours. The models were shown the example sums over and over again, way past the point when the researchers would otherwise have called it quits. But when the pair at last came back, they were surprised to find that the experiments had worked. They’d trained a language model to add two numbers—it had just taken a lot more time than anybody thought it should.

Curious about what was going on, Burda and Edwards teamed up with colleagues to study the phenomenon. They found that in certain cases, models could seemingly fail to learn a task and then all of a sudden just get it, as if a lightbulb had switched on. This wasn’t how deep learning was supposed to work. They called the behavior grokking. . . .

The article:

https://www.technologyreview.com/2024/03/04/1089403/large-language-models-amazing-but-nobody-knows-why/

a final warning to high school students in the college admissions game [ Quon Howery ]

From Peter Coy's NYTimes newsletter of February 28, 2024

The flava: 

The biggest reason for the surge is the emergence of paper mills — for-profit organizations that generate bogus research for sale to people who want to be able to claim they are published scientists.  “Among large research-producing nations, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Russia and China have the highest retraction rates over the past two decades,” the journal Nature wrote in December.

The tabulation of retractions is done by Retraction Watch, a nonprofit. The database is maintained by another nonprofit, Crossref. (The database doesn’t yet reflect this high total for 2023 because cases are still being entered.)

I asked Dr. Ivan Oransky, a physician and journalist who is a co-founder of Retraction Watch, whether the surge could be temporary because the profession might be weeding out years of bad work all at once. He wrote: “I don’t expect retraction rates to drop but instead to continue to rise. We’re not at peak retraction yet.”

Source:

https://www.nytimes.com/newsletters/peter-coy

Academia is BROKEN! Harvard Fake Cancer Research Scandal Explained [ Pete Judo ]

 

:-)

Hatch Albuquerque Pojoaque Paguate Yates.  Buckhorn Ignacio Roswell Taos Hope Dora Artesia Yeso.  Chama Alamogordo Loving.

$1 Billion Donation Will Provide Free Tuition at a Bronx Medical School [ NYTimes ]

The flava:

The 93-year-old widow of a Wall Street financier has donated $1 billion to a Bronx medical school, the
Albert Einstein College of Medicine, with instructions that the gift be used to cover tuition for all students going forward.

The donor, Dr. Ruth Gottesman, is a former professor at Einstein, where she studied learning disabilities, developed a screening test and ran literacy programs. It is one of the largest charitable donations to an educational institution in the United States and most likely the largest to a medical school.

The article:

https://www.nytimes.com/2024/02/26/nyregion/albert-einstein-college-medicine-bronx-donation.html

The Real Reason College Dorms Have Gotten So Expensive [ Morning Brew ]

AI Generated Videos Just Changed Forever [ Marques Brownlee ]

Gemini's response to the following prompt: "Write a creative blog post about the most important higher education issues of 2024."

Higher Ed Rollercoaster: Buckle Up for 2024's Wild Ride

Higher education ain't for the faint of heart. Between soaring costs, evolving demographics, and debates fiercer than a late-night study session, navigating this academic adventure can feel like riding a rickety rollercoaster blindfolded. But fear not, intrepid learners! Today, we'll strap in and explore the most crucial issues shaping the higher ed landscape in 2024:

The Financial Tightrope: Remember "sticker shock"? Buckle up for "sticker scream" as costs continue their skyward journey. This leaves students juggling loans, scholarships, and ramen noodles – not exactly the recipe for academic focus. The question remains: will 2024 see innovative solutions or a financial freefall for higher education?

The Shrinking Student Sea: Traditional-age students are dwindling, forcing universities to cast wider nets. This presents exciting opportunities for non-traditional learners, but also raises concerns about equity and access. Can institutions adapt to this demographic shift without leaving anyone behind? Only time (and enrollment figures) will tell.

The DEI Tightrope Walk: Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives are under fire on multiple fronts. While some push for inclusive campuses, others see them as threats to tradition. This battle for hearts and minds will play out in legislatures, boardrooms, and classrooms, shaping the very character of higher education.

The Tech Tsunami: From online learning platforms to virtual reality classrooms, technology is transforming the educational experience. But will it exacerbate the digital divide or bridge it? Can institutions balance innovation with the human touch? Buckle up for a race against the ever-evolving tech landscape!

The Workforce Whirlwind: The skills needed for today's jobs are changing faster than the headlines. Can universities keep pace, equipping graduates with relevant, future-proof skills? Or will we see a mismatch between education and employment, leaving graduates adrift in a sea of uncertainty?

The Global Jigsaw Puzzle: International collaboration is vital in an interconnected world. But political tensions and funding challenges threaten to dismantle these vital partnerships. Can higher education bridge the divides and foster global understanding, or will we see increased isolation and fragmentation?

Whew, that's a lot to unpack! Remember, these are just the big hitters. Every campus, every student, will experience these issues differently. So, buckle up, future academics! 2024 promises to be a wild ride, filled with challenges, opportunities, and (hopefully) a healthy dose of learning and growth. Hold on tight, stay curious, and keep questioning!

Your Turn: What are the most pressing higher education issues of 2024 for you? Share your thoughts in the comments below! Let's keep the conversation rolling!

--Gemini

The EDUCAUSE Teaching and Learning Workforce in Higher Education Report - 2024

 

https://library.educause.edu/resources/2024/2/the-teaching-and-learning-workforce-in-higher-education-2024

No University Left Standing in Gaza [ The Intercept ]

https://theintercept.com/2024/02/09/deconstructed-gaza-university-education/

Life and Death at a Liberal Arts College

by P.F. Kluge  

When I came to college — there’s a room-emptying sentence fragment if I’ve ever heard one — when I showed up as a clueless, immigrant stock first in the family to enter college, kid out of northern New Jersey, we were asked — make that required — to go to dinner in a place called Peirce Hall, the college commons, and there, sitting at long tables, framed by stained glass windows portraying great works of literature, surrounded by oil portraits of dead Episcopalians who were the college’s founders and benefactors, there we confronted one of those men who — risking colleagues’ sniping irony and contending with his own inner anger — incarnated the spirit of that time, that place: Kenyon College, September 1960. . . .

The source:

https://pfkluge.com/content/essays/kampkenyon.html

Rice University sets aside $33 million to settle price-fixing lawsuit [ Texas Tribune ]

The flava:

Rice University has set aside $33.75 million to settle an antitrust lawsuit filed against 17 prestigious
private universities across the country accused of illegally running a scheme that limited the amount of financial aid given to students, according to the school’s financial statements for last year.

The Houston-based university’s financial statement for last fiscal year, first reported by Inside Higher Ed and the Houston Chronicle, says the school will use the money to settle “a class action lawsuit in which it had been named a co-defendant along with sixteen other universities.”

The article:

https://www.texastribune.org/2024/01/19/rice-university-price-fixing-lawsuit/

And you think your students are bad with their phones in the classroom?

"He sat in this courthouse this morning. And while he was sitting there, he posted more defamatory statements, more lies about Ms. Carroll and this case. By our count, by our last count, 22 posts just today. Think about that. Think about that when you consider how much money will it take to get him to stop."

--Shawn Crowley, lawyer in defamation case

The article:

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/donald-trump/e-jean-carroll-testify-damages-trial-donald-trump-expected-attendance-rcna134221

House Investigations of Harvard, Others Mark a ‘Watershed Moment’ [ InsideHigherEd.com ]

The flava:

When a congressional committee announced late last month that it wanted documents and emails that would reveal how Harvard University responded to accusations of plagiarism by its then president Claudine Gay, the demand set off alarms in higher education circles.

“The idea that the House of Representatives has the legal or moral authority to investigate the internal proceedings of a private university is outrageous,” said Ethan Ris, associate professor of higher education administration at the University of Nevada at Reno.

In the same month, Republicans on the House Education and Workforce Committee launched investigations into antisemitism at Harvard, the University of Pennsylvania and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology—inquiries that could grow in number and scope to include every aspect of an institution. Essentially, House Republicans have declared everything that happens on campuses fair game for oversight, as evidenced by the plagiarism review.

That declaration worries experts who fear the investigations could undermine the system of higher education, infringe on the independence of colleges and universities and threaten their federal funding. The committee’s work represents a significant shift in how Congress deals with institutions, they say, and is part of a broader attack on higher education—though committee leaders say it’s not a radical departure.

The article:

https://www.insidehighered.com/news/government/politics-elections/2024/01/11/house-probes-harvard-others-mark-watershed-moment

Colorado becomes one of the first to employ an incarcerated professor [ Chalkbeat ]

The flava:

On a late-November afternoon, at the head of a cramped classroom, David Carrillo stood at a small podium and quizzed 17 students on macroeconomic terminology.

For the two-hour class, Carrillo, the adjunct professor teaching for Adams State University, mostly kept his hands in his pockets as he lectured students in green uniforms, some bright and others faded with time. His lecture came rapid-fire, allowing just enough time for students to answer questions or let them ask a question of him. One of the lessons on that day: banking.

“Banks keep track of all of their transactions on their balance sheet, but they use a specific type of accounting tool to keep track of all this. What’s that accounting tool?” Carrillo asked his class.

Like his students at the Colorado Territorial Correctional Facility, Carrillo, 49, also wears green. He holds a position that is extremely rare in prison: He’s an incarcerated professor teaching in a prison bachelor’s degree program. . . .

The article:

https://www.chalkbeat.org/colorado/2024/01/04/incarcerated-professor-teaches-college-classes-in-prison/

Should White Students Attend Black-Only Colleges?

Ohio State University Suspends Student Group for Supporting Palestine [ Left Voice ]

The flava:

The student group of Central Ohio Revolutionary Socialists (CORS) has been suspended by Ohio State University. They were notified of the suspension following an event they did on campus entitled “Intifada, Revolution, and the Path for a Free Palestine.” The OSU administration sent a letter December 13 alleging that CORS’ “activities pose a significant risk of substantial harm to the safety or security of your organization’s members, other members of the university community or to university property.”

The article:

https://www.leftvoice.org/ohio-state-university-suspends-student-group-for-supporting-palestine/

An Explosion in Sports Betting Is Driving Gambling Addiction Among College Students [ TIME ]

The flava:

BY OLIVER STALEY

When Evan Ozmat, a Ph.D. student in psychology at the University at Albany, first began counseling
undergraduates about HIV and substance abuse, he expected to hear about their health issues. Instead, he heard about problem gambling.

“Since the beginning of the project three years ago, students have brought up, unprompted, gambling,” Ozmat says. “We started asking about it in every appointment and everyone has something to say. It’s everywhere.”

The majority of the gambling takes place on mobile phones, Ozmat says, largely—although not exclusively—on sports betting apps. Served up to students through ubiquitous ads that offer promises of “free” bets and easy wins, the apps sink their hooks deep into students, leading them to spend their financial aid money, lie to their parents, and ignore their studies so they can keep playing, he says. Students from low-income families are particularly vulnerable, as they lack the financial safety net to bounce back from losses. . . .

The article:

https://time.com/6342504/gambling-addiction-sports-betting-college-students/