Archive | Business of Education

Thanksgiving Karan Powell

What Is the Solution to the High Cost of a College Degree?

By on August 15, 2017 in Academic Quality, Access and Affordability, Business of Education, Current Events

The Chronicle of Higher Education recently featured a new venture that will offer free courses for college credit as part of a “freshman year for free” initiative. Last April, the state of New York announced that it would make college “tuition-free” for the middle-class at both two- and four-year colleges. In early August, Rhode Island, in turn, announced free community college. US News and World Report in 2012 reported on 12 colleges who exchange tuition for some sort of service and were cited as “tuition- free” institutions. And lastly, BestColleges.com recently reported the top 10 best colleges with free tuition. 

In a time of increased focus on affordability and completion, the questions that need to be addressed include: Is college really free? Who will pay for it? What is the value of college to students? To society?

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Thanksgiving Karan Powell

What Is the Value of a College Degree Today?

By on August 14, 2017 in Academic Quality, Access and Affordability, Business of Education, Current Events

Tis the season for traditional colleges to begin their fall terms. Students across the country and around the world will begin college for the first time. Some will be returning for yet another time, hoping to complete a program of study or degree after time away or following prior, incomplete attempts for personal and/or professional reasons. This consideration notwithstanding, the question remains among those deciding whether or not to attend college: What is the value of a college degree today? In this post and the subsequent one, I will further explore and pose an answer to this question.

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Preparing Students for the Workplace

By on June 13, 2017 in Business of Education, Career Strategies, Economy, Learning Outcomes Assessment, Professional Development

At the recent Eduventures Summit in Boston, we were asked to reflect upon a question in preparation for the for-profit leadership panel but it was never addressed, even though it may well be among the most important: How are we preparing our students for the workplace?

Today’s employers are seeking skills and mindsets in new employees that few institutions seem able to provide their graduates. Is this gap widening? Narrowing? Why, or why not? How do we, as institutions of higher education, respond to this skills gap? Are degrees the only solution? Is there a shorter-term credential at perhaps a lower cost? And how do these choices impact the business model of higher education?  

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Changing Demographics and Strategies for Student Success

By on June 13, 2017 in Academic Quality, Access and Affordability, Business of Education, Online Education, Trends in Higher Education

On June 8, I had the privilege of participating in a session on student success at the Eduventures Summit in Boston with for-profit co-panelists Alan Drimmer, CEO of Promoted Inc. and former provost for University of Phoenix, and Diane Longhurst Johnson, president of New Charter University. Topics focused on our student demographics, the relevance of tax status to how students learn, policies/ actions we hope to see from the new administration, the potentially changing competitive landscape and implications of the proposed Purdue-Kaplan acquisition, and such issues as gainful employment and default ratios. These were clearly some difficult questions for any such panelist, let alone a new president like myself, to address.

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family preparedness natural disasters Reynolds

American Public University and the Transportation Security Administration: Proud to be Partners in Education

By on March 28, 2017 in Academic Quality, Access and Affordability, Business of Education, Career Strategies, Professional Development, Transformation, Trends in Higher Education

We have all likely encountered Transportation Security Administration (TSA) professionals and it’s clear that they have an extremely difficult job protecting our nation’s transportation infrastructure and each one of us when we travel. Earlier this week, we proudly announced a significant expansion of our existing TSA partnership. American Public University (APU) was selected by the TSA’s Institute of Higher Education as one of just two partners in education from a total field of 19 institutions nationwide to serve up to 20,000 TSA employees at 147 airports across 14 states and five U.S. territories.

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American Council of Education

American Council of Education 2017 Annual Meeting: Observations, Insights, and Reflections

By on March 17, 2017 in Academic Quality, Accountability, Business of Education, Current Events, Economy, Student Engagement

The American Council of Education (ACE) Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C., earlier this week brought together presidents, provosts, and university and higher education leaders from around the world. On opening day, the attending presidents discussed such issues as academic freedom, alongside student freedom of speech, in a session titled “Navigating the tension between freedom of expression and campus inclusion.” 

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