The Kept-Up Academic Librarian

New Study Offers Insight Into Large Dropout Rate For Engineering Students

Perhaps swayed by statistics about the shortage (and correspondingly high wages) of engineers and scientists in the United States, in the last decade nearly one incoming freshman in 10 have said they expected to major in engineering. (Over all, about a third of incoming freshmen said they planned to major in any of the science and engineering fields.) But the share who actually complete degrees in engineering has been about half that. Certain demographic groups planning to major in the natural sciences also had relatively high dropout rates. The typical engineering major today spends 18.5 hours per week studying. The typical social sciences major, by contrast, spends about 14.6 hours. Read more at:
http://economix.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/01/20/why-students-leave-the-engineering-track/?ref=business 

 

Study That Claims Black Students Switch To Easy Majors Leads To Protest

Duke University researchers that says black students are more likely to switch to less difficult majors has upset some students, who say the research is emblematic of more entrenched racial problems. About three dozen students held a silent protest Sunday. The statistics would likely reflect trends at other schools, Arcidiacono said. The study notes that national science organizations have spent millions to increase the ranks of black science students. Read more at:
http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2012/01/19/2940124/black-students-duke-study-shows.html

Data Indicates A College Degree Is Still The Best Path To Employment

For all the bellyaching about wasted degrees and the many indebted grads stuck on their parents’ couches, recent college graduates are still doing a lot better than their less-educated counterparts. Unemployment for new graduates is around 8.9 percent; the rate for workers with only a high school diploma is nearly three times as high, at 22.9 percent. Those who majored in less technical subjects, like humanities, arts and social science, had higher unemployment rates.The unemployment rate for recent graduates was highest in architecture, at 13.9 percent, probably at least partly because of the housing market collapse. Read more at:
http://economix.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/01/05/want-a-job-go-to-college-and-dont-major-in-architecture/?src=me&ref=general

Are For-Profit IHEs Nimble Critters Or Agile Predators

Students attending for-profit colleges wind up with much higher student-loan debts, are less likely to be employed after graduation and generally earn less than similar students at public or private nonprofit schools. The study, conducted by a group of Harvard researchers, examines a bevy of federal data tracking student graduation rates, federal loan repayment rates and student success in securing jobs. The researchers ask one central question: Are for-profit colleges "nimble critters" responding to higher demand for college degrees, or "agile predators" that target low-income students with the intent of reaping profits through federal student aid dollars? Read more at:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/01/03/for-profit-colleges-unemployment-debt_n_1182164.html

Report Claims Community College Dropouts Cost Taxpayers Billions

Fewer than 45 percent of college-ready students and just 20 percent of remedial students earn a certificate or degree in four years at Valencia College in Orlando, Fla. That's "nearly three times the rate" of similar urban community colleges and impressive enough to earn Valencia the first Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence, awarded Dec. 12 in Washington, D.C.  Federal, state, and local taxpayers are shelling out billions of dollars for community college dropouts, concludes an AIR report, The Hidden Costs of Community Colleges. the bill for early failures over the five years was almost $4 billion. Read more at:
http://www.usnews.com/education/best-colleges/articles/2011/12/16/study-community-college-dropouts-prove-costly

Colleges Need To Pay Attention To Multiple Student Success Factors

Colleges should examine a wider set of social, economic and personal characteristics to determine how they can help students remain in school and graduate, a new report has found. Aside from SAT scores and high school grade point averages, students' success in college relies on a number of other factors — often overlooked — that more accurately predict whether they will stay in school. Students who visit a college before enrolling, participate in clubs and other activities and those who have used the Internet for research and homework are more likely to complete a degree earlier than others. The costs of attending a college and the institution's size also contribute to students' success. Read more at: http://articles.latimes.com/2011/nov/28/local/la-me-college-retention-20111129

Many Higher Education Workers Say They May Never Retire

More than half (55%) of all higher education employees surveyed also say they consider themselves to be "beginners" at investing -- including seven in 10 Gen Y (71%), half (50%) of Gen X and half (51%) of Baby Boomers. In addition, more than six in 10 (63%) are concerned they will not be able to live comfortably in retirement. When it comes to tools and resources used to learn about retirement savings -- which can help alleviate such concerns -- the survey shows Baby Boomers rely mostly on guidance from financial professionals (42%) and employer-provided education materials (37%). In contrast, Gen X relies primarily on educational materials from employers (37%) and online web sites (36%) and Gen Y relies more on friends and family (54%) and online planning tools (41%). When asked about their plans for retirement, 46 percent of respondents said they will delay retirement or never retire at all. Read more at:
http://www.marketwatch.com/story/fidelity-survey-finds-younger-higher-education-participants-are-as-conservative-with-their-retirement-savings-as-their-older-counterparts-2011-11-28

College Costs Are Up 8.3% At Public Universities

As President Obama prepared to announce new measures Wednesday to help ease the burden of student loan debt, new figures painted a demoralizing picture of college costs for students and parents: Average in-state tuition and fees at four-year public colleges rose an additional $631 this fall, or 8.3 percent, compared with a year ago. Nationally, the cost of a full credit load has passed $8,000, an all-time high. Throw in room and board, and the average list price for a state school now runs more than $17,000 a year, according to the twin annual reports on college costs and student aid published Wednesday by the College Board. Read more at:
http://articles.boston.com/2011-10-26/news/30324733_1_student-loan-debt-public-service-loan-forgiveness-direct-loan

Part-Time Students Are The Majority And The Majority Do Not Graduate

A new report finds evidence of a new majority on college campuses: part-time students. Three-quarters of today’s college students attend part time, juggling classes along with work and family responsibilities, according to a new report from the nonprofit Complete College America. Outcomes for part-time students are starkly worse than for their full-time counterparts. The completion rate for part-time students seeking a bachelor’s degree is 24 percent in the states surveyed, even when students are given eight full years to finish. The corresponding completion rate for full-time students is 61 percent. Read more at:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/college-inc/post/report-exposes-hidden-failure-of-part-time-students/2011/09/27/gIQAZHWl1K_blog.html?wprss=college-inc

New Report Points To Dismal College Graduation Rates

A report to be released on Tuesday by a group seeking to raise college graduation rates shows that despite decades of steadily climbing enrollment rates, the percentage of students making it to the finish line is barely budging. The numbers are stark: In Texas, for example, of every 100 students who enrolled in a public college, 79 started at a community college, and only 2 of them earned a two-year degree on time; even after four years, only 7 of them graduated. The report recommends that states adopt financing incentives to push colleges to pay more attention to completion rates. Read more at:
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/27/education/27remediation.html?_r=1