25
Oct
HE News Brief 25.10.11
by Abby Chau
- CHILE: Student protests have erupted in Santiago
- CHINA: Collaboration of 11 institutions to form the Beijing Tech
- INTERNATIONAL: A new report by the World Bank follows 11-leading universities
- UK: A BBC investigation into graduate employability
- NETHERLANDS: Call on cap for foreign student numbers Read more
9
Aug
HE News Brief 9.8.11
by Abby Chau
- UNITED STATES: Forbes publishes the top 650 US undergraduate colleges
- GHANA: Student protests erupt in response to what some deem as unfair fees
- SWITZERLAND: Institutions are considering limiting foreign student figures
- CHINA: To expand its online activities as part of its Five-Year higher ed strategy
- UK: New forecast for England’s higher education woes Read more
26
Jul
HE News Briefs 26.7.11
by Abby Chau
- CHINA: Foreign branches have increased whilst the government are trying to crack down on low quality dual degree programs
- PERU: Student protests turn violent as the government tries to negotiate with the malcontent
- UK: New league table measures the best gay-friendly institutions
- UK: The UCU releases a report on educational attainment by constituencies
Read more
29
Mar
HE News Brief 29.3.11
by Abby Chau
IN THIS EDITION
- UNITED KINGDOM: British Government backtracks on proposed policies to curtail immigration
- CHINA: Peking University introduces controversial student screening
- AUSTRALIA: Australian business leaders call for dergulation of student fees
- UNITED STATES: US News & World Report produce MBA ranking based on student yield
- UNITED KINGDOM: University of Wales under review by Quality Assurance Agency
1
Mar
HE News Brief 1.3.11
by Abby Chau
- A new report by the European University Association (EUA) has been published to address how institutions can look elsewhere to diversify their income. The report is based on 150 responses from universities spanning 27 different countries and shows that although public funding accounts for 73% of budgets, institutions must get creative in order to remain competitive. Findings show that red tape and an inflexible structure can stronghold universities from seeking private funding.
Full Story: Science Business
- In less than a decade, South Korea has tripled its international faculty and is poised to make significant gains in its internationalisation program as heavy hitters like the United States and the UK slump into economic austerity. Currently 7% of South Korea’s faculty are foreign hires, compared to Japan’s, which has a longer history on the international stage, average of 5%. Last year the government approved a $752 million World Class University Project which, among other initiatives, earmarked funds to hire more foreign professors as a method to modernise its higher education system. However, many are saying that there are issues that still need to be ironed out, such as the fact that salaries for foreign professors are nearly double that of domestic faculty, and a recent survey by the Education Ministry found that international faculty average a stay of only four months before they decide to leave their post.
Full Story: Chronicle of Higher Education Read more
22
Feb
HE News Brief 22.2.11
by Abby Chau
- The UK government’s plan on curbing foreign student numbers is lambasted by a recent study for the Higher Education Policy Institute (Hepi). Foreign students contribute approximately £5 billion a year to the economy. With devastating budget cuts planned for the sector, the study points out that the government plans to target visa abuse will only reduce crucial recruitment numbers, particularly if it targets the number of pre-university pathway courses, which is a set of English language courses and academic preparation courses used as a gateway for foreign students to study in the UK. The study also points out that the figures the government used to justify these new visa restrictions are based on unreliable statistics.
Full Story: BBC News
- Last December, New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg asked universities from anywhere in the world to submit a proposal to build an applied-science facility in NYC. Now the buzz is that Stanford University is preparing a proposal for the venture. Stanford president John Hennessy says that the institution was the epicentre for the success of Silicon Valley and that the type of progress achieved on the west coast could easily be replicated on the east coast.
Full Story: Wall Street Journal
More: New York Observer
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14
Dec
HE News Brief 14.12.10
by Abby Chau
- The tuition fee hike passed in the Commons this past week, with the proposal to set the tuition cap at £9,000, due to go to the Lords for a final vote. Thousands of protestors hit the streets last Thursday to convey their dismay over the initiative. Vice chancellors applaud the move saying that this will give universities a chance to succeed as budget cuts are imminent. Most Russell Group universities will charge the maximum but many say that the average fee will hover around the £7,000 mark.
Full Story: BBC News
- During the last five years, institutions in Kenya has ballooned, with many saying that higher education has become more of a cash cow than a centre for learning and employability. Following this, the Kenyan government’s efforts to reform higher education has lead to the closing of hundreds of unaccredited tertiary institutions. Only 464 out of Kenya’s 1,000 colleges have passed the audit which the government initiated by weeding out institutions that did not have adequate facilities or teaching resources. Many are saying that this will cause chaos as students will be left either holding degrees from colleges that will no longer exist, or scrambling to get a place in one of the accredited colleges.
Full Story: University World News
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7
Dec
HE News Brief 6.12.10
by Abby Chau
- The Bologna Process, a declaration of higher education cooperation between 47 countries, is still chugging along despite the controversies surrounding implementation and overall efficacy. Now on course to feel the brunt of new reforms are business schools, particularly those that previously offered five-year business degrees. 10,000 new programmes in economics and business are to be implemented and positioned as competition for an emerging Asian higher education market. Some are saying that countries like the US must start accepting three-year bachelor programmes in order to adjust to Bologna’s new three-year standardisation plan for an undergraduate degree, or they may be left behind as other countries like Australia are quickly adjusting their educational system to a changing European standard.
Full Story: FT
- As the UK economy has taken a substantial hit, many people, particularly in parliament are reiterating the need for universities to produce the next generation of entrepreneurs. Statistics from the Destinations of Leavers of Higher Education produced by HESA show that the percentage of graduates who categorise themselves as self-employed or entrepreneurs has jumped from 4,190 in 2002-03, to 6,120, in 2008-09. Buckinghamshire New University Vice chancellor Ruth Farwell says that league tables should include this statistic in their indicators as it would give students a clearer picture of which institution promotes enterprise and business acuity. UCL Professor Tim Barnes concurs and says that if the government was serious about developing students for the job market, then statistics such as this should be measured and recorded.
Full Story: the Guardian
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16
Nov
HE News Brief 16.11.10
by Abby Chau
- Ranking-related news this past week includes musings across the pond regarding university rankings and their foothold in higher education. The French government has just published a new rankings based on 43,000 graduate students surveyed from 63 of the country’s 83 institutions. Paris-XI, Lyon I, and Rennes I ranked the highest, respectively. The findings come at a time when President Sarkozy is ramping up his government’s pledge to grant the country’s universities more autonomy. Some praise the findings, saying that the rankings show that universities must develop career services to help graduates find jobs. Critics of the rankings are dismayed by what they see as yet another exercise to try to homogenise a disparate and unique higher education university system. Some universities like Jussieu, based in Paris, and Dauphine refused to participate in the rankings.
Full Story: New York Times
More: New York Times
- Indian Human resource development minister Kapil Sibal and UK’s universities minister David Willets have recently announced that higher education expenditure will grow annually by 13% in the next decade. Since the 1950s, the number of institutions in India have dramatically augmented, from 28 to 504. Still despite this enormous boom, the country is still 800 universities short to accommodate the growing middle class who are now eyeing higher education as a means to a fruitful future. In 1981, the average Indian household was spending 1.46% on education, now that number has risen to 7.5%.
Full Story: University World News
More: Livemint
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26
Oct
HE News Brief 26.10.10
by Abby Chau
- Dominating headlines in England is former BP boss Lord Browne’s recommendation for lifting the university tuition cap as well as chancellor George Osborne’s announcement that £81bn pounds will be cut from government spending. Universities Minister David Willetts recently signalled that a compromise with Liberal Democrat Business Secretary Vince Cable will soon be announced, with fees raising to £6,000 or £7,000 instead. Ministers look poised to vote on this before Christmas, with the new fees, if they are approved, taking effect September 2012. Wendy Piatt, director general for the Russell Group, which represents 20 of the country’s most elite universities, says that it will be a missed opportunity if institutions are not allowed to set their own tuition fees in order to guarantee quality and standards.
Full Story: Independent
More: Guardian
- Jordan has announced that by 2014, 65% of their 120,000 public higher education students will get their tuition fee either funded fully by zero-interest loans or through a scholarship. The Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research Walid Maani said that the establishment of the Student Loan Bank at the end of the year will issue zero-interest loans, with banks issuing the loan and not the government. Students are expected to pay back the loan after graduation.. 40,000 students are expected to take advantage of the loans by 2014. The minister stated that allowing their students easy access to higher education will raise the profile of Jordanian universities.
Full Story: Jordan Times
More: Ammon News
- Scotland’s Education secretary Michael Russell wants to tap into the “unlimited market” in China for English language instruction. On a trip to Beijing, he said that Scotland is well placed to deliver such services, and is hoping to increase the intake of Chinese students which currently stands at approximately 5,000. Russell met with the Chinese minister for education to discuss partnerships in teacher education and developing PhD programmes. International students are charged a fee set by Scotland’s universities and as such are seen as a significant source of income. In 2009, international students contributed £419 million to the economy. The number of Chinese students at Glasgow University has increased by 40%. And with the announcement of massive budget cuts, Scotland’s strategy to keep their institutions afloat appears aimed at an internationalisation strategy.
Full Story: Herald Scotland Read more
