Perspectives from Down Under

By Watson Scott Swail, President and CEO, Educational Policy Institute MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA – I have had the fortune and pleasure over the past few weeks to spend time in New Zealand and Australia. The main attraction was the annual Australia Tertiary Education Management (ATEM) Conference in Christchurch, New Zealand, where Ian Dobson, EPI’s Australasia Director, and myself were conducting a series of workshops on student retention … Continue reading Perspectives from Down Under

The Bell Curve Under a Different Cover

By Watson Scott Swail, President and CEO, Educational Policy Institute In yesterday’s USA Today, Mary Beth Marklein interviews The Bell Curve author Charles Murray about his new book, Real Education: Four Simple Truths for Brining America’s Schools Back to Reality. Murray, in typical fashion, is set to cause an uproar across higher education, especially at open admissions schools, about the role and place of higher education. … Continue reading The Bell Curve Under a Different Cover

The Rise of The Millennials

By Watson Scott Swail, President and CEO, Educational Policy Institute With the “real” start of this election year in the United States, which is being followed with fervor around the world (e.g., “Is Obama or Clinton going to win the nomination?” says a European colleague to me in Ljubljana, Slovenia in April), much of the focus is on the “next generation” of voters. This group, which … Continue reading The Rise of The Millennials

Eurostudent III: Welcome to the Future of the EU

By Watson Scott Swail, President and CEO, Educational Policy Institute This week I had the pleasure of visiting Ljubljana, Slovenia for the unveiling of the Eurostudent III Report (not officially online as of this blogging). As the title may suggest, this is the third report on an EU-based survey of 23 countries on the “social dimension” of higher education. For context, Europe has seen an increase … Continue reading Eurostudent III: Welcome to the Future of the EU

Nine Days in Riyadh

By Watson Scott Swail, President and CEO, Educational Policy Institute RIYADH, SAUDI ARABIA — This Friday afternoon finds me in the Saudi Arabian capital city of Riyadh, a city of approximately 7 million people in the middle of one of the largest deserts and oil deposits in the world. Today is a moderate day of approximately 36 Celsius (95F)… and this isn’t the hot season yet, … Continue reading Nine Days in Riyadh