I just read an article in the Chronicle Vitae last week titled Why We Need a Yelp for Doctoral Programs, by Leonard Cassuto of Fordham University (December 19, 2019). His thesis is that prospective students and funders could benefit from a Yelp-like web directory of doctoral programs, complete with comments from students and alumnus about the quality of their graduate program. Cassuto argues (correctly) that … Continue reading Yelp for Higher Ed? Please No…
By Dr. Watson Scott Swail, President & Senior Research Scholar, Educational Policy Institute Last week, Presidential nominee and Senator Elizabeth Warren called for the cancellation of student loan debt for 42 million borrowers. According to an article by InsideHigherEd.com, this would result in cancelation of $50,000 of loan debt for former students who incomes are less than $100,000 and even provide forgiveness for those with incomes up … Continue reading The Problem with Loan Forgiveness
I am a product of higher education and my 10 years of postsecondary study have served me well. My college degrees gave me the opportunity to access better jobs and a better lifestyle. The College Plan worked for me, and it continues to help millions of others across the US, Canada, and beyond. What we are learning, however, is that it doesn’t help everyone in the same way. And for some, it doesn’t help at all. Continue reading The Over-Under on Underemployment
By Watson Scott Swail, President & Senior Research Scholar, Educational Policy Institute Please listen to our podcast version of The Swail Letter. It’s fun. Fear seems to be ruling the world right now, especially within the United States. The population has bought into fear-mongering, 85 years after Franklin Delano Roosevelt uttered this phrase: “So, first of all, let me assert my firm belief that the … Continue reading The Only Thing We Have to Fear…
By Watson Scott Swail, President & Senior Research Scholar, Educational Policy Institute An article posted yesterday in MarketWatch trumpeted that 9 out of 10 new jobs are going to those with a college degree. The article uses data from Georgetown’s Center on Education and the Workforce. It is important to note that these data—while accurate—are also cherry picked from a very specific time period that overemphasizes … Continue reading Beware the Rhetoric About the Over Importance of a BA
