Free Tuition? Really?

By Watson Scott Swail, President & CEO, Educational Policy Institute/EPI International As we continue to hear more about free or cheap university programs through MIT and other players, news comes from the province of Alberta of the Liberal party’s platform to reduce tuition gradually until it is free. To do this, the Liberal Party plans on creating a Post-Secondary Education Fund which would add money … Continue reading Free Tuition? Really?

Can We Trust Colleges and Universities?

By Watson Scott Swail, President & CEO, Educational Policy Institute/EPI International Last week, I discussed the President’s proposal for cost cutting and keeping colleges on task and on budget. Yesterday, the Senate held a hearing on college affordability that basically showed how the government is handcuffed from finding a way to get colleges in line, fiscally or otherwise. Senate Democrats and Republicans lined up and … Continue reading Can We Trust Colleges and Universities?

Aiming High: The Keeping College Affordable Initiative

By Watson Scott Swail, President & CEO, Educational Policy Institute/EPI International This morning, President Obama used the setting of staff and students at the University of Michigan to unveil his Keeping College Affordable initiative. Based on his State of the Union speech a few nights ago, we knew this was coming and we knew mostly what it was about, and as Secretary of Education Arne … Continue reading Aiming High: The Keeping College Affordable Initiative

Higher Education for Free – Part II

By Watson Scott Swail, President & CEO, Educational Policy Institute/EPI International Before the Christmas break, I wrote a piece called “Higher Education for Free” (December 23, 2011). This week I am providing a “Part Deux” due to emerging news and conversations on the topic. This week, Apple announced two important announcements. First, an expansion of their iTunes U, which provides not only courses from higher … Continue reading Higher Education for Free – Part II

Why are our College Graduates Unemployed?

By Watson Scott Swail, President & CEO, Educational Policy Institute/EPI International Tony Carnevale, Ban Cheah, and Jeff Strohl’s new publication: HardTimes: College Majors, Unemployment and Earnings, states that unemployment for new BA graduates is “an unacceptable 8.9 percent,” acknowledging that it is an even worse 22.9 percent for recent high school graduates. Their publication showcases the reality that different BA degrees have different unemployment rates, … Continue reading Why are our College Graduates Unemployed?