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?
Higher Education for Free: What a Concept!
By Watson Scott Swail, President & CEO, Educational Policy Institute/EPI International This week, the faculty union at my alma mater, the University of Manitoba, warned its members that certain websites are posting lecture notes in potential violation of professors’ intellectual property rights. The same week, MIT announced that it is providing free access to its entire collection of online courses. More importantly, it will provide … Continue reading Higher Education for Free: What a Concept!
A Fly on the Wall
By Watson Scott Swail, President & CEO, Educational Policy Institute/EPI International This coming Monday, President Obama is apparently hosting presidents from about 10 colleges and universities to have a discussion about college costs and affordability. I want to be in that room. Being a natural cynic (the best researchers, I argue, are cynics, which is why we question everything!), I want to hear first what … Continue reading A Fly on the Wall
The Swail Letter on Higher Education 