Tuesday, May 7

Tag: colleges

Sports Teams Are Being Eliminated By Colleges – And Runners And Golfers Are Paying More Of A Price Than Football Or Basketball Players
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EDUCATION, SPORTS

Sports Teams Are Being Eliminated By Colleges – And Runners And Golfers Are Paying More Of A Price Than Football Or Basketball Players

North Carolina Central University, a historically Black college, announced in February that its men’s baseball team – which formed in 1911 – would cease to exist after this season. The school’s athletic director called it “one of the most disappointing days in my career.” University leaders concluded that financial shortfalls due to COVID-19 were too much to support the team going forward. Since COVID-19 emerged, dozens of colleges and universities have announced the elimination of different intercollegiate athletics teams. The vast majority of these cuts are at schools and teams that never show up on ESPN’s SportsCenter. As professors who study higher education, we took a closer look at the 300 teams that were dropped between March and October 2020 by 78 colleges and universities. It’s...
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Confronting Their Links To Slavery Colleges Wrestle With How To Atone For Past Sins
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VIDEO REELS

Confronting Their Links To Slavery Colleges Wrestle With How To Atone For Past Sins

Colleges and universities across the U.S. have been taking a hard look at their ties to slavery. This isn’t an entirely new phenomenon. Back in 2006, Brown University published a report showing that the university – from its construction to its endowment – participated in and benefited from the slave trade and slavery. And since then, several other colleges and universities have disclosed their ties to the use of slave labor. For instance, Johns Hopkins University – whose namesake and founder has historically been portrayed as an abolitionist – reported in December 2020 that its founder actually employed four enslaved individuals in his Baltimore household. At the University of Mississippi, a slavery research group has found that at least 11 enslaved people labored on the campus. At G...
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Many colleges have gone test-optional – here’s how that could change the way students are admitted
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EDUCATION

Many colleges have gone test-optional – here’s how that could change the way students are admitted

More than two-thirds of U.S. four-year colleges and universities have decided to make the SAT or ACT optional for admission in the fall of 2021, some on a temporary basis, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Here, two scholars – Angela Farmer, assistant clinical professor of honors education at Mississippi State University, and Jonathan Wai, assistant professor of education policy and psychology at the University of Arkansas – shine some light what this means for students’ chances of getting into the college of their choice. How have required college entrance exams helped or hurt in the past? Angela Farmer. www.honors.msstate.edu Angela Farmer: When I served as a high school administrator in a small, rural community in southern Illinois, I saw many talented students get rejected by selective uni...
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What colleges and universities can do to improve police-community relations
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EDUCATION

What colleges and universities can do to improve police-community relations

In the wake of the death of George Floyd – and the protests that it has sparked around the world – public attention is focused on ending police brutality like never before. Even before Floyd’s May 25 death in Minneapolis, public trust and confidence in law enforcement and America’s legal system were already in a perilous state. The difference now is that calls are being amplified to defund and disband police departments as they are currently known. What can America’s higher education system do to reduce the use of excessive force among police? As a public policy scholar who examines the interplay between race, policing and public governance, I see multiple things that colleges and universities can do to make a difference. 1. Teach courses that rethink public safety As a professor, I help...
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Colleges expect athletes to work but not to air any grievances – here’s why that’s wrong
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EDUCATION

Colleges expect athletes to work but not to air any grievances – here’s why that’s wrong

When Northwestern University created its 2013 football team handbook, the guide included a list of 50 “Twitter tips” for the athletes. Tip #10 told the players not to use Twitter as “an outlet to complain about how rough your life is.” “You are getting a college education, traveling to interesting places, getting free athletic shoes and apparel and more,” the handbook stated. “Thousands of people would crawl over glass for the chance to enjoy the opportunities you have.” This censoring of college athletes is not unique. Again and again, coaches, university administrators, other college students, fans and even athletes themselves have essentially told elite college athletes the same thing: You’re lucky, so don’t complain. And when athletes do complain – or, more accurately, when they d...
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Will colleges embrace Black student activists In this era of protest over racism?
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EDUCATION

Will colleges embrace Black student activists In this era of protest over racism?

In 2018, sociologist Ted Thornhill found that Black students who profess an interest in fighting racism were less likely to get a response from college admission officers than other Black students when inquiring about whether they would be a good fit for a particular college. In light of the nationwide anti-racism protests sparked by the May 25 killing of George Floyd, an unarmed Black man, when a police officer knelt on his neck for more than eight minutes, The Conversation reached out to Thornhill for his thoughts on whether Black activist students might be more welcome on campus now than before. The Q&A, edited for brevity, is below: Do you expect wider acceptance of Black activism on college campuses? Will some number of colleges and universities that did not embrace Black student ...
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1 In 10 HBCUs Were Financially Fragile Before COVID-19 Endangered All Colleges And Universities
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COVID-19, EDUCATION

1 In 10 HBCUs Were Financially Fragile Before COVID-19 Endangered All Colleges And Universities

By reducing enrollment and disrupting instruction, the COVID-19 pandemic is generating financial distress for all colleges and universities. Schools that were already financially fragile before this health emergency and economic recession began could soon face even greater risks. That includes several historically Black colleges and universities, or HBCUs. Based on my economic research regarding HBCUs and as a Morehouse College graduate, I’m concerned about the long-term prospects of these institutions for many reasons. One is that HBCUs like my alma mater have long served as vehicles of upward social and economic mobility for African Americans denied opportunities elsewhere. Federal watchlist The Department of Education tracks which colleges and universities are most at risk of closure ...
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Top football recruits bring in big money for colleges – COVID-19 could threaten revenue
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COVID-19, SPORTS

Top football recruits bring in big money for colleges – COVID-19 could threaten revenue

Colleges and universities are spending more than ever to land the nation’s top football recruits, with some schools having boosted their recruiting budgets by more than 300% in the last five years. These budgets can surpass US$2 million for schools like the University of Tennessee. Is it worth it? I study economics. Research I recently did shows just how big the payoff for spending money to recruit the best players can be. Half a million dollars The schools that secure five-star recruits – the 30 or so players judged to be in the top one-hundredth of the top 1% of high school football players – can increase total revenue by over $500,000 for a university’s athletic department. Most football teams never secure a five-star recruit. Others, such as the University of Alabama and Louisiana St...
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COVID-19 Closures Could Hit Historically Black Colleges Particularly Hard
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EDUCATION, HEALTH & WELLNESS, Journalism

COVID-19 Closures Could Hit Historically Black Colleges Particularly Hard

As the COVID-19 crisis forces many schools to close their campuses and move all courses online, some worry that the pandemic could have a bigger negative impact on the nation’s historically black colleges and universities, than for other campuses. Here, The Conversation US has assembled a panel of experts to forecast what’s in store for HBCUs. How is the outbreak is affecting HBCUs? Marybeth Gasman, professor of education at Rutgers Graduate School of Education. Rutgers University Marybeth Gasman, professor of education at Rutgers University: I am worried about the technology demands on HBCUs, given how few IT specialists many smaller HBCUs have as well as the costs of managing online classes. I’m also worried about students not having access to Wi-Fi at home or laptops – 75% of HBCU stude...
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Students could be undercounted in the census as coronavirus closes colleges – here’s why that matters
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HEALTH & WELLNESS

Students could be undercounted in the census as coronavirus closes colleges – here’s why that matters

At college dormitories and student apartments across the U.S., census forms will be piling up – but many run the risk of not being filled in. The spread of the coronavirus in the U.S. has coincided with the start of data collection for the 2020 census. This may not affect the process for most people who are self-isolating at home. But for students, it could well affect where and if they are counted – and that could have big implications. The rapid spread of the virus has meant that most colleges have by now closed their classrooms. Many universities have extended the usual weeklong spring break into a second week. At Texas A&M University, where I am an emeritus professor, online instruction will begin after the the spring break and continue through the end of the semester in late Ap...
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