Completion and Quality News Watch

AAC&U’s board of directors called on the higher education community and our nation’s leaders to take seriously the need to improve the quality of undergraduate education for all students.  In a statement released in January 2010, The Quality Imperative, they noted that, in higher education, “the quality shortfall is just as urgent as the attainment shortfall.”

AAC&U staff members keep a close eye on how the nation’s leaders, commentators, and journalists talk and write about higher education—and whether and how they comment on liberal education and this “quality imperative.”  We are keeping a running tally of leadership statements and media announcements that all our members and all who care about liberal education should read.

April 20, 2012—New York Times Columnist David Brooks Cites AAC&U's Dazzling Array of Campus Experiments on Student Learning Assessment.
New York Times, "Op-Ed: Testing the Teachers."

March 2, 2012— The Debate Over How to Measure College Graduation Rates and What They Measure Rages On.
Chronicle of Higher Education, "The Rise and Fall of the Graduation Rate."

March 2, 2012—Judith Ramaley, president of Winona State University, Examines What is Missing from Debates and Policies to Raise Completion Rates.
Chronicle of Higher Education, "Do College Completion Rates Really Measure Quality? First, Figure Out Why We Are Failing."

January 30, 2012—Robert J. Sternberg, provost and senior vice president, Oklahoma State University, wrote an open letter to President Obama about the prospect of increased federal funds for higher education.
Inside Higher Ed, "Dear President Obama..."

December 31, 2011—W. Robert Connor, a senior adviser to the Teagle Foundation, Advocates for a "Shared Sense of Purpose" to Improve Student Learning.
Chronicle of Higher Education, "Let's Improve Learning. OK, but How?"

December 5, 2011—President Obama Issues "A Call for Urgency" on College Affordability and Completion
Chronicle of Higher Education, "At White House Meeting on Affordability, a Call for Urgency, Innovation, and Leadership."

November 6, 2011—Central Piedmont Community College Students Receive Advice from College Counselors and Instructors via the Online Student Portal Learning System
Chronicle of Higher Education, "7 Community Colleges Open an Online Doorway to Better Grades and Graduation Rates."

October 21, 2011— Ohio University System Leader Wants to Phase Out Remedial Programs Over the Next Six Years
Inside Higher Ed , "Ohio’s Completion Agenda."

September 27, 2011— Complete College America Report Findings Confirm that College Graduation Rates are Stagnant
New York Times , "College Graduation Rates are Stagnant Even as Enrollment Rises, a Study Finds."

September 6, 2011—AAC&U Board Members Sean Decatur and Jane Wellman Discuss Governor Rick Perry’s Proposed $10,000 B. A.
New York Times Room for Debate, "Rick Perry's Plan: $10,000 for a B.A."
New York Times Room for Debate, "Education on iTunes?" by Sean Decatur.
New York Times Room for Debate, "Price vs. Cost" by Jane Wellman.

August 17, 2011—Twenty-five percent of the class of 2011 met the ACT College Readiness Benchmarks in Math, Science, English, and Reading
Chronicle of Higher Education, “ACT Takers Make Marginal Gains in College Readiness, but Achievement Gaps Remain.”

August 4, 2011— Education Sector Report Confirms Long-Term Debt is a Barrier to College Completion and Student Success
Inside Higher Ed, “Debt, Dropouts, and Degrees."

July 18, 2011—NGA Releases New Call for Governors to Collect More Through-Put Data, Adds Call for More Learning Outcomes Assessment
Inside Higher Ed, “Quick Takes: Governors' Group Offers Advice on Higher Education Productivity."

May 26, 2011—AAC&U President Carol Geary Schneider Criticizes Miller Report for "Schizophrenic" Message About Value of Liberal Education"
Diverse: Issues in Higher Education, "Policy Report Says Reform Critical to Viability of U.S. Higher Education."

May 23, 2011—Report Affirms Value of College Degree, But Notes Differences in Average Earnings—President Schneider Comments on Continuing Value of Liberal Education Regardless of Major
Washington Post, "On Path to Riches, No Sign of Fluffy Majors.“

May 1, 2011—AAC&U President Challenges NGA Report and Argues that Students “Need More Liberal Education, Not Less”
Chronicle of Higher Education, “'Degrees for What Jobs?' Wrong Question, Wrong Answers.”

April 24, 2011— Wesleyan President Urges Nation to Make Excellence Inclusive and Invest in More Liberal Learning
Chronicle of Higher Education, "How Colleges Can Ensure Quality, Not Inequality"

April 11, 2011—Executive Director of SC Commission on Higher Education Decries the Push for Increasing Completion—“Damn The Quality”
Inside Higher Ed, “More Degrees/Dollar—Damn the Quality”

April 4, 2011—AFT Begins Dialogue on Role of Faculty and Student Learning
Inside Higher Ed, “The Faculty Take on Student Learning”

March 23, 2011—NGA Report Urges Governors to Move Beyond Liberal-Arts Education
The Chronicle of Higher Education, “Colleges Should Serve the Job Market, Governors Say”

March 21, 2011—Tech Entrepreneur Weighs In on Jobs/Gates Debate—Argues that It Isn’t Either/Or
Tech Crunch, “Engineering vs. Liberal Arts: Who’s Right—Bill or Steve?

March 20, 2011—New York Times Publishes “Room for Debate” Columns on Importance of Choice of College Majors in Light of Jobs/Gates Debate
New York Times, “Career Counselor: Bill Gates or Steve Jobs?"

March 2, 2011—Steve Jobs Unveils iPad 2 and Praises Role of Liberal Arts and Humanities
Seattle Times, “Feisty Steve Jobs Talks Up Apple’s “post PC” iPad2"

March 1, 2011—AAC&U President Schneider Reminds Gates of Broad Aims of Education and Calls for Rewarding Institutions That Equip Graduates with More Lasting Skills and Abilities
Inside Higher Education, “How to Train Your Draconian"

February 28, 2011—Bill Gates Calls for Redirecting State Funds to Majors Directly Connected to Job Creation
Gates Foundation Blog , “Flip the Curve: Student Achievement vs. School Budgets"

January 24, 2011—Sean Decatur Highlights How Liberal Education Advances Key Learning Outcomes
New York Times, “The Winner: A Liberal Education"