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Blog:  Learning Innovation Higher ed is trying to wrap its collective head around the announcement of 2U's $800 million acquisition of edX.  There is much to chew on regarding what this deal means for current edX and 2U partners, global learners, and the broader postsecondary ecosystem. In our first (and admittedly raw) take on this deal, we want to focus on two questions: Why is 2U spending $800 million to buy edX? And why is edX selling? There are, of course, many answers to these questions. Moves like this are complicated. But if we were going to list the number one reason as to why this deal is happening, it would be “Coursera.” Coursera's March 31st initial public offering (IPO) created a public company that is now valued at almost $6 billion. A well-capitalized online platform company like Coursera represents a potential existential threat to the traditional OPM (online program management) model, at least in the medium-to-long term. This is, in part, beca...

Listening to alternative points of view isn’t a particularly favored activity in many corners of society these days. But it remains one of the best ways – perhaps one of the only ways – of bridging the many divides (racial, economic, cultural) currently afflicting many aspects of our world. So argues Ronald A. Crutcher, president of the University of Richmond and author of I Had No Idea You Were Black: Navigating Race on the Road to Leadership (Clyde Hill Publishing). In this week’s episode of The Key, Crutcher discusses his leadership style, his views on campus race relations and affirmative action, and the importance of understanding the pain words can cause while still favoring free speech over limiting it.    This episode is sponsored by  Wiley Education Services .   Section:  The Key Podcast Ad keyword:  WESPodcast_20210615 Event's date:  Wednesday, December 30, 2020 - 6:15pm Insider only:  from Inside H...

Image:  2U and edX, two major players in the online learning ecosystem, announced Tuesday that they would combine to create an entity that would reach 50 million learners and serve most of the best universities in the United States and the world. 2U, the publicly traded company that is by far the largest of the online program management providers, said it would pay $800 million to buy the assets of edX, the nonprofit online course provider that Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology teamed up to create nearly a decade ago. The assets of the transaction will flow to a new nonprofit organization managed by Harvard and MIT that will focus on "inclusive learning and education," the new partners said in a news release. "Guided by the efforts and insights from Harvard and MIT research on the dynamics of learning, the nonprofit will collaborate with educational institutions, governments and other organizations to develop and evaluate new a...

Image:  Students are headed back to colleges and universities this fall. Some of them will be arriving for the first time in over a year and are eager to get back in the thick of things. That’s one of several factors that have led to an increased demand for housing at some residential institutions. A few have decided to deal with the issue in creative ways. Dartmouth College, for example, is running a lottery for students who have requested housing. The lottery isn't for a room on campus, though. Students can instead enter their names in the lottery and, if they are one of the up to 200 chosen randomly, they will receive $5,000 for withdrawing their housing request. (Students who are not chosen will be able to keep their housing or wait-list spots.) “Interest in living on campus has understandably surged following the easing of COVID-19 restrictions,” Mike Wooten, associate dean for residential life, wrote in a message to students on the housing wait list. “While w...

Clarke University , in Iowa, is starting a bachelor of applied studies. Dakota State University is starting a bachelor's degree in artificial intelligence in organizations. Dominican University , in partnership with Concordia University Chicago, is starting a certificate program in cybersecurity governance. North Central College is introducing a bachelor's degree program in nutrition science. Sam Houston State University is starting a master of science in athletic training. University of California, Riverside , has started a master of science degree in robotics. Editorial Tags:  New academic programs Is this diversity newsletter?:  Newsletter Order:  0 Disable left side advertisement?:  Is this Career Advice newsletter?:  Magazine treatment:  Trending:  Display Promo Box:  Live Updates:  liveupdates0 Most Popular:  3 Ad slot:  8 In-Article related st...

Image:  One day during this past academic year, Byanca Moore realized she needed help. The rising junior at Le Moyne College, in Syracuse, N.Y., had medical expenses to pay and no food to eat. So, she turned to the college’s Jesuit Fund , which provides students with up to $500 in emergency funding. Moore applied for the assistance and received what she needed. “They do care for students, and they see which needs you need,” Moore said. “It was helpful.” But the Jesuit Fund is only a quick fix, noted Moore. She and her classmates who face financial challenges need more of a long-term solution. That’s what Representative Norma Torres, a Democrat from California, realized when she saw one of her sons making four sandwiches for a two-hour class at the community college he was attending. “I’m looking at him like, ‘You're going to eat all of that?’” Torres told Inside Higher Ed . “And he said, 'No, not for me, Mom. There are so many kids that are there the entire day but...

Image:  The Board of Trustees for the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill will hold a special meeting Wednesday, reportedly to vote on tenure for journalist Nikole Hannah-Jones . The board’s Monday announcement about a special meeting included no details about the agenda. But quoting two unnamed trustees, NC Policy Watch reported that the board will hold a vote on tenure for Hannah-Jones. Lamar Richards, Chapel Hill’s student body president and therefore an ex officio trustee, petitioned the board last week to hold a special meeting to discuss the Hannah-Jones case. He would have needed five other board members to make similar requests to force such a meeting, but it’s unclear if that’s why the meeting was scheduled. The board chair can call a special meeting at any time. In a 180 from its previous stance on the Hannah-Jones case, the board is reportedly eager to hold a vote before Thursday. That’s when six trustees, including board chair Richard Stevens,...

Image:  The Maine Community College System will launch a free training program to prepare over 700 rural students for remote jobs over the next three years. Students living in rural areas of the state will be able to take six- to nine-month-long online courses in fields especially conducive to remote work, such as IT support, customer service and medical transcription. Participants will receive training and earn a certificate in remote work skills. The program will also offer a certificate course for supervisors on how to manage remote workers. Administrators plan to start the Remote Work for ME program next January with a cohort of about 60 rural students. The $1.2 million program will be funded by a $535,000 seed grant from Ascendium Education Group, a philanthropic organization focused on postsecondary education, as well as funds from the John T. Gorman Foundation, the community college system and its foundation. “Over the years Maine has tried a variety of ways...

Air pollution is still a killer all over the world. In today's Academic Minute, part of Northern Kentucky University Week, Christine Curran examines how traffic-related pollution affects more than just the lungs. Curran is an associate professor of biological sciences at Northern Kentucky. A transcript of this podcast can be found here . Section:  Academic Minute File:  06-29-21 Northern Kentucky - Watch out for the TRAP.mp3 Event's date:  Monday, June 28, 2021 - 5:30pm Insider only:  from Inside Higher Ed https://ift.tt/3wZ1dvP

Blog:  Call to Action: Marketing and Communications in Higher Education As we talked about returning to in-person meetings and presentations, my colleague mused, “I don’t know if I remember how to talk in front of a real live audience, and I think I completely lost the ability to have a conversation.” We laughed, but the exchange made me realize that communicators need to polish skills we may not have tapped during the pandemic, particularly because our past year focused primarily on written communications, website postings and hours of back-to-back daily Zoom meetings (made bearable by the puppies, cats and even goats who sometimes crashed our meetings). So much of our effectiveness as communication strategists relies on the ability to craft powerful language that resonates with our audience, and to read a room, based on our attendees’ body language, eye contact and engagement. We can better advance our priorities by adapting those well-honed in-person skills to reflec...

Nicole Mansfield Wright offers recommendations for navigating the obstacles you must surpass to publish your academic book. Job Tags:  FACULTY JOBS Ad keywords:  faculty Editorial Tags:  Career Advice Publishing Show on Jobs site:  Image Source:  bon bon/imagezoo/getty images Image Size:  Thumbnail-horizontal Is this diversity newsletter?:  Is this Career Advice newsletter?:  Disable left side advertisement?:  Trending:  Live Updates:  liveupdates0 Most Popular:  9 from Inside Higher Ed https://ift.tt/3y2VkOf

The National Collegiate Athletic Association ruled that North Carolina State University could not play against Vanderbilt University for a spot in the College World Series because some members of its team have COVID-19. The NCAA said , "The NCAA Division I Baseball Committee has declared the Vanderbilt-NC State Men’s College World Series game scheduled for Saturday, June 26 at 1 p.m. Central time a no-contest because of COVID-19 protocols. This decision was made based on the recommendation of the Championship Medical Team and the Douglas County Health Department. As a result, Vanderbilt will advance to the CWS Finals. The NCAA and the committee regret that NC State’s student-athletes and coaching staff will not be able to continue in the championship in which they earned the right to participate. Because of privacy issues, we cannot provide further details." North Carolina State players criticized the decision. Matt Willadsen said on Twitter , "Will never forget thi...

The San Mateo Community College District in California will double its tuition-free program and expand dual enrollment for local high school students with one-time funding its board approved last week. The Board of Trustees approved a one-time boost of $6.75 million for the district’s Free Community College Strategic Initiative as part of a tentative $470.4 million budget. The new funding includes $3 million for the district’s Promise Scholars program. The program covers tuition and fees and provides money for textbooks for full-time students. The program currently supports 2,000 students. Additional funding will allow the district, which enrolls about 20,000 students, to expand program access to 4,000 students, said Aaron McVean, vice chancellor for educational services and planning for the district. “What we’re trying to do is make community college free for as many students as possible,” McVean said. “If we had all the resources in the world, it would probably be ...

The National Collegiate Athletic Association's Division I Council on Monday recommended that the association suspend its long-standing rules limiting athletes' ability to profit from their names, images and likenesses. The panel's vote clears the way for the Division I Board of Directors to formally alter the NCAA policy with its own vote by July 1, which is when laws allowing college athletes to capitalize commercially on their renown take effect in several states . The suspension of the NCAA rules would mean that athletes could promote themselves in profitable ways without running afoul of the rules, whether the states where their colleges are located have laws permitting name, image and likeness activities or not. Athletes can also hire advisers to help them with promoting themselves. In the last several days, numerous college athletes have unveiled plans for personal logos , clothing lines and other endeavors to take advantage of their newfound opportunity. ...

Today on the Academic Minute , part of Northern Kentucky University Week: Christine Curran, associate professor of biological sciences, examines how traffic-related air pollution affects more than just the lungs. Learn more about the Academic Minute here . Is this diversity newsletter?:  Hide by line?:  Disable left side advertisement?:  Is this Career Advice newsletter?:  Trending:  Live Updates:  liveupdates0 from Inside Higher Ed https://ift.tt/3hi1naR