Search | The EDU Ledger

Welcome to The EDU Ledger.com! We’ve moved from Diverse.

Welcome to The EDU Ledger! We’ve moved from Diverse: Issues In Higher Education.

Section: Blogs/Opinion

Beware of Programs That Don’t Make the Grade

JEERS . . . to the more than 800 vocational programs nationwide that graduate students with excessive student-loan burdens based on the salaries they’re able to earn, according to U.S. Department of Education documents released Monday. The education department’s poor grades place these programs at risk of losing federal financial aid funding. The department reviewed […]

January 13, 2017

2016 in Higher Education

For-profit career colleges suffered major setbacks in 2006 as many students dropped out with huge debts and no degree. Students entering college in 2008 had a 55 percent rate of graduating college from public universities but only 27.8 percent among for-profit 4-year schools. For the more than 100,000 students enrolled in the main online campus […]

January 12, 2017

2013-07-26-lecturehall

Free College? Do the Math

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo made a big splash this week when he announced a fairly inexpensive plan to make college tuition-free for as many as 1 million New Yorkers. Unfortunately, the math doesn’t appear to add up. Cuomo’s plan would force the state to fully cover college tuition bills beginning this autumn for any […]

January 10, 2017

Selective Schools Could Do More for Veterans

In 2008, President George W. Bush signed the Post-9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance Act into law, reforming the GI Bill so today’s veterans could graduate from a college of their choice tuition-debt free. To be eligible for the full benefit, veterans without a service-connected disability need 36 months of active duty service and an honorable discharge. […]

January 6, 2017

Book of 2017: Let’s Write a Good One

Happy New Year everyone! We wish you a terrific 2017 filled with happiness and good fortune. Brad Paisley once said, “Tomorrow is the first blank page of a 365-page book. Write a good one.” Let’s ensure that our 2017 book is not left blank! Let’s write a good one! Our 2016 book was full of […]

January 5, 2017

Veterans Need Us to Fight for Them

The United States counts freedom and the defense of our freedom among our founding principles. Our military, and therefore our veterans, has borne the greatest burden in defending the freedoms we each enjoy. These men and women have been called, drafted or have volunteered to make major commitments in service to our country. They and […]

December 20, 2016

obama_walter_reed_2

IBM Leader: “New Collar” Jobs Require Skills, Not 4-Year Degrees

Today, leaders in business, government and across civil society in the U.S. and around the world are grappling with disruptive changes in technology, markets and society, changes that are having a major impact on economies and employment. But even as many seek to revitalize traditional industries, lasting job creation will require an understanding of important […]

December 16, 2016

ginni-rometty-ibm

India Presents Example for Affirmative Action in Higher Ed

Affirmative action within higher education admissions naturally generates controversy because preferential admission granted to one student results in the exclusion of another. There is also the question of whether affirmative action may actually harm, rather than help, the supposed beneficiaries – creating a “mismatch” by prompting students to attend selective colleges for which they are […]

December 15, 2016

Reviewing Obama’s Higher Education Legacy

For eight years as president, Barack Obama showed an unusual interest in reforming higher education when compared with any other U.S. president in history. Most concerned themselves with primary and secondary education. The only possible exception is Abraham Lincoln, under whose administration the land grant university system was created. One reason for his interest in […]

December 13, 2016

What Trump Presidency Means for Higher Education

The 2016 election of Donald Trump was surprising to a majority of the nation, since many news outlet polls predicted a Hillary Clinton win. But now the nation is looking to Trump to steer the republic — and he has made the direction he has chosen for higher education clearer since the election. Trump recently […]

December 9, 2016

Education Can Help Reduce Stigma for Veterans

In 2014, 55 U.S. military service members died fighting in Afghanistan. Today, an average of 20 veterans lose their lives every day to suicide, according to a recent report by the Department of Veteran Affairs. We do a spectacular job of providing our citizens with resources they need to keep our country safe. But the […]

December 8, 2016

What Can Students Expect from President Trump?

With chances of Hillary Clinton coming in power, college leaders and students had a list of concerns about her policies, but the unexpected victory of Donald Trump have people ‘horrified’ because of his vision. Although Donald Trump’s policy and plans about education have been pretty unclear, just like his other undertakings, but there have been […]

December 6, 2016

2016-02-06t024501z_5645x356

“Upskilling” Veterans for Technology Jobs

On the Veterans Benefits Administration’s Facebook page, we often post content about Veterans employment measures, issues, announcements and hiring fairs. These are generally the kinds of opportunities that get passed along to us, or those that we find in the media. We spread the good word so that others can more easily find these opportunities. […]

December 2, 2016

Will Trump Relieve Student Debt?

Q: I’m already struggling to pay back my student loans. Will a Trump administration make it better or worse? A: This is a tough one. President-elect Donald Trump and the Republicans who now have a majority in both houses of Congress didn’t focus much on higher education during their campaigns, says Jason Delisle, resident fellow […]

December 1, 2016

5 Things Trump Might Do to Student Loans and Higher Ed

What will a Donald Trump presidency mean for student loan consumers? He rarely mentioned higher education or the nation’s $1.3 trillion in student debt on the campaign trail, so the future is hazy. With so much still unknown and to be worked out during the transition over the next few months, it’s too soon to […]

November 29, 2016

Education Credits Are a Hassle at Tax Time

For students with scholarships, such as Pell Grants, the process for claiming education-related tax credits, like the American Opportunity Tax Credit, is unusually complex and results in many eligible students and parents (if the student is a dependent) foregoing tax credits for which they qualify. The magnitude of the problem appears to be large — […]

November 23, 2016

Misled by For-Profits? Know Your Rights

Student loan debt has reached crushing proportions in the U.S. As of 2016, student loan borrowers owe almost $1.3 trillion in aggregate, with an average debt per person exceeding $29,000. That’s quite a burden, even if you do receive an excellent education in the process. But what if you don’t? The U.S. Department of Education […]

November 22, 2016

credit-card-debt

Grad Rates Are Core of Potential Accreditation Overhaul

A recent joint statement from higher education accrediting bodies has heightened the focus on college and university graduation rates, but some advocates and executives say that accountability requires a greater value of institutional context. The Council of Regional Accrediting Commissions this week announced plans to conduct more intensive review of four-year colleges and universities with […]

November 18, 2016