Eight years after the U.S. invasion of Iraq and a few months after the withdrawal of the military forces from the country, Iraq's universities, devastated by years of dictatorship, sanctions, and war, are still struggling to recover. The security situation has improved since the deadly, dark days of 2006 and 2007, when the country teetered on the…

With scholarships and other special programs, the Culinary Institute of America's (CIA) Texas campus hopes to make its Latino students into industry leaders. CIA is considered as the most august culinary school in the United States. CIA San Antonio dispatches chefs to study and document traditional cuisines throughout Latin America for its Center…

A growing cadre of African students whose pursuit of an internationally recognized university degree has taken them not to Europe or the United States but to China. The country hopes to become a major destination for international students, with some 293,000 currently enrolled in its universities--more than 20,000 of them from Africa. The figures…

It's no secret that states and the federal government have found themselves in a financial pinch when it comes to higher education. After years of recession and sluggish recovery, states have slashed per-pupil public spending on higher education by 14.6 percent since 2008. At the federal level, though money for Pell Grants has more than doubled…

A series of unprecedented scandals has eroded confidence in big-time sports, increasing the appetite for change. Some critics have a tough time seeing the NCAA as a savior; they say the real problem is the NCAA structure itself, which allows athletes to generate billions of dollars for colleges while earning no compensation themselves. Mark A.…

When it's not staging any Final Four match-ups, the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is the powerful governing body critics love to hate. The association's 11-year, $6-billion contract with CBS to televise the tournament has become a lightning rod for critics who say the association is all about making money off athletes. Not so,…

Alumni of the Ron Brown Scholar Program, young adults selected for their intellect, leadership skills, service, and financial need, are finding success in the law, government, science, business, medicine, and the arts. Yet they remain tied to the scholarship program, contributing to its continued success by donating money and volunteer hours to…

April is decision month. And as college-bound seniors weigh admissions and financial-aid offers, the families of about 1,800 students admitted to New York University have gotten an unusual call. For the first time, the university is systematically contacting families with limited experience navigating the financial-aid process to talk about the…

This article reports that the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) has penalized fewer teams than it expected this year over athletes' poor academic performance. For years, officials with the NCAA have predicted that strikingly high numbers of college sports teams could be at risk of losing scholarships this year because of their…

Among the 142 ballot measures that will be before voters in 33 states this November are 17 proposals in 13 states that would directly affect higher education. Michigan voters will face questions about stem-cell research, people going to the polls in Colorado and Nebraska will be asked about affirmative action, and voters in six states will decide…

Drexel University is offering laid-off workers a 50-percent discount on tuition at its new graduate campus in California. Davis & Elkins College reduced its price by nearly $15,000 for residents from its home county and six surrounding ones to match the tuition of the state's flagship West Virginia University. And Southern Illinois University at…

California community colleges have a new program that provides advocates for former wards of the state. The program is the statewide Foster Youth Success Initiative, which this fall placed liaisons at all of California's 109 community colleges. The liaisons serve as advocates, helping foster youth tap into resources such as scholarships, housing,…

For a college to become an alma mater in the hearts of its students, it must show, true to the Latin meaning, the wisdom and comfort of a good foster mother. Since "alma mater" is Latin, and since the study of Latin has waned on all educational levels in both pious and secular milieus, the author wonders whether folks who use that term really know…

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation plans to spend several hundred million dollars over the next five years to double the number of low-income young people who complete a college degree or certificate program by age 26. Foundation officials described the ambitious plan to an exclusive group of education leaders, citing 2025 as a target goal. If…

While the wealthiest institutions are making headlines with announcements of hiring freezes or possible layoffs to cope with endowment losses in the billions of dollars, colleges of more modest means, like Widener University, are more dependent on tuition to pay the bills. They may actually find themselves in a less nerve-racking position as the…