The Obama administration has no plans to renew the Bush-era competitiveness grants and their companion, the National Smart Grants, beyond their 2011 expiration date, meaning a likely end for America's short-lived experiment with merit-based federal financial aid. Instead, the administration will focus its resources on the popular Pell Grant…

Grade inflation is among the oldest and thorniest problems in higher education. In 1894 a committee at Harvard University reported that A's and B's were awarded "too readily." But after more than a century of fulmination, there is little agreement on the cause or how to fix it. There is even contentious debate about whether the phenomenon of grade…

Over the past decade, partnerships between a university and a private company to recruit and educate foreign students in a college-preparatory program have become a commonplace in other English-speaking countries. The reason is clear: pathways programs enable colleges to tap into a much broader pool of students, including those who may not qualify…

In the hyper-competitive world of intercollegiate athletics, where programs vie to win national titles, attract talent, and build the best facilities, keeping a close eye on trends and emerging practices is a necessity. With that in mind, "The Chronicle" asked more than three dozen experts to describe the changes they expect to see in athletics…

In this article, the author discusses the issue surrounding the blanket rejection of career-school credits by traditional schools. Whether they attend a career college, community college, online college, or brick-and-mortar university, many Americans find that higher education has become a "grab and go" proposition. To them, attending multiple…

More than two years after Education Secretary Margaret Spellings stood on a podium in Washington and announced the formation of her Commission on the Future of Higher Education, some of its most powerful effects so far have been on a belt of community colleges in California. In the past year, at least 14 California community and junior colleges…

A herd of camels meanders through the 115-degree heat as sand billows across the abandoned stretch of desert that once was to be a branch campus of George Mason University. Nearby, alongside the road that leads into the tall sand dunes is a sign that reads: "REDUCE SPEED: MOVING SANDS AHEAD." The sign is intended for motorists, of…

Describes how discussion of governance and academic standards dominated the proceedings at the first NCAA convention of Myles Brand's presidency. The new president also offered a qualified endorsement of Title IX. (EV)

This fall the Academic Progress Rate, a formula that the National Collegiate Athletic Association developed to measure the academic performance of its member teams, will go into full effect. Known as the APR, the formula consists of two variables: academic performance (which requires satisfactory grades and timely progress to a degree) and student…

Three years ago, as part of a broad effort to raise academic standards in college sports, the NCAA adopted a controversial rule designed to make life difficult for athletes idling in the classroom. The measure--known as the 40-60-80 rule, or the "progress toward degree" requirement--mandates that, to remain eligible to compete, athletes must…

Discusses how the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is considering rules that would tie teams' participation to academic performance. (EV)

Discusses the Patriot League, whose idea was to emphasize academics and offer no sports scholarships. Examines why modifications, especially to the no-scholarship rule, have been embraced by some member schools. (EV)

Mike Frank G. Epitropoulos moved to Greece in the summer of 2005 to become chairman of the business and applied-sociology departments on a small branch campus of the University of Indianapolis, in the shadow of the Acropolis. A former sociology professor at the University of Pittsburgh, he had long wanted to live with his wife and two sons in the…

This article focuses on the coordinated effort of governors, business leaders and education leaders to prepare students for college. Governors from 45 states, corporate executives, policy experts, leaders from both secondary and higher education, and representatives from a wide range of philanthropic and other nonprofit organizations have all…

Describes how tougher academic standards, the "arms race" for better facilities, and other perennial topics took center stage at the National Collegiate Athletic Association's annual meeting. (EV)