Fewer than half of working-age adults hold a credential beyond a high school diploma. As the economy increasingly moves from an industrial base to a knowledge base, this population will need access to high-quality degree programs in relevant fields. Fortunately, online learning has made this achievable. The challenge of serving this population…

Ever since the beginning of the Great Recession, higher education has braced for the impending age of austerity and changing demographics. Now a reality, these conditions threaten the ability of institutions of higher education to remain competitive in an ever growing global marketplace. This article presents several core SEM strategies that can…

With a growing concern that society's needs are not being met, there are heightened expectations for accountability for public purposes. At the same time higher education institutions are experiencing increasing competition, as well as decreasing state support for public higher education. The concern is that competition for resources is overtaking…

The nation's public and private four-year colleges and universities are in danger of shutting down what has long been a pathway to the middle class for low-income and working-class students, the Pell Grant. This report presents a new analysis of little-examined U.S. Department of Education data showing the "net price" -- the amount…

This report examines U.S. Department of Education data showing the net price -- the average amount of money that students and their families have to pay after all grant and scholarship aid is deducted from the listed price -- for low-income students at more than 1,400 four-year colleges in the 2011-12 academic year. The analysis finds that…

I develop and structurally estimate an equilibrium model of the college market. Students, who are heterogeneous in both abilities and preferences, make college application decisions, subject to uncertainty and application costs. Colleges observe only noisy measures of student ability and set up tuition and admissions policies to compete for more…

In January 2011, the University of Southern California Center for Enrollment Research, Policy, and Practice in conjunction with the Education Conservancy convened a national workshop--a unique experiment meant to consider "The Case for Change in College Admissions." Its 180 participants included university and college admissions officers…

In the midst of the global recession, how have national governments viewed the role of higher education in their evolving strategies for economic recovery? Demand for higher education generally goes up during economic downturns. Which nations have proactively protected funding for their universities and colleges to help maintain access, to help…

In the United States, the relationship between state governments and public colleges and universities is being redefined with new notions of autonomy and accountability, and with funding policies that are highly market-driven (often referred to as "privatisation") as the centrepieces. Situations and institutional strategies unthinkable…

One of the working papers in the final report of the Arizona Board of Regents' Task Force on Excellence, Efficiency and Competitiveness examines the needs of rural Arizona for educational services and proposes means for the provision of those services that can be offered by public universities. Seven sections look at the demography of rural…

One paper in a collection of working papers in the Arizona Board of Regents' Task Force on Excellence, Efficiency and Competitiveness, this study includes and explains a survey designed to assess the major factors affecting access and persistence of all students in Arizona's three public universities as perceived by the Students. A randomly…

An analysis of the performance of minority students in Arizona (Black, Hispanic, Native American, and Asian) is presented as one working paper in the final report by the Arizona Board of Regents' Task Force on Excellence, Efficiency and Competitiveness. Data are included for the White majority for comparison purposes. School districts are grouped…

A research guide on student access to the Arizona University System, with studies of retention and persistence, is presented as one working paper in the final report of the Arizona Board of Regents' Task Force on Excellence, Efficiency and Competitiveness. Six topics of discussion, covering areas to be investigated, are as follows: academic…

One of the working papers in the final report of the Arizona Board of Regents' Task Force on Excellence, Efficiency and Competitiveness, this study considers issues of minority access and persistence in Arizona's universities. Themes abstracted from personal interviews with minority students, faculty, and staff and minority and nonminority…

One of the working papers in the final report of the Arizona Board of Regents' Task Force on Excellence, Efficiency and Competitiveness, this report describes a study evaluating the effort by Arizona's universities to recruit and graduate minority students. Current outcomes and recent trends are noted along with the general strengths and…