NAICU - National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities

NAICU Statement on the Department of Education's Financial-Responsibility List

Americans whose students attend, or are considering attending, one of the institutions on the Education Department's list, should not rule out a college simply because it's listed. More

2010 Private College Tuition and Student Aid Trends

Private College Tuition Increases 4.5 Percent for 2010-11; Institutional Student Aid Up 6.8 Percent

NAICU Launches 2020 Initiative

NAICU and the Council of Independent Colleges have launched "Building Blocks to 2020," recognizing and encouraging private college and university efforts to help the nation reach President Obama's 2020 college education goal. For details, or to sign up your institution to participate, go to the institutional information section of the 2020 Website.

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Inside Higher Ed

September 2, 2010

Education Management Corporation, the company that runs the Art Institutes, Argosy University and other for-profit colleges, has turned to external consultants to help employees craft letters voicing opposition to the U.S. Department of Education's proposed regulations on "gainful employment." CEO Todd Nelson wrote to employees last week asking them to cooperate with representatives from DGI Group who would write personalized letters on behalf of employees, which they could then sign and send to Education Secretary Arne Duncan.

First Report From Research Center Created by U. of Phoenix Attacks Critics of For-Profit Education

Chronicle of Higher Education

September 2, 2010

Two years ago, the founders of the University of Phoenix announced plans to create an independent, nonpartisan research institute to examine meaty educational issues affecting nontraditional students and for-profit higher education. But its first report, released Thursday, sings the praises of the University of Phoenix and other for-profit colleges. It argues that many of the problems of the industry highlighted in Congressional hearings and news accounts are not systemic, and lobs an attack on traditional colleges as "studies in inefficiency."

Another Press Stops Publishing

Inside Higher Ed

September 2, 2010

Susquehanna University has quietly placed its university press "on hiatus," the latest in a series of such actions that appear to be eroding the academic publishing role of small universities. Susquehanna is an undergraduate institution, and while other universities that have recently stopped or suspended publishing operations also have graduate programs, these institutions are generally smaller universities. Among those suspending or halting operations have been Rice University, Southern Methodist University and the University of Scranton.

Other News

Proposed Rules on Gainful Employment Continue to Roil the Waters

NAICU Washington Update

September 2, 2010

The news media continue to turn out stories and commentaries in the wake of the Department of Education's proposed "gainful employment" rules and Sen. Tom Harkin's August 4 hearing that scalded the for-profit sector. Lost in all the media frenzy, though, are the implications of the proposed regulations on non-profit and public colleges. The department has estimated that 2,139 public institutions - many of them community colleges - and nearly 250 private, non-profit colleges would have credential programs falling under the rules.

Administration Announces Revisions in Export Controls

NAICU Washington Update

September 2, 2010

President Obama has announced plans for comprehensive changes in the current export control system. The announcement followed a year-long review of the system that concluded the current system is "overly complicated, contains too many redundancies, and, in trying to protect too much, diminishes our ability to focus our efforts on the most critical national security priorities." Given the implications for campus research, colleges and universities have been particularly interested in addressing the ambiguities and inconsistencies in the system.

September 17 is Constitution Day

NAICU Washington Update

September 2, 2010

Under legislation enacted in 2005, educational institutions receiving federal funds are required to hold an educational program relating to the U.S. Constitution on Sept 17 - the day the Constitution was signed in 1787. NAICU encourages all of our members to embrace this opportunity to advance civic education. The federal provision doesn't define "educational program," so institutions have a great deal of latitude - and there are resources and idea-starters available on line.

IRS Partners With Local Organizations to Offer Free Tax Help

NAICU Washington Update

September 2, 2010

The Internal Revenue Service has expanded its free face-to-face tax assistance efforts by partnering with local businesses and other organizations in each state to offer additional services to taxpayers. Colleges and universities may be interested in establishing these partnerships and offering these services to students, who might need help in preparing their tax returns, and the local community.

Your Vote Your Voice and National Voter Registration Month

NAICU Washington Update

September 2, 2010

NAICU is proud to announce the return of Your Vote, Your Voice - a voter education, registration and get-out-the -vote project supported by the Washington Higher Education Secretariat in every federal election since 1996. The Your Vote, Your Voice launch later this month also coincides with the National Association of Secretaries of State's designation of September as National Voter Registration Month, with a focus on campus activities in support of voter education, registration, and civic engagement.

Liberal arts college offers a job to every grad

Washington Post - College Inc. Blog

Albion College, a small Michigan liberal arts college, may be the first institution of its sort to guarantee students "meaningful employment" after graduation. It's a significant gesture: the nation is mired in a sluggish economy, and families are questioning the wisdom of sending a child off to study philosophy or Russian history at a $40,000-a-year private college to prepare them for a job preparing foamy coffee drinks.

About the items posted on the NAICU site: News items, features, and opinion pieces posted on this site from sources outside NAICU do not necessarily reflect the position of the association or its members. Rather, this content reflects the diversity of issues and opinions that are shaping American higher education.

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