The New York Times and The Chronicle of Higher Education recently collaborated on a piece that investigated the concerns about undergraduate business students' study habits that are highlighted in the popular book Academically Adrift: Limited Learning on College Campuses and elsewhere.

Richard Arum and Josipa Roksa, authors of Academically Adrift, claim that business majors had the ...]]>  

The New York Times and The Chronicle of Higher Education recently collaborated on a piece that investigated the concerns about undergraduate business students' study habits that are highlighted in the popular book Academically Adrift: Limited Learning on College Campuses and elsewhere.

Richard Arum and Josipa Roksa, authors of Academically Adrift, claim that business majors had the "weakest gains" in their first two years of college on a national test of writing and reasoning skills. The book also reports that business students taking the GMAT, an examination for entry into MBA programs, generally score lower than students in every other major.

In the article, published by The New York Times on April 14, 2011, senior writer for the Chronicle David Glenn noted that students in business programs such as those at Notre Dame and the University of Pennsylvania study hard. But below the "top 50 schools" the majority of business majors are studying the so-called "soft" subjects such as management and marketing.

While the Times and Chronicle article quotes economics professor Paul M. Mason of the University of North Florida as not giving the same exams to students as he did 10 or 15 years ago because many of them wouldn't pass. Mason said it is not because they aren't as intelligent but instead "many of them don't read their textbooks."

Academically Adrift looks at the performance of students from 24 colleges and universities nationwide based on a basic skills and reasoning tests. The results show that business students' scores on the test improved significantly less than any other group's. The authors attribute some of these numbers to the small amount of hours business students spend studying, or a classroom setting that usually involves lots of group projects. And while group projects are reported to be a staple in the managing and marketing educations of a business major, having a student dedicate all of his or her study-time to group work doesn't allow for personal improvement in the basic math and reasoning skills that are emphasized on the tests.

Ironically, other critics suggest non-business skills such as arts and foreign languages could help make tomorrow's business leaders more global and critical than their predecessors, some of whom were  blamed for the the recent financial collapse.

For related articles, click the links below.

• "The Default Major: Skating Through B-School," David Glenn, New York Times, April 14, 2011.
• "Assessing Undergraduate Business Education: Interviews With 4 Leaders," David Glenn, The Chronicle of Higher Education, April 14, 2011.
• Book Review: Academically Adrift,  Scott Jaschik, Inside Higher Ed, Jan. 18, 2011.

The New England Board of Higher Education held its 9th annual New England Higher Education Excellence Awards Dinner on Friday, March 11, at the Long Wharf Marriott in Boston. But the conversation continued beyond the dinner, thanks to a variety of social media.

To track our social media coverage, check out the links below:

The New England Council announced a slate of events for spring 2011 …

Following last week's 8.9 magnitude earthquake off Northeastern Japan, continuing aftershocks and a massive tsunami, colleges and universities are keeping a close eye on that part of the world. Below are some updates from New England institutions.

NEBHE will host its 9th annual Excellence Awards celebration at the Marriott Long Wharf Hotel in Boston on Friday, March 11. But the conversation has already started thanks to a variety of social media, creating a digital time line that includes information leading up to, during and after the event.

To track our social media coverage, ...]]>

NEBHE will host its 9th annual Excellence Awards celebration at the Marriott Long Wharf Hotel in Boston on Friday, March 11. But the conversation has already started thanks to a variety of social media, creating a digital time line that includes information leading up to, during and after the event.

To track our social media coverage, check out the links below:

• NEBHE’s Twitter page.
• #NEBHEawards hashtag (real-time conversation before, during and after the awards).
• NEBHE’s FlickR account—check back to see if you can spot yourself!

The College Board's Advanced Placement (AP) exams, often preceded by AP courses, have a reputation for spitting out an overwhelming amount of information, but that is about to change. The nonprofit, which also administers the SATs, says it will revamp the biology and U.S. history tests to give students the opportunity to learn the materials, ...]]>

The College Board's Advanced Placement (AP) exams, often preceded by AP courses, have a reputation for spitting out an overwhelming amount of information, but that is about to change. The nonprofit, which also administers the SATs, says it will revamp the biology and U.S. history tests to give students the opportunity to learn the materials, rather than cram for the exam.

The College Board has AP exams in 30 subjects, with 1.8 million students taking 3.2 million tests. While the program is recognized for giving students the opportunity to get an early start on more challenging, university-level work, some exams require too much study—material that, in turn, deters students from learning "big concepts." The biology and U.S. history exams are two of AP's biggest culprits with their ever-expanding laundry list of "ought-to-knows."

The new focus of the AP exams in these two subject areas will allow more time for the "big picture," the College Board says, and eliminate the need to squeeze in extraneous information that generally isn't absorbed.

High scores on an AP exam can get students college credit. Compared to college courses, whose prices range from the hundreds or even thousands of dollars, the $87 AP exam is a worthwhile investment for any high school student looking save some money and/or get the most out of their college years. For some, entering college with AP credit can leave room for extracurricular courses, an earlier graduation date or a double major.

But as students are burdened by the challenges of advanced coursework earlier and earlier, and colleges come to expect AP scores on transcripts, some educators have had enough. Indeed, AP courses and exams emerge among the key villains in the film "Race to Nowhere."  The documentary argues the "push to achieve has created a generation of high-strung students constrained in a one-size-fits-all’ system."

The new focus of AP tests will change lesson plans and study techniques for hundreds of thousands of educators and students in New England over the next couple of years. In fact, in 2008, nearly 80,000 New England students took more than 135,000 AP exams, with the both biology and U.S. history being among the five most popular exams. And since 2004, the number of exam-takers in New England has increased by 31%. Click here for a PDF of facts and figures about AP exams in New England.

The New England Board of Higher Education (NEBHE) will hold its ninth annual New England Higher Education Excellence Awards on Friday, March 11, at the Boston Marriott Long Wharf Hotel.

Each year, NEBHE presents Regional Excellence Awards to individuals and organizations that have shown exceptional leadership on behalf of higher education and the advancement ...]]>

The New England Board of Higher Education (NEBHE) will hold its ninth annual New England Higher Education Excellence Awards on Friday, March 11, at the Boston Marriott Long Wharf Hotel.

Each year, NEBHE presents Regional Excellence Awards to individuals and organizations that have shown exceptional leadership on behalf of higher education and the advancement of educational opportunity, and State Merit Awards to honor the innovative work of organizations, institutions or individuals in each New England state.

Please click the links below for more information on the individual awards and their recipients.

• The Hon. Patrick J. Leahy, U.S. Senator, Vermont (The Governor Walter R. Peterson Award for Leadership)
• Terrence MacTaggart, Former Chancellor, University of Maine System (The Eleanor M. McMahon Award for Lifetime Achievement)
• Eastern Connecticut State University & Quinebaug Valley Community College
  Dual Enrollment Program (The Robert J. McKenna Award for Program Achievement)
• Kimon Zachos, Trustee, Southern New Hampshire University (The David C. Knapp Award for Trusteeship)

• The Hon. Denise Merrill, Connecticut Secretary of State and former member of the Connecticut House of Representatives (Connecticut State Merit Award)
• The Bernard Osher Foundation (Maine State Merit Award)
• The Hon. Steven C. Panagiotakos, former member of the Massachusetts Senate (Massachusetts State Merit Award)
• NHHEAF’s Center for College Planning (New Hampshire State Merit Award)
• Dennis Littky & Big Picture Learning (Rhode Island State Merit Award)
• Vermont Dual Enrollment Program (Vermont State Merit Award)

For registration information, click here.

Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick vowed to push for in-state tuition for illegal immigrant students at state colleges during his second term.

Patrick announced the plan earlier this month at the Massachusetts Immigrant and Refugee Advocacy Coalition's annual Thanksgiving luncheon. Though no specific details were revealed, Patrick's plans draw on many of the 130 immigration reforms recommended ...]]>

Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick vowed to push for in-state tuition for illegal immigrant students at state colleges during his second term.

Patrick announced the plan earlier this month at the Massachusetts Immigrant and Refugee Advocacy Coalition's annual Thanksgiving luncheon. Though no specific details were revealed, Patrick's plans draw on many of the 130 immigration reforms recommended by an advisory panel a year ago.

The vows came weeks after Patrick won re-election with heavy support from Massachusetts immigrant communities and after a unanimous ruling by the California Supreme Court granting illegal immigrants the same reduced tuition at public colleges and universities available to legal residents of the state.

The high-profile immigration issue isn't confined to California and Massachusetts. Nine other states have laws similar to California's, and the U.S. Department of Justice continues to challenge Arizona's controversial new immigration law.

Additionally, The Wall Street Journal today endorsed the DREAM Act, a proposal that would provide undocumented students brought to the U.S. as children with the opportunity to earn permanent legal status.

Massachusetts advocates include Fitchburg Mayor Lisa Wong and Boston City Councilor Felix Arroyo who will join a coalition of religious leaders today to speak at a DREAM Act rally at St. Paul Cathedral in Boston.

Speakers will urge Republican U.S. Sen. Scott Brown to support the bill in Congress. Brown, who is opposed to the bill, called the program a form of amnesty. "I am opposed to illegal immigration, and I am deeply disappointed that Washington politicians are playing politics with military funding in order to extend a form of amnesty to certain illegal immigrants."

Related Posts: DREAM Act: What’s It Mean for Waking New England?; Immigrants as “Jet Fuel” for Jobs in Mass.; Papers? Fairfield Gets Grant to Study Undocumented Students; Bipartisan Support for DREAM Act; Immigrant Education

The Florida Department of Education announced the nation's first state assessment to incorporate common core standards.

Working with the test developer McCann Associates, Florida will launch the test at 28 colleges in an effort to both place students and assess readiness for college-level work. Florida's Postsecondary Education Readiness Test (PERT) will be given to high school ...]]>

The Florida Department of Education announced the nation's first state assessment to incorporate common core standards.

Working with the test developer McCann Associates, Florida will launch the test at 28 colleges in an effort to both place students and assess readiness for college-level work. Florida's Postsecondary Education Readiness Test (PERT) will be given to high school and entering postsecondary students.

PERT uses branching algorithms to assess students, along with a second phase that includes diagnostic tests in math, reading and writing. The Florida initiative also aims to provide higher graduation rates by allowing administrators to identify students' strengths.

Common core standards may be the hottest issue in education today. Proponents claim the standards will ensure that all schools have an intellectually rigorous curriculum. Opponents says a shared curriculum imposed on schools would ignore the diversity of experiences, skills and goals students bring to their classrooms. As Dennis Littky, a Providence, R.I. school reformer who has won a 2011 NEBHE Excellence Award, quips: "Who wants a standardized kid, anyway?"

The Malden, Mass.-based Immigrant Learning Center Inc. (ILC) and Babson College will collaborate on a statewide conference for immigrant entrepreneurship to be hosted at Babson's Executive Conference Center in Wellesley, Mass. on Wednesday, Nov. 17, from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.

The ILC  says immigrants are "jet fuel" for entrepreneurship in Massachusetts, from neighborhood revitalization to ...]]>

The Malden, Mass.-based Immigrant Learning Center Inc. (ILC) and Babson College will collaborate on a statewide conference for immigrant entrepreneurship to be hosted at Babson's Executive Conference Center in Wellesley, Mass. on Wednesday, Nov. 17, from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.

The ILC  says immigrants are "jet fuel" for entrepreneurship in Massachusetts, from neighborhood revitalization to increasing numbers of transnational businesses to innovation in science and engineering.

Click here to register for the conference.