Results tagged “highereducation”

Charlie Baker leads in one poll, Deval Patrick in another. Regardless, it's a tight gubernatorial race. more ›

Have you been thinking about going back to school? In this economy, plenty of folks are. And, if you're working part-time or not willing to relocate for school, an online degree can seem like a good idea. But we may also be witnessing a rejuvenation of classical learning: the Great Books are coming (and not at the expense of science). So should you pony up for in-person instruction or try to save some time and money by engaging online? more ›

UMass-Amherst is lamenting the presence of that pesky "-Amherst" in its name. As Massachusetts' preeminent state school attempts to grow in prestige, the university feels the qualifier takes away from its importance. Having lived in places where Wisconsin and Texas mean only one thing when it comes to higher ed, this Bostonist can understand this dilemma. The UMass alumni association has a catchy slogan--"You were. You are. UMASS."--but we think that a pair of prestigious alumni have offered an even better solution in the form of a certain song. Still, we won't exactly be surprised if the university doesn't start singing that tune. more ›

Massachusetts in general, and Boston in particular, is famous for having dozens of colleges and hundreds of thousands of college students. But do we fund them well? The Globe reports that our state is stingier than most when it comes to financial aid. We offer only $83 million in aid as opposed to the $273 offered by South Carolina--hardly known for its institutes of higher education. We offer half the national average of aid as a percentage of costs, covering less than 5% of the cost of attending schools. We also devote half the national average of our higher education budget to financial aid. And all these statistics refer to public funding, meaning they don't even take into account the much higher prices of the many private schools in Massachusetts. What's a poor kid to do? Not go to school in Massachusetts, it seems. more ›

The Globe reports that many Massachusetts high school graduates are going on to take remedial classes in college, which may be contributing to high college dropout rates. These assertions are based on a multiyear study from the Massachusetts Department of Education. The study followed nearly 20,000 students who graduated from Massachusetts high schools and went on to study at public colleges and universities in the state. Out of all the Massachusetts high schools surveyed, 27 saw over 60% of their students enroll in remedial courses in college. Overall, 37% of students in the study took at least one remedial college course. more ›

More reason for cash-starved college students, especially those in the UMass system, to cultivate the taste for ramen. WBZ reports, "The university's trustees finance panel approved a 3.1 percent increase in fees Wednesday." more ›

Yesterday, the Boston Globe reported on UMass President Jack Wilson getting heated about the state Board of Higher Education, New England School of Law and Suffolk Law School. UMass has proposed merging UMass-Dartmouth and Southern New England School of Law, the state board plans to vote on March 31. Wilson is irritated because the board has distributed negative reports about the proposal seemingly in cahoots with NESL and Suffolk. more ›