Author: Editor

Is Santa Clara U. Better Than Princeton? Earnings Data Say “Yes”As one who ranked colleges for Forbes for about a decade, I am abundantly aware of both the complexities and the usefulness of assessing the quality of colleges and universities. Moreover, as I recently wrote on here, prospective students often tragically stumble choosing colleges, and rankings are one tool that helps them make informed decisions about where to attend. A recent entry into ranking colleges is a company called Optimal, which recently issued its Best Colleges 2021 rankings. It appears that Optimal’s philosophy is that kids (and sometimes adult learners) go to colleges overwhelmingly for the primary purpose of getting a good job, so the real important question is: how much money will I make after I graduate? Usi...

FIRE submits written testimony supporting Montana HB 349The Montana House Judiciary Committee held a hearing yesterday for HB 349, a bill that would require public institutions of higher education in Montana to define student-on-student harassment in accordance with the Supreme Court’s ruling in Davis v. Monroe County Board of Education. HB 349 also enshrines students’ freedom of association rights in state law, allowing student organizations predicated on common beliefs to require their members and leaders to share their values and beliefs. “Montana’s institutions of higher education have long struggled to define harassment.” While FIRE frequently testifies in support of this kind of legislation, Montana’s House Judiciary Committee does not currently allow individuals and groups from out-...

Michigan Launches Free College Tuition Program For Adults Without DegreesThe state of Michigan launched Michigan Reconnect on Tuesday. It’s a $30 million program that will provide scholarships to millions of eligible Michigan adults without college degrees, enabling them to earn a tuition-free associate degree or skills certificate at their in-district community college The new program also will offer a large tuition discount (equal to in-district tuition) for individuals who attend an out-of-district community college and will cover up to $1,500 in a Skills Scholarship for those who enroll in one of the more than 70 private training schools that are offering certificates in high-demand careers in industries such as manufacturing, construction, information technology, healthcare...