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Aging states to college graduates: We'll pay you to stay

Jon Marcus

October 04, 2023 |

The Hechinger Report |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Vermont

As their workforces age, states across the United States are offering student loan repayment to incentivize college graduates to stick around. Now Maine and Vermont are the first to offer it to those with degrees in any field with very few caveats.

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One college finds a way to get students to degrees more quickly, simply and cheaply

Jon Marcus

July 20, 2023 |

The Hechinger Report |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: England, Coventry

At CU Coventry, students take just one course at a time for four hours each day, which allows them to finish a bachelor’s degree within three years. The fixed schedule and “no frills” tuition is often more convenient for nontraditional students who may have children or full-time careers outside of school.

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While many colleges are making big cuts during the pandemic, a few opt for permanent transformation

Jon Marcus

December 30, 2020 |

The Hechinger Report |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Unity, Maine

Across the U.S. many colleges and universities adapted their courses and curriculum to meet Covid safety guidelines, but many are seeing the pandemic as a catalyst for the necessary innovation, acceleration, and changes. Unity College in Maine is shifting the traditional semester system into eight, five-week terms both online and in-person, at a much lower price for students. Over in Colorado, Metropolitan State University pivoted its approach by creating a free program to retrain people who lost jobs due to the pandemic.

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Urgency of getting people back to work gives new momentum to “microcredentials”

Jon Marcus

June 02, 2020 |

The Hechinger Report |

Text |

Over 3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Henderson, Nevada

Western Governors University in Henderson, Nevada is one of many educational institutions in the United States redefining how students can get degrees through technical skill-oriented programs. Students can obtain certifications, or "microcredentials", in high-demand skills like "technical support, cloud technology, and data analysis" within months, and be ready to enter the workforce. But, what makes this model different is its certificate "stacking," which means that students can keep earning work-relevant certificates, while also satisfying degree requirements.

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Choosing pass/fail grades may help college students now, but could cost them later

Jon Marcus

April 07, 2020 |

The Hechinger Report |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States

When the pandemic disrupted in-person classes and campus operations, questions arose regarding grades and some students at different colleges proposed the option of receiving pass/fail credit in lieu of letter grades—but that option came with its own set of challenges. While some institutions changed their grading policy and offered students the choice of a letter grade or pass/fail grade, others are sticking to much more rigid guidelines, making students considering a transfer to feel nervous about their future, especially community college students who already face obstacles in transferring credits.

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Some colleges start to confront a surprising reason students fail: Too many choices

Jon Marcus

February 07, 2020 |

The Hechinger Report |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Miami, Florida

Some colleges think students are overwhelmed by the number of options they have to choose from—countless classes and extracurriculars are available on many campuses. Schools across the United States are experimenting with new approaches, ranging from choosing courseloads for freshmen to assigning counselors to meet regularly with students.

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Is California saving higher education?

Jon Marcus Felicia Mello

December 03, 2019 |

The Hechinger Report |

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Over 3000 Words

Response Location: United States, San Jose, California

Defying the national trend, California is increasing its higher education budget through innovative solutions. Opening food banks on campus and an online community college, are just some of those ways the state is using to stretch its budget.

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How one country with close parallels to the United States has made college free

Jon Marcus

November 25, 2019 |

The Hechinger Report |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: Chile, Santiago

Chile now offers college tuition-free and may have important insights and lessons for free college proposals in the United States. Part of the country's national program includes "gratuidad," which covers economically challenged university students' full tuition, but only for a limited amount of time. "The government has found that Chileans who get free tuition are also slightly less likely to drop out than their classmates who don’t."

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Some colleges seek radical solutions to survive

Jon Marcus

October 10, 2019 |

The Hechinger Report |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States

As enrollments decline and finances increasingly pose problems, institutions of higher education are taking a number of creative approaches, chief among them, merging with other schools and accelerating degree program timelines.

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Some colleges start using their long winter breaks for career advising

Jon Marcus

January 20, 2019 |

The Hechinger Report |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, California

At liberal arts schools, like Scripps College in California, administrators are making the most of lengthy winter breaks by offering optional career development programming for undergraduates. “The question is why haven’t we tapped into this before," said Jen Franchak, who works at the University of Miami of Ohio. "For the right student, who is willing to come back early, it seems like a good use of that otherwise down time."

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