ACTA releases the ninth in its series of state reports—this one on the Commonwealth of Virginia. The report—The Diffusion of Light and Education—outlines challenges at 39 public and private colleges and universities in Virginia, in key areas of public interest: general education requirements, cost and effectiveness, and governance structures. It finds that in too many places, graduation rates are low, administrative bloat is high, and tuition is taking an ever larger percentage of family income. The report warns that certain trends—if ignored—threaten to erode the Commonwealth’s historic prominence in American higher education.
ACTA’s 11th state report finds higher education in Florida has both sunny spots and storms to avoid, yet overall has strong potential to set an example for other states to follow. The report, Florida Rising: An Assessment of Public Universities in the Sunshine State, examines issues of cost, speech codes, administrative vs. academic spending, core […]
At a time of major fiscal crisis and growing student and faculty unrest, ACTA’s report points the finger at California’s college and university trustees as both the problem-—and the solution-—to greater access and quality in the Golden State. Praising the California Master Plan for establishing an accessible statewide system of higher education, the report finds […]
This report card on public higher education in Maine focuses on four key areas of interest: what students are learning (the curriculum), whether the marketplace of ideas is vibrant (intellectual diversity), how the universities are run (governance), and what a college education costs (affordability). If our nation is to ensure its continued preeminence, policymakers, trustees, […]
“The cost of higher education has gone up all over the country,” the American Council of Trustees and Alumni reported two years ago, “but it has exploded at colleges and universities in Virginia.” The study by ACTA found that while some of the increase was benefitting the classroom, “a growing share of school funds is […]
“You can observe a lot just by watching,” said Yogi Berra. A national group has been watching Virginia’s colleges and universities, and much that it has observed is not flattering. Grumpy old skinflints and youthful Occupy protesters alike should take note. A new report by ACTA, the American Council of Trustees and Alumni, notes research […]
Administrative costs have outpaced spending on instruction at many of the state’s colleges and universities, while tuition and fees take an increasing share of family incomes, a study of 39 public and private schools in Virginia says. Classroom space isn’t used efficiently, graduation rates while improving are still too low, and core curriculum courses in […]
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