Is Life Too Easy on Campus?

Shouldn't things be a little harder than this? The Wall Street Journal has an interesting piece on the changing nature of student accommodation in the US. Residents at a new rental community in Orlando, Fla., lounge around a resort-style pool in private cabanas. They practice their golf swings at the putting green and meditate in …

International Students in the USA (and Nottingham)

Interesting data on international students in the USA (and at the University of Nottingham) The Institute of International Education has just released its 'Open Doors' report on international education in the USA. The press release give the headlines: The 2012 Open Doors Report on International Educational Exchange, released today, finds that the number of international …

Where will they go? Student Destinations – Global Agent Survey

The latest survey of international recruitment agent views Given that I am currently at the University of Nottingham Malaysia Campus on a brief visit I thought I would focus on an international story. ICEF (an international market intelligence outfit) and i-graduate have just published their 2012 global survey of international student recruitment agents' views on …

Is this the future for UK university sport?

Some US universities spend a LOT on sport A recent Bloomberg report on US universities expenditure on sport highlights the huge amounts spent by Rutgers, which tops the list of spending: Like most of Rutgers University’s almost 30,000 undergraduates, Matt Cordeiro has never put on shoulder pads and played football on a Saturday before a …

University requires a ‘personal lifestyle statement’ for all staff

Shorter University creates a stir In the largely secular UK HE sector, we tend to escape this kind of controversy. Inside Higher Ed though has a report on what from a UK perspective looks like an extreme constraint on staff and students at Shorter University in the USA: When Shorter University introduced four new faith …

Undergraduate exodus: more overblown predictions

UK students "switch to US universities" According to BBC News, it seems that UK students are all switching to US universities. Within four years, a quarter of sixth formers at a leading UK independent school will be heading for universities in the United States. That's the prediction of Anthony Seldon, head of Wellington College in …

Record Numbers of International Students in U.S.

A very good year The US has a had a good year in terms of international student recruitment: The number of foreign students attending American colleges hit an all-time high in 2008, capping three consecutive years of vigorous growth, according to new data from the Institute of International Education. Some 671,616 international students attended U.S. …

Princeton curbing grade inflation

Princeton has been tackling grade inflation According to a news article from the University the proportion of A grades awarded has fallen from 47.9% in 2002-03 to 39.7% in 2008-09 following the introduction of a new grading policy: The policy, adopted by the faculty in April 2004 to curb grade inflation across the University, sets …