Time to focus on retention

And adult students in Tennessee. We'll see this fall if Tennessee Reconnect will help. It sure helped Pellissippi State in a pilot this year. From Inside Higher Ed.

Closing Gaps in Tennessee

Tennessee has received numerous accolades for its push over the past few years to increase college access. 

But a recent report on the retention and completion rates of the state’s most vulnerable college students show that access alone isn’t enough if Tennessee wants to reach its goal for 55 percent of adults to hold a degree or certificate by 2025. 

Complete Tennessee, an education advocacy group, found that despite increases in overall retention rates during the last five years at the state’s public and private institutions, African-American students at the state’s community colleges still remain 10 percentage points behind their peers. Likewise, three-year community college graduation rates remain relatively low, averaging 20 percent in 2016. The state is ranked 44th in the country in degree attainment, according to the Lumina Foundation. 

The group also found that adult enrollment across the state’s colleges has dropped by 25 percent since 2011. 

“The Tennessee Promise has dramatically expanded postsecondary access and opportunities for students who traditionally may have experienced barriers to entry,” Kenyatta Lovett, Complete Tennessee’s executive director, said in an email, referring to the state’s free tuition initiative established in 2014. “However, to help close achievement gaps, more must be done to address the challenges students face beyond tuition -- such as balancing work and family obligations with classes.”

Lovett said the wave of new students enrolling in Tennessee’s community colleges in recent years has forced the institutions to think more creatively. 

The state’s two-year sector grew by 2 percent from 2016 to 2017, to more than 86,600 students. And retention at the colleges has also increased -- by three percentage points from 2011 to 2015. But that improvement hasn’t translated to black students.   

“Our next big part of the work is around retention,” said Mike Krause, executive director of the Tennessee Higher Education Commission, adding that the year-to-year retention rate for community college students is about 56 percent overall. “But that leaves a large number of students we still need to get to completion.”

Better to just brag

Than to humblebrag. So says the research, and Time.

Humblebragging Makes People Dislike You, According to Science

Your false modesty isn’t fooling anyone, according to a new study from researchers at Harvard and the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill. 

Humblebragging — defined as “bragging masked by a complaint or humility” — actually makes people like you less than straight-up self-promotion, the research says. The findings were published recently in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. 

“It’s such a common phenomenon. All of us know some people in our lives, whether in social media or in the workplace, who do this annoying thing,” says study author Ovul Sezer, an assistant professor of organizational behavior at UNC’s Kenan-Flagler Business School. “You think, as the humblebragger, that it’s the best of both worlds, but what we show is that sincerity is actually the key ingredient.”

Who serves the most older students?

Charter Oak College is number one on this list with 91% of its students 25 or older. Golden State University is a close second at 90%. Upper Iowa University, where my old friend Bill Duffy is president, is sixth with 83% of its students 25 or older. King University pops up on the list with 52%. Bethel University (44%) and Trevecca Nazarene University (34%) are the only other Tennessee institutions. From USNews.com.

Most Students Age 25 and Older

Not all students set out for college immediately after high school graduation. Some enlist in the military, spend time in the workforce or take time off to travel the world. For those who choose to go to college later in life, having classmates who reflect their age, interests and experiences can help ease the transition from the "real world" to the world of an undergraduate student. Of the colleges and universities that are part of the current U.S. News Best Colleges rankings, the schools on this list had the highest percentage of undergraduate students age 25 and older in the 2016-2017 academic year.

Infographic Friday

Image source: Protection1.com

2018's technology jobs

Source: Modis

Marketing trends

Infographic by MDG Advertising

Save the date

2018 ADULT LEARNING SUMMIT Sponsored by  The Council for Accelerated Programs    Saturday, April 21st, 2018, Nashville

Topics/What to Expect    What we See: Trends in Adult Learning - Innovation, Expectations, & What's Practical  How to Start an Adult/Accelerated Program: Best Practices and Strategies Quality Standards in Adult/Accelerated Programs Faculty Development in Adult/Accelerated Programs Leaders' Forum: Discussion, Q&A, Collaboration. Be a part of the Discussion!   MORE INFORMATION WILL BE AVAILABLE IN THE NEW YEAR We hope to see you there! WWW.CAPHigherEd.org

What's the most common surname in your state?

In Tennessee, the three are Smith, Johnson, and Jones. Same as in Kentucky and Virginia. From Ancestory.com. 

Infographic Friday

From Visually.

Save the date!

ACHE South Annual Conference

April 10-12, 2018

Good news, Tennessee

Few of us drink excessively. Or I should say, fewer of us report excessive drinking. Many of the drunkest cities on this list are college towns--like Athens, Georgia and Blacksburg, Virginia. Of course Nashville is home to several colleges and universities as well; although I would consider Knoxville to be Tennessee's college town. But also around us, Jacksonville, North Carolina and Hilton Head, South Carolina make the list. From 24/7 Wall Street.

The Drunkest City in Every State

42. Tennessee
> Drunkest city: Nashville-Davidson–Murfreesboro–Franklin, TN
> MSA adults binge or heavy drinking: 13.7% (bottom 10%)
> State adults binge or heavy drinking: 11.2% (the lowest)
> Alcohol related driving deaths: 26.6%

Just 11.2% of adults in Tennessee report excessive drinking, the smallest share of any state. While the Nashville metropolitan area’s excessive drinking rate of 13.7% is the highest of any city in Tennessee, it is still far below the national rate of 18.0% and one of the smallest shares of any U.S. city.

The relatively uncommon excessive drinking habits in the Nashville metro area may partially contribute to positive health outcomes. While nationwide 10.3 in every 100,000 Americans die from causes related to alcohol, the alcohol-induced mortality rate in Nashville is just 7.4 deaths per 100,000 residents.

The five happiest states in the country?

Actually, I'm pretty happy I'm not in Minnesota or Nebraska, numbers 1 and 5. I'm reminded of the old Nebraska joke:

General Custer is camped out with his troops at the Little Bighorn before the battle that was to follow. A soldier came back from scouting the Native Americans and told Custer, "I have some good news and some bad news."

"Ok," the General replied, "Give me the good news first."

The scout said, “General, there are so many enemy out there that none of us are getting out of here alive. We’re all going to die!”

Custer said, “Unbelieveable. Tell me, then, what could be the good news!"

The scout then became excited and said, “Hey, at least we don’t have to make that long trip back through Nebraska!” 

Anyway, the list from AARP includes Minnesota, Utah, California, Hawaii, and Nebraska. Now Hawaii, I understand...

Happy Martin Luther King Junior Day!

From Visually.

Infographic Friday

Men’s dress codes – made simple in an infographic [Infographic] by the team at Samuel Windsor

I was intrigued

By Dr. Foley's title, Associate Professor of Patristics, since I unfamiliar with patristics. Had I read the text more closely, I could have inferred its meaning. Instead, I briefly wondered if it had anything to do with fermentation science. Alas, it didn't. In my defense, spell-check doesn't recognize patristics, either. From The Week.

A history of pious drinking

Each year the holidays bring with them an increase in both the consumption of alcohol and concern about drinking's harmful effects. 

Alcohol abuse is no laughing matter, but is it sinful to drink and make merry, moderately and responsibly, during a holy season or at any other time? 

As a historical theologian, I researched the role that pious Christians played in developing and producing alcohol. What I discovered was an astonishing history. 

Religious orders and wine-making 

Wine was invented 6,000 years before the birth of Christ, but it was monks who largely preserved viniculture in Europe. Religious orders such as the Benedictines and Jesuits became expert winemakers. They stopped only because their lands were confiscated in the 18th and 19th centuries by anti-Catholic governments such as the French Revolution's Constituent Assembly and Germany's Second Reich.

In order to celebrate the Eucharist, which requires the use of bread and wine, Catholic missionaries brought their knowledge of vine-growing with them to the New World. Wine grapes were first introduced to Alta California in 1779 by Saint Junipero Serra and his Franciscan brethren, laying the foundation for the California wine industry. A similar pattern emerged in Argentina, Chile, and Australia. 

Godly men not only preserved and promulgated oenology, or the study of wines; they also advanced it. One of the pioneers in the "méthode champenoise," or the "traditional method" of making sparkling wine, was a Benedictine monk whose name now adorns one of the world's finest champagnes: Dom Pérignon. According to a later legend, when he sampled his first batch in 1715, Pérignon cried out to his fellow monks: "Brothers, come quickly. I am drinking stars!" 

Monks and priests also found new uses for the grape. The Jesuits are credited with improving the process for making grappa in Italy and pisco in South America, both of which are grape brandies.

Renewed interest in HBCUs

At least in Tennessee. I'm embarrassed to say that I didn't know all of these colleges were historically black. Just the big three: TSU, Meharry, and Fisk.  And with such a high risk population, it's not surprising that retention is a problem. From The Tennessean.

Tennessee's black colleges see uptick in enrollment as part of national enrollment surge

Tennessee is seeing increased freshman enrollment and interest in some of its historically black colleges and universities — a spike that follows national trends. 

In Nashville, Meharry Medical College saw "explosive growth" in its number of applications this fall. Tennessee State University's freshman class is one of the largest ever. 

Lane College in Jackson is seeing boosts in freshman populations. 

Others, like Fisk University in Nashville and LeMoyne Owen College in Memphis, haven't seen the boom but aren't losing ground, either, with stable enrollment numbers. 

Still, the increases among some of the state's HBCUs haven't resulted in greater overall full-time enrollment because of challenges keeping students enrolled.  

That falls in line with national numbers, according to Marybeth Gasman, director of the Center for Minority Serving Institutions at the University of Pennsylvania. 

Overall, full-time enrollment among HBCUs nationally is flat about 300,000 enrolled students.  

"People ask me often how can overall full-time enrollment stay the same with increased freshman enrollment," Gasman said. "The retention rate (of students) at HBCUs aren’t as high as they should be."

Retention rates are a national issue for all institutions, Gasman said.

The best run states?

Tennessee is just above the middle at 24th. I'm surprised it's that low since the state is fiscally sound. And we have almost a billion dollars in the rainy day fund. I guess percentage-wise, that's not enough. And oh yeah, we have a high violent crime rate. The best run state is Minnesota and the worst is Louisiana. From MSN.com.

The best- and worst-run states in America: A survey of all 50

24. TENNESSEE

> 2016 Unemployment: 4.8% (25th highest)
> Pension funded ratio: 95.4% (5th highest)
> Credit rating and outlook: Aaa/Stable
> Poverty: 15.8% (11th highest)

With a perfect rating and stable outlook from Moody’s, Tennessee is a fiscally responsible state. It has the lowest debt per capita of any state and a nearly fully funded state pension system at a time when on average only 71.6% of state pensions are funded. The state also benefited from a near nation-leading economic growth in 2016 of 2.9%. 

Still, Tennessee is ill-prepared to meet its budgetary obligations in the event of falling tax revenue. The state only has the equivalent of 5.5% of its annual budget in a rainy day fund, well below the 8.2% average across all states. Tennessee is also not especially safe. There were 633 violent crimes in the state for every 100,000 people in 2016, the fourth highest violent crime rate in the country after only Alaska, Nevada, and New Mexico.

Texting next fall's students

We'll undoubtably be using a new social media communication tool by then. Another one I won't be familiar with. From The Chronicle of Higher Education.

Brb — Gotta Go Text Teens About College

Susan Ohnemus Hogan has her own tiny focus group at home — a son, now 21. 

Several years ago, when Matthew was applying to colleges, she remembers asking him if he’d gotten an acceptance email from Bentley University, in Massachusetts, where she is associate director of marketing and communications for undergraduate admissions. She says he answered, "’I don’t know, Mom. I get 8,000 emails. I don’t read them.’" 

Ms. Ohnemus Hogan was one of many attendees at the American Marketing Association’s annual Symposium for the Marketing of Higher Education who spent much of this week’s conference discussing texting — the preferred medium of the latest generation of collegebound high-school students, and one that comes with pitfalls. 

Conventional wisdom says that today’s teens are indifferent to printed recruiting materials and to emails. More and more colleges have begun trying to reach young prospects where they live — on their phones. 

The university is always "looking for better ways to communicate with students in the methods that they prefer, and as those change, we need to adapt and change." For many enrollment marketers, texting represents a promising new avenue to engage teens who are hard to reach otherwise. It also presents another communication channel to incorporate into already busy enrollment operations and, more daunting for some, a new medium to master. As Ms. Ohnemus Hogan says, "That’s where the fear is."

Infographic Friday

Courtesy of: Norman Rosenthal

This list of top earning college majors

Has a surprise at number three. At least to me. But it's good news for liberal arts majors. The rest are the usual suspects, although Physics might strike some as an outlier. From CBSNews.com.

The 9 most lucrative college majors

3. Sociology: $87,900 

Sociology, the third-highest paying major, sits outside of the STEM fields, yet grads who focused on this subject do well indeed, LinkedIn found. 

Sociology majors tend to find work as counselors, therapists and researchers, according to the American Sociological Association.

Ten cities

That are hidden gems. Franklin, Tennessee, is number four. From MSN.Com.

10 UNDER-THE-RADAR US CITIES

Fishers, Indiana is the best place to live in the US, according to a new ranking by Money. 

The list sought to identify locations that provide its citizens with a comfortable life and looked to factors like job opportunity, quality schools, and affordable homes. 

But it also aimed pinpoint the lesser known places. To do that, Money restricted its list to places with a "population of 10,000 to 100,000, to avoid the biggest cities while shining a light on smaller towns and affordable suburbs." 

The fast-growing suburb of Fishers, Indiana with ample job opportunities and quality schools, topped the list. 

College closings

Colleges on the margins are probably toast, but there's always going to be a place for traditional higher education. It may be a place mainly for the wealthy, however. I'll be long gone, either way. From Salon.

The bubble is going to burst for colleges and universities, professor says

Half of the colleges and universities in the United States are in danger of bankruptcy over the coming decades. 

Harvard Business School professor Clayton Christensen said that the number — up to 2,000 schools could be affected over the next 10 to 15 years — is thanks to online education. 

In Christensen’s most recent book, “The Innovative University,” he and co-author Henry Eyring theorized that online education will dominate the marketplace for higher education and drive more traditional schools into bankruptcy. 

At the a recent Salceforce.org Higher Education Summit, he said "If you're asking whether the providers get disrupted within a decade — I might bet that it takes nine years rather than 10," according to CNBC. 

The U.S. Department of Education and Moody's Investors Service project agreed that closure rates of traditional schools would triple, and mergers will double.

2018

From Visually.