Fewer college freshmen are planning to major in business, according to a national survey of students who enrolled at four-year institutions last fall. The percentage of freshman students who said they planned to major in accounting, business administration and management fell from 16.8 percent in 2008 to 14.4 percent in 2009, although students' interest in finance and marketing did not change significantly, Inside Higher Ed reported Thursday. Results from the survey also showed that the percentage of freshman students who identified as liberals fell from 31 percent in 2008 to 29 percent in 2009, according to Inside Higher Ed. The Higher Education Research Institute at the University of California at Los Angeles conducted the survey.
The National Collegiate Athletic Association sanctioned Georgia Southern University with two years' probation following an investigation of academic fraud among members of the school's men's basketball team, Inside Higher Ed reported Thursday. The NCAA determined that a former assistant coach and the former team manager completed academic assignments for two players, including examinations and essays. The former assistant coach also posed as one of the athletes during required online chats for several courses, Inside Higher Ed reported. In light of the findings, the NCAA has mandated cuts in both basketball scholarships and recruiting, according to Inside Higher Ed.
The number of schools in the United States teaching Chinese language has increased significantly despite overall drops in the number of public schools offering foreign language programs, The New York Times reported Wednesday. An estimated 1,600 U.S. public and private schools teach Chinese, an increase of 300 since about ten years ago, according to a government survey. Some public schools have received subsidies from the U.S. State Department or a joint program run by the College Board and the Chinese Education Ministry to hire Chinese language teachers, The Times reported. While schools offering Chinese programs were previously concentrated on the East and West Coasts, more schools in the Midwest and the South have recently started programs, The Times reported.
