Harvard University will overhaul its MBA program to emphasize an ethics-based curriculum and encourage meaningful in-classroom relationships, The Wall Street Journal reported. Educators at Harvard intend to concentrate on teamwork and character building in an attempt to counter what many perceive as a "money-hungry culture" at elite business schools, The Journal reported. Many critics contend that the current atmosphere at elite business schools, which encourages students to focus on credentials and connections, directly contributed to the recent financial crisis, according to The Journal. To achieve its transformation, Harvard will add new mandatory courses that aim to foster a sense of community rather than competition among students. Other schools, including the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania and the Haas School of Business at the University of California, Berkeley, also recently announced reforms geared towards promoting ethics, The Journal reported.
An immigration raid at Tri-Valley University outside of San Francisco during which 1, 500 Indian students were detained and then later released has led to increased tension between the United States and Indian national governments, The Chronicle of Higher Education reported. The United States attorney for Northern California accused the for-profit institution of making "false statements and misrepresentations" to obtain U.S. Department of Homeland Security authorization to issue visa-related documents, according to The Chronicle. The federal complaint also alleged that the University received millions of dollars to help "foreign nationals to illegally obtain student visas in return for tuition fees," The Chronicle reported. While officials in India argue that Tri-Valley victimized foreign students, United States court documents claim that the students may have participated in a referral and "profit-sharing system," in which students could collect up to 20 percent of the tuition of any new student they referred, The Chronicle reported.
Individuals tend to return to school during economic downturns, according to data released in February by the U.S. Department of Education. In the midst of the national economic crisis in fall 2009, enrollment increased at public, private nonprofit and private for-profit higher education institutions, according to a study conducted by the National Center for Education Statistics. The researchers found that private for-profit schools experienced the most significant increase in both enrollment and revenue, which grew 21 percent and 25 percent, Inside Higher Ed reported. The time period examined by these figures precedes the release of last year's Government Accountability Office report accusing for-profit colleges of "predatory recruiting," according to Inside Higher Ed. The overall retention rate at all institutions stands at approximately 72 percent for full-time students, Inside Higher Ed reported.
