Over 70 percent of provosts at colleges and universities nationwide have indicated that they believe the quality of higher education is declining, even if the quality of their own institutions is stationary, according to a survey released by Inside Higher Education. Provosts noted the unwillingness of institutions to change and the prevalence of cheating and grade inflation as problems affecting institutional quality, according to the study. Inside Higher Ed also concluded that provosts should focus on improving completion rates, particularly at community colleges. In addition, the majority of college and university provosts feel that faculty unions do not prove beneficial to campus life, and many reported that they think higher education fails to adequately prepare students to be good citizens, Inside Higher Ed reported.
A record number of college freshmen 71 percent have liberal views on same-sex marriage, according to a new study conducted by the University of California, Los Angeles, The Chronicle of Higher Education reported Thursday. The figure has increased steadily since similar data was first collected in 1997, when approximately half of freshmen surveyed had a favorable view of same-sex marriage. However, the statistic released by the study does not indicate a new record of "liberals," with only 28 percent of those surveyed identifying as liberals, lead author John Pryor '84, director of the Cooperate Institutional Research Program, told The Chronicle. The record number of those in favor of same-sex marriage does not indicate increased activism, as the study found that only 10 percent of survey respondents volunteered in political campaigns last year. This figure has risen as high as 15 percent since data on the subject was first collected, according to The Chronicle.
The California State University System Board of Trustees approved a new policy on Wednesday that will cap the amount of state funding colleges are permitted to use for the compensation of new presidents at 10 percent more than their predecessors' salaries, Inside Higher Ed reported. The Board's decision will overturn a policy created last July that authorized a 30 percent increase in new college president salaries. The July compensation decision received criticism from faculty, students and lawmakers over the last six months after the Board increased the annual salary of the incoming president of San Diego State University from $300,000 to $400,000, according to Inside Higher Ed. Supporters of the original salary hike argue that the new policy may have adverse affects on the system's ability to remain competitive with colleges across the country in the presidential hiring process, Inside Higher Ed reported.
