Considering the legality of affirmative action, the Supreme Court heard arguments on Wednesday regarding the use of race in admissions decisions, The New York Times reported. Justice Anthony Kennedy, who likely possesses the decisive vote on the split issue, could change the policies of admissions programs of universities nationwide. Kennedy has never voted in favor of an affirmative action program. The last major case about affirmative action was heard in April 2003, when the court voted 5-4 in favor of continuing to consider race in the University of Michigan's acceptance process. Although the 2003 decision was predicted to last 25 years, the issue is being revisited only nine years after the decision due to a change in members of the Court, according to The Times.
The number of students enrolled in institutions of higher education decreased for the first time since 1996, according to data gathered from fall 2010 and 2011 by the U.S. Education Department's National Center for Education Statistics, Inside Higher Ed reported. Reflecting a trend common to economic recessions, enrollment in higher education increased throughout the decade, and the recent decrease could indicate that the recession is coming to an end. The data recorded by NCES show that part-time student enrollment increased slightly while full-time enrollment fell, likely due to students' abilities to find work or inability to afford college without working, Inside Higher Ed reported.
A report was presented on Tuesday to the Knight Commission on Intercollegiate Athletics that encourages college governing boards to be more responsible for athletes, The Chronicle of Higher Education reported. The report states that roughly half of Division-I schools do not have clear policies detailing the responsibilities of college governing boards about sports, and another quarter have no explicit policies detailing boards' involvement in athletics. Among the major complaints regarding governing boards are a tendency to be uninformed regarding athletic programs' revenues and expenses and a lack of consultation regarding policy issues, according to The Chronicle.
