The Presidency

Myth: A Liberal Arts Education Is Becoming Irrelevant

Carol T. Christ

Judging the value of a liberal arts education, even with a purely economic calculus, shows it to be more relevant than ever before.

Myth: College and University Presidents Are Overpaid

Raymond D. Cotton, JD, M.Sc.

For those of us who are committed to attracting and retaining the best, brightest, and most capable people to university president positions, it is important to examine the larger picture in terms of pay levels and job duties.

Myth: College Campuses Are Unsafe

Steven J. Healy and Gary J. Margolis

Tragedies on college and university campuses create headlines questioning the security of these institutions. However, many data contradict the perceptions these splashy sound bites engender.

Myth: College Is Unaffordable for All but the Rich

Sandy Baum

If college really is unaffordable, how can enrollments be skyrocketing?

Myth: Colleges and Universities Are Incapable of Change

Joseph E. Aoun

An abridged version of the keynote address to the College Board Colloquium discusses important demographic shifts affecting higher education.

Myth: College Sports Are a Cash Cow

David Welch Suggs, Jr.

Most colleges subsidize their athletics programs, sometimes to startling degrees.

Myth: Faculty Members are Underworked and Overpaid

Nancy A. Marlin

At most institutions of higher education, teaching is only one faculty responsibility. Depending on the type of university, faculty to a greater or lesser extent conduct research and provide service as well.

Myth: Increases in Federal Student Aid Drive Increases in Tuition

Bryan J. Cook and Terry W. Hartle

Concerns about college affordability have yet again given rise to the oft-stated but empirically unsupported claim that increases in federal student aid are a primary driver of increases in college tuition.

Myth: It’s Only Worth Attending A “Ranked” College

Jay Mathews

One of the most powerful American myths is our belief that the higher the rank and prestige of a college, the better it is.

Myth: Student Drinking Is an Intractable Problem

Jonathan C. Gibralter

Many presidents and other campus leaders feel there is no way to influence the culture of high-risk drinking among our students. For various reasons, many seem to view this culture as an intractable by-product of college life.

From Our President: Separating Fact from Fiction in Higher Education

With the burden of the cost of college shifting more to students and their families, the value of a college education is increasingly being questioned not only by the public, but also policymakers.

Legal Watch: Political Activity on Campus

In this election year, rules governing political activity on campus should be top of mind.

Up Front: Spring 2012

Open Educational Resources: A Cost-Effective Solution for Course Materials; Community-College Study Asks, What Helps Students Graduate?; College Endowments See Gains in 2011, but Not Enough; Historically Black Colleges and Universities Television Network Launched in March; Online College Students Should Start Smaller, Research Finds.