A report by Momentive, an experience management company, found that while students support AI’s usage in the classroom, it renders their knowledge and critical thinking skills obsolete and will chip away from their post-college prospects.

More from UB: President moves: Hired, fired, retired and one unexpected loss after a 19-year tenure

“Momentive Study: AI in education” found that 71% of students have used AI software, such as ChatGPT, in the past six months. The majority tend to use it daily or weekly (38%) compared to those who have only used it a few times (33%). The kind of work students are most interested in using AI for is research (42%), helping complete assignments (42%) and summarize reading assignments (40%). More than 70% of students support using AI for schoolwork, and in five years, 78% believe it will play a more significant role in their education.

As much as students claim to support the use of AI, they can’t seem to agree on whether AI will positively or negatively impact higher education. The majority are neutral on its effect (38%), followed by positive (35%) and negative (28%). Similarly, students are split on whether it will create a more equitable environment for learning.

However, students can agree on a few less-positive implications of the technology. Half (50%) of undergraduate college students expect AI to reduce the number of opportunities available to them after college. This is because 61% of students believe AI will replace the skills and knowledge they learn in college.

The degree to which students believe AI can outperform their mental processes might help explain why the majority believe it hinders their critical thinking skills (55%). On the other hand, the legwork that AI will be able to get done will actually boost students’ and professors’ ability to focus on higher forms of critical thinking.

“With AI, we can automate the lower end of the cognitive domain, and I say, ‘Thank GOD,’” said American technology futurist Daniel Burrus. “We’re going to free teachers to teach the stuff they wanted to get to in the first place—the higher levels of the cognitive domain. There’s room for us all. This is the time for a revolution.”

AI in leadership

While most students believe their school is doing just enough to keep up with the advancement of AI (56%), students reported that their professors’ actions aren’t reflecting that. Specifically, 66% of professors have chosen to ignore or ban AI in the classroom.

Students are torn about whether AI can teach subject matter better or worse than a professor, with 35% saying better and 34% saying worse. One study recently discovered that college professors face the highest exposure to the capabilities of AI.

On a broader level

Earlier this month, Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, the company responsible for ChatGPT and GPT-4, testified on artificial intelligence in a Senate committee. As much innovation the technology has the potential to provide for the world, he believes it’s essential that models “above a threshold of capabilities” should face government regulation. “We think it can be a printing press moment,” said Altman. “We have to work together to make it so.”

Without leadership and cooperation, everyday people—such as our students and professors—could find themselves without a sense of worth or need.

“As this technology advances, we understand that people are anxious about how it could change the way we live,” Altman said. “We are, too.”

The post Existential threat: Students worry AI will replace their skills and knowledge appeared first on University Business.

States across the country are ringing the alarm on their current and forecasted nursing shortages. Ohio features Bachelor of Science in Nursing in the list of its top 10 most critical jobs. Arizona is among the top five states with the worst medical staffing shortages. Moreover, the nursing shortage in New York is projected to hit 40,000 by 2030 and 60,000 by 2035 in Florida.

As a result, state legislatures and medical centers are now leaning on strategic partnerships between universities and community colleges to pump out skilled, accredited nurses and bridge the gap.

Here are recent nursing programs leveraging the support of medical centers, school partnerships and state legislation to attract a new cohort of students.

More from UB: Cybersecurity programs are set to launch across higher ed this fall

State legislation and funding

• Maricopa County Community College District (Ariz.):  The passage of Arizona’s House Bill 2691 last year appropriated “$42.5 million a year starting in fiscal year 2023 through fiscal year 2025 to the Department of Health Services and is divided between nurse education, nurse clinical rotations, licensed nurse training, and a preceptor grant program,” according to AZ Big Media. The Nurse Education Investment Pilot Program has allowed Maricopa to hire 26 new faculty and support staff, innovative retention and student support and obtain additional supplies and lab equipment. By 2026, AZ Central predicts Maricopa’s system will produce 5,464 nursing graduates at all levels.
• Tallahassee Community College (Fla.): In January, Gov. Ron DeSantis announced $79 million in PIPELINE and LINE Fund awards to high-performing nursing education programs at public institutions in Florida, according to Florida Daily. The $1 million allotted to Tallahassee Community College has allowed the school to hire 10 additional faculty so far.

Accelerated Nursing Programs

• Kirtland Community College (Mich.): Kirtland students pursuing an associate degree in nursing will also be concurrently earning a bachelor’s in nursing from Saginaw Valley State University.
• Washington State Community College (Ohio): Thanks to the passing of Senate Bill 135, Washington State will now be able to achieve a BSN directly from the community college, satisfying students who are interested in a program that is “local, flexible, and affordable,” according to WTAP. Associate degree earners from Washington State have long been a nursing pipeline for the Marietta region’s Memorial Health System and WVU Medicine Camden Clark Medical Center.
• Hawkeye Community College (Iowa): Hawkeye and Upper Iowa University have partnered to allow students to pursue a BSN before graduating from Hawkeye. This pipeline will allow Hawkeye students to complete their BSN degree from UIU in approximately eight months or less post-graduation, according to River Cities’ Reader.

Medical Center Partnerships

• Berkshire Community College (Mass.): Berkshire has created the Career Pathways Talent Pipeline with Berkshire Health Systems (BHS) to help cover tuition and fees for enrolled students. Career Pathways will also provide health insurance and pay students working only 8 or 16 hours a week the equivalent of a 40-hour work week, according to iBerkshires.
• Hutchinson Community College (Kan.): Hutchinson Regional Medical Center will be providing offering its staff and facility to Hutchinson Community College to expand the school’s available clinical hours to students, according to The Hutchinson News.

The post State legislation and college partnerships aim to bridge the nation’s nursing shortage appeared first on University Business.

College enrollment rates have been on a precipitous decline, dropping more than 7% in the past five years. The pandemic gave students the chance to evaluate the importance of a college degree and many of them have decided to turn their backs on it, pursuing workforce opportunities straight out of high school. Their hunch on the value of a college degree might be correct: A recent survey found that two-thirds of companies were finding talent shortages and receiving applicants with a lack of specific skill sets.

The decline in enrollment may be due to a declining faith in college degrees translating to student skill sets. The Purpose of Education Index by Populace Insights found that the American public doesn’t believe a K12 education should highly prioritize preparing students for a college degree as they once did: In 2019, the survey found preparing students for a college degree as the 10th-highest priority; in 2021, it ranked 47th. Practical, tangible skills ranked number one.

For high schoolers who are still eager to enroll in college, both parents and students are more motivated to apply for a college or university whose programs best align with students’ career interests, not the academic reputation of the school.

“There’s a certain credibility that comes from a degree that’s associated with a major research institution. That’s not enough,” says Dr. Marc Austin, Dean for Augusta University Online. “Oftentimes more valuable for a student is to know that there is a job or advancement directly related to the degree they’re working on.”

Augusta Online’s available programs for students represent a quality-over-quantity approach, tailoring the curriculum around input from industry professionals. For example, Austin spent the first day on the job with leaders from Fort Gordon. The local military base’s Cyber Center of Excellence poises itself to protect the nation’s national interests through cyber security, and Austin was curious about what the “cyber warriors” of the future need to be equipped for the job. These conversations helped iron out Augusta Online’s Master of Science in Information Security Management. Augusta Online only offers two other Master programs, but they were built out with detailed intention, according to Austin, examining labor market needs at the state and regional level, to maximize a student’s return on investment.

Austin’s positive experience with older cohorts of students has helped him realize “the untapped opportunity” for all universities to work collaboratively with employers to design programs and curricula that support economic growth.

“We have to build students’ practical, relevant experiences that inform the theoretical and academic work we do so that they have both rigor and practice. That’s the most desired combination of benefits, ” says Austin. “The only way we get there is by understanding what those skills are that employers are looking for.”

Dakota State University is another school that is tightly partnered with cybersecurity employers at the federal, state and local levels to tailor a curriculum that focuses on building skills, not just a students’ theoretical lens. Students and faculty collaborate with employers, such as the NSA, on real problems affecting them, and student solutions have real-world implications.

Similarly, Villanova University’s close connections with local employers have helped keep a steady stream of entry-level positions available for newly graduated students, which is why more than 70% of Villanova’s 2022 graduates gained employment at an average salary of $71,363, according to the school’s undergraduate career outcomes website.

“The last thing I want to do is educate someone through a degree and not have them find a job or advancement on the other side,” says Austin, “It’s a low return impact on the student. It’s a low return impact on the university, and obviously for the employer.”

More from UB: Big universities are flooded with applicants, forced to turn more away

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By his account of data and records from Villanova’s Career Center, there were 22,806 full-time job postings between Jan. 1 and March 14 of this year and a 14% uptick in internship opportunities at 10,195. Comparatively, the school only graduates 1,500 or so students with a bachelor’s degree every year, signifying a significant surplus in potential career opportunities per student.

“The entry-level hiring market is not really as affected the same way as other segments of industries and levels of career,” says Grubb. “There’s still really strong demand in the early talent market at this point, so I’m optimistic about what will continue to happen for our class of 2023.”

While most industries still reeled from the pandemic during the 2021-2022 academic year, Villanova’s graduating class of 2022 was in a great place. More than 70% of Villanova’s 2022 graduates gained employment at an average salary of $71,363, according to the school’s undergraduate career outcomes website. Another 21.1% sought further education, which led to a 98.9% graduate placement rate.

More from UB: Undergrad credential earners fall 1.6 percent for the first time in a decade

While Grubb does acknowledge that full-time job postings are down 7% this year compared to last year, he is confident in the pipelines that Villanova University has built with employers to maximize engagement among them and students. Villanova’s industry advising team builds specific employer and alumni relationships with the school based on students’ career interests.

“The important thing is keeping our networks fresh, so when we’re not receiving a lot of inbound calls or leads, we are structured in a way where we can get outbound and seek out our key alumni, employer recruiting contacts to figure out what’s happening, when might it be happening, how can we communicate it, what’s realistic?” says Grubb.

These healthy streams of communication between students, the career center and employers across different industries help everyone stay in the loop with where career interest lies and where those opportunities are present. This ensures Villanova’s Career Center can “navigate whatever waters come.”

Villanova has recently identified a decrease in full-time job openings in life sciences, biotech, internet, software, and financial services. The Career Center’s granular attention to the varying trends across different industries ensures that Career Center places its students in front of employers and alumni in those fields so that they are top of mind when the pendulum swings in their favor.

In order to bridge the gap between student interest in biotech and a lack of career opportunities in this field for undergraduates, Villanova created a biotech bootcamp programmed by the school’s alumni in partnership with school faculty, bridging “theory and practice” to create a curriculum that exposes its students to their curriculum’s real-world application.

“If there’s high interest from students and we don’t see enough interest on the employer side, we ask ‘Why? Is it because there’s not a strong pipeline from undergrad recruiting into that? Can we make sure there’s more connectivity in that space?'” says Grubb. “We look based on how that industry functions, because that industry functions differently than the biotech industry, which is different than the nonprofit sector, which is different than the advertising industry.”

The post What recession? How Villanova turns student degrees into jobs appeared first on University Business.

According to data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, we should expect a substantial bump in STEM enrollment as they expect a 10.8% growth in the field by 2031. Additionally, the medium wage for STEM jobs far exceeds the average for non-STEM occupations at $95,420.

For colleges and universities looking to increase their enrollment numbers in this area while also contributing to the local workforce, consider WalletHub’s “2023’s Best & Worst Metro Areas for STEM Professionals,” as it may offer some incentive for potential applicants.

Let’s take a look at the top 25 cities for STEM jobs:

1. Seattle, WA
2. Austin, TX
3. Boston, MA
4. Atlanta, GA
5. San Francisco, CA
6. San Jose, CA
7. Pittsburgh, PA
8. Minneapolis, MN
9. Madison, WI
10. Sacramento, CA
11. Cincinnati, OH
12. Salt Lake City, UT
13. Worcester, MA
14. Orlando, FL
15. Raleigh, NC
16. Washington, DC
17. Hartford, CT
18. Tampa, FL
19. Columbus, OH
20. Chicago, IL
21. Denver, CO
22. Portland, OR
23. Boise, ID
24. Springfield, MA
25. St. Louis, MO

View the entire list here.

More from UB: Female high school graduates lag behind males in college readiness, concludes a national survey

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The report gathered information from 500 graduated students from the classes of 2019 to 2022 and asked them questions about their exposure to college readiness resources in high school and how confident they were in taking the next step. The results infer that female students were consistently underprepared compared to their male counterparts:

• Students who felt prepared to make a career choice or declare a major:
  • Male: 57% | Female: 41%
• Students who reported not being exposed to a wide variety of options:
  • Male: 29% | Female: 57%
• Students who had a conversation with a teacher or school counselor about opportunities after high school:
  • Male: 78% | Female: 63%
• Students who were aware that career and technical education options were available:
  • Male: 70% | Female: 50%

A possible reason why women feel limited in their career choices and are underinformed has to do with lingering stereotypes about what industries males and females are “expected” to enter after high school.

“Gender stereotypes play a strong role in both educational and career awareness and preparedness,” stated YouScience’s Student Ability report. “Our analysis shows that biases still exist and need to be addressed in order to turn the corner on the exposure and skills gap challenges.”

Using anonymized data from YouScience Discovery’s aptitude-based career guidance assessments, women’s aptitude scores were compared with their self-reported interests in various career clusters. The conclusion: They are shorting themselves on their potential in STEM-based careers. For example, the data found that females have almost four times the aptitude for computer technology careers than interest. And compared to men who have two times the aptitude for advanced manufacturing careers than interest, females clocked in at ten times more aptitude than interest.

Interest alone is not a strong enough marker for students to make a successful career decision, according to another YouScience report that focused on women in STEM.

“Interest-based tools reflect primarily what the student already knows, while aptitude measures surface known and unknown talents that are less recognized and can surprise students, teachers and parents,” states the report.

More from UB: Is higher ed to blame for lack of gender, racial equity in the workforce?

Men’s aptitude, or natural talent, is more clearly aligned with careers they are interested in, which could explain why 57% of men felt prepared to make a career choice or declare a major upon graduating high school compared to 41% of women, who clearly have high potential in STEM fields but aren’t sufficiently exposed to these resources to gain interest. In fact, 57% of women reported not being exposed to a wide variety of options for college and a career.

YouScience proposes that the best way to close these disparities among young men and women is to provide them opportunities to earn industry-recognized certifications that carry weight outside the classroom and to apply work-based learning into student curricula.

As concerning as this gender disparity might seem, YouScience’s Post Graduation Readiness Report from November concluded that a majority of students across the spectrum reported feeling unprepared for college and a career—a whopping 75% of students, to be exact. They concluded that, overall, the root of the problem is that students simply do not see a strong correlation in their school curriculum to career-based opportunities outside of the k-12 paradigm.

The post Female high school graduates lag behind males in college readiness, concludes a national survey appeared first on University Business.

Higher ed R&D got a jolt from the largest increase in federal R&D spending since 2011, when Great Recession relief funding came to the rescue. Campus leaders also reported increases in state and local contributions though nonprofit spending dropped, according to the latest Higher Education Research and Development Survey.

The top 30 R&D universities—more than half of which were public institutions—accounted for 42% of total R&D spending, a number that has remained consistent over the last several years. Twenty-four of those universities invested more than $1 billion and all but three reported R&D expenditures for their medical schools.

More from UB: More education leaders ban TikTok for students and employees

Vanderbilt University and Vanderbilt University Medical Center moved into the top 30 (see the full list below) after making changes to their accounting systems while the University of California, Berkeley fell off the list. More effective accounting also helped Ohio State University make a big jump—from No. 24 to No. 12.​

Institutions that dropped down the list include the University of Minnesota, which slipped two positions even though the flagship spent $31 million more on R&D in 2021. The Massachusetts Institute of Technology moved down six positions to No. 29 after a decrease in R&D spending.

The top 30 R&D performers:

1. Johns Hopkins University: $3.2 billion
2. University of California, San Francisco: $1.7 billion
3. University of Michigan, Ann Arbor: $1.6 billion
4. University of Pennsylvania: $1.6 billion
5. University of Washington, Seattle: $1.5 billion
6. University of California, Los Angeles: $1.45 billion
7. University of California, San Diego: $1.42 billion
8. University of Wisconsin-Madison: $1.4 billion
9. Stanford University: $1.3 billion
10. Harvard University: $1.25 billion
11. Duke University: $1.2 billion
12. Ohio State University: $1.2 billion
13. University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill: $1.2 billion
14. Cornell University: $1.2 billion
15. Yale University: $1.2 billion
16. Texas A&M University, College Station and Health Science Center: $1.1 billion
17. University of Maryland: $1.1 billion
18. University of Pittsburgh: $1.1 billion
19. University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center: $1.1 billion
20. Georgia Institute of Technology: $1.1 billion
21. Columbia University in the City of New York: $1.1 billion
22. University of Minnesota, Twin Cities: $1.1 billion
23. New York University: $1.1 billion
24. Vanderbilt University and Vanderbilt University Medical Center: $1.billion
25. Washington University in St. Louis: $989 million
26. Pennsylvania State University, University Park and Hershey Medical Center: $971 million
27. University of Florida: $960 million
28. University of Southern California: $956 million
29. Massachusetts Institute of Technology: $949 million
30. Northwestern University: $913 million

Check the chart below for R&D spending in specific academic fields:

The post Billion-dollar business: These are higher ed’s top 30 R&D performers appeared first on University Business.

The education solution provider’s “Voice of the Online Learner” report shows that 94% of prospective and past students enjoyed those classes, and more than 80% have signaled they would take courses online again if given the opportunity. The vast majority also believe those courses can help boost job-relevant skills and lead to better salaries.

“Individuals who engage in online learning overwhelmingly have a positive experience,” said Todd Zipper, Wiley’s executive vice president and general manager of University Services and Talent Development. “They also see real value in the results they achieve through online education, which allow them to advance in their career.”

Colleges that can provide quicker pathways to success and more flexibility likely will attract both groups of modern learners–the more traditional on-campus students who were shifted online because of the pandemic and those that remain all in on a digital-first education.

Among its pool of 2,500 students surveyed, a surprising 77% said they looked at modality first, even over choice of institution. If the college they were interested in didn’t offer online opportunities, 60% said they might look at competing colleges instead.

While the online-first crowd isn’t against having an occasional class in person or available as a synchronous option (79% said they would), they love having the flexibility of asynchronous options. They also believe in the online learning that colleges are providing to them, with 85% saying “my online program is worth my time.)” More than 80% value college degrees and have job prospects high on their wish lists.

Not every online experience works well even for digital-first learners, and colleges must be intentional about how they deliver that programming. For example, the majority of students who have labs said they want to have them in person. Students also want to know that colleges can provide them with clear pathways to careers. They want to see strong course design and delivery, while “building an online community to support student success and improving engagement among peers and faculty.” Wiley says marketing to online learners absolutely should focus on how well online learning can get them to degrees quickly and lead to better career outcomes.

As for students intent on pursuing online education in higher education, here are six of their wishes from Wiley’s survey:

• They want to stay close to home, even if they are online. That means within 50 miles of the institution, so the nature of being online anywhere when it comes to education is not yet global.
• They can be lured in with online ads. But once colleges hook them in, it is their websites that must be powerful enough to deliver the right information quickly about programs they offer.
• They won’t be swayed by simple $500 to $1,000 scholarship perks. They are hardly going to offset overall costs, and students know that.
• Nearly three-quarters of students want programs that can be done as quickly as possible. Most want asynchronous options, most want to have multiple start dates and most want to be able to take courses back to back and not wait.
• Almost half of all online learners – including those who are looking at colleges – said they want to be able to do class work on their mobile devices, including cell phones.
• Two-thirds of undergraduate students want to see most, if not all, of their credits transfer.

The post 6 factors that can help colleges deliver better online courses, resources appeared first on University Business.

According to this year’s University Alumni Report on wealth from Altrata, Harvard has more than double the amount of that pool of well-off individuals including senior executives than its next closest challenger, Stanford University. U.S. universities rule the list, with the rest of the Top 5–University of Pennsylvania, Columbia University, New York University–all outpacing their international rivals.

Why is that so important?

“Wealthy and influential alumni offer their alma mater a variety of significant commercial and academic opportunities,” Altrata’s lead authors Maya Imberg and Maeen Shaban note in the report. “These include major private donations, corporate partnerships/donations and networking opportunities for students and recent alumni, among others. In an increasingly competitive education market, institutions need to make the most of their ultra-wealthy and senior executive alumni.”

Harvard, in fact, has more than 17,000 in that category (to Stanford’s 7,900-plus), which means that it is positioned best as an institution to have the most impact, both financially and academically via research and the latest innovations in learning and instruction. Consider the reach of a Harvard and other leaders in terms of prospective partnerships. Those with deep pockets and high standing in senior executive positions (in which Harvard is also No. 1) means that those institutions are poised to connect with the wealthiest and most influential people across the planet. Authors note that “the average senior executive alum of a top 20 U.S. university has accumulated 1,280 direct professional connections to senior decision-makers.”

The rest of the top 10 includes Northwestern University, the University of Cambridge in the UK, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Yale University and the National University of Singapore. Several public four-year universities from the U.S. also cracked the top 20, including the University of Texas, UCLA, the University of Michigan and the University of Virginia.

When it comes to the percentage of wealthy individuals from the top 50 universities who are “self-made”, Harvard and other Ivy League schools, however, are not as strong as the U.S. Military Academy and Naval Academy, which have percentages that exceed 95%. They were the only two to beat out the top five international competitors, which all scored above 92%. The California Institute of Technology (91.7%), the University of College Park in Maryland (90.7%), the University of Pittsburgh (89.1%), Johns Hopkins University (88.7%) and the University of Chicago (84.7%) were the next best in the U.S.

Although women tend to make up a larger portion of enrollees at U.S. institutions, they are not at all close in attaining the same wealth as men. The university with the highest percentage of ultra-wealthy individuals is George Washington at 16.2%, followed by Duke University (12.7%), Boston University (12.6%), Tufts University (12.5%) and Southern Methodist University (12.2%). The institutions that have the most female senior executives in the U.S. are UCLA (29.3%) and UC-Berkeley (29.1%), but they trail others in the world, including No. 1 the University of Melbourne in Australia (40.2%)

BU features the largest percentage of international alumni achieving ultra-wealthy status (39.7%), but it pales next to the reach of France INSEAD (92.1%) and the University of Manchester in the UK (87.8%). USC and MIT each surpass the 30% threshold.

More from UB: Where are the big gifts to your college or university coming from?

One interesting category included by Altrata is the percentage of the ultra-wealthy who are the youngest. The top two universities come from the Middle East–Kuwait University and the University of Beirut–with researchers noting that “at 40.7 years, Kuwait University has by far the lowest average age of UHNW alumni, a reflection of the rapid wealth-creation opportunities in the oil-rich emirate.” As for the U.S., the lowest average age is the University of Denver (56.7%), followed by four Northeast institutions–Boston College (57.1%), Tufts University (57.6), Brown University (57.9) and BU (58.1).

Much of the success of the ultra wealthy come from the positions they hold, and five universities in the U.S. stand out for the number of alumni they have that hold senior executive posts. Harvard is No. 1 there (3,897) and followed by Penn, Stanford, Columbia and Northwestern. Harvard’s wealthy, not surprisingly, also have the most professional connections of any U.S. institution in a list dominated by the Ivy Leagues, with Princeton at No. 3, Dartmouth at No. 4, Yale at No. 6, Columbia at No. 7 and Penn at No. 9.

Harvard also leads the way on senior execs at companies in the Global 19, beating out INSEAD and the University of Oxford. It ranks No. 1 as well in terms of execs rising into C-suite positions quickly. Wealthy alums who attended Stanford, Rice University, Vanderbilt University and Penn also see super-fast progressions, a testament to those institutions preparing students for future work.

The top 20 U.S. universities churning out the most ultra-wealthy alums:

1. Harvard University 17,660
2. Stanford University 7,972
3. University of Pennsylvania 7,517
4. Columbia University 5,528
5. New York University 5,214
6. Northwestern University 4,354
7. Massachusetts Institute of Technology 4,089
8. Yale University 3,654
9. University of Southern California 3,594
10. University of Chicago 3,588
11. University of Texas 3,407
12. Princeton University 3,173
13. Cornell University 2,911
14. UCLA 2,906
15. University of Michigan 2,881
16. University of Notre Dame 2,804
17. University of Virginia 2,568
18. Georgetown University 2,505
19. Boston University 2,310
20. Miami University (OH) 2,285

The top 10 non-U.S. universities:

1. University of Cambridge (UK) 4,149
2. National University of Singapore 3,653
3. University of Oxford (UK) 3,356
4. INSEAD (France) 2,625
5. London School of Economics (UK) 2,017
6. University of Toronto (Canada) 1,156
7. University of Mumbai (India) 1,131
8. Peking University (China) 1,101
9. Tsinghua University (China) 1,100
10. University of Delhi (India) 1,027

The post The 20 colleges and universities with the most ultra-wealthy alumni appeared first on University Business.

That is the transformational plan unveiled by Centre College in Kentucky, which is taking the Schuler Education Foundation contribution and the other large gift to change young lives through Schuler’s Access Initiative. Along with a handful of other institutions, including Barnard College, the College of the Holy Cross, Scripps College and Trinity College, the infusion will help provide more opportunities to deserving low-to-middle-income and undocumented students.

“This investment from the Schuler Education Foundation will enable us to strengthen our already robust support for talented students, regardless of their family’s circumstances,” said Mark Nunnelly, chair of the Centre College Board of Trustees. “With outstanding financial aid, academic preparation and career support, there is no limit to what our students can achieve.”

Centre College, one of the most esteemed liberal arts schools in the nation, had just announced an initiative to double the number of first-generation students after receiving a $10 million gift from another anonymous donor and a $1 million grant from the American Talent Initiative to join its Kessler Scholars Collaborative. The latest mission will give 120 new students in the next 10 years the chance to affordably attend the college. The sticker price for tuition, fees, room and board last year at Centre before aid and scholarships totaled around $60,000.

One of Centre’s goals in its strategic plan, which dovetails with the quest to boost first-gen students, is trying to increase its pool of Pell-eligible enrollees. Over the past eight admissions cycles, Centre has grown that group by around 7%, but hopes to have one-fourth of its student population receiving Pells by 2027. The fact that the federal government has in its plans an opportunity to double the amount of maximum grants under the program by 2029, could improve access even further.

More from UB: Where are the big donations to your colleges and universities coming from?

At Trinity College in Harford, Conn., the news of a $20 million grant from Schuler was met with great excitement. It plans to raise an additional $40 million to support curricula and financial aid tailored to low-income and undocumented students. Trinity, whose total cost for a residential on-campus experience is close to $80,000, has helped defray that by boosting financial aid packages by 60% over the past seven years. Like Centre, it has bigger goals, and that is to get to $100 million raised to go toward that aid.

“This is a remarkable moment for our college as we look toward our bicentennial year,” Trinity President Joanne Berger-Sweeney wrote to the community. “When this matching grant is completed, Trinity will become more accessible to deserving and talented students who come from families for whom affordability is a significant barrier. This initiative will open doors to individuals who may have thought that an outstanding liberal arts education was out of reach.”

Union College in New York is planning to add 40 more Pell-eligible students in the next four years.

“Union is one of fewer than 100 schools that meets the full demonstrated need of students,” said President David Harris. “That means that we reach a point where we just don’t have any additional financial aid to offer new students. Each year, as a result, we are simply unable to admit all the exceptional students who need financial aid. That’s why I’m so excited about the Schuler Access Initiative. As a Pell Grant recipient myself, I know firsthand what it’s like to think, ‘Can I attend this school? Can I afford it?’ ”

Those three are part of a group of 20 liberal arts institutions that will be selected by Schuler and include previous recipients Bates College, Carleton College, Kenyon College, Tufts University and Union College. All told, Schuler’s $500 million and the funding from schools will total $1 billion to serve students over the next decade.

“Our family focuses on underrepresented, undocumented and low-income students, because we know that they are smart, capable, hard-working, ambitious students who, when given equal access to opportunities, do great things to benefit our communities,” said Tanya Schuler Sharman, co-founder of the Schuler Education Foundation. “We are thrilled to partner with five additional top colleges that have shown their desire to broaden their support for these students by meeting 100 percent of need for all four years and have proven that they have great graduation rates for all students.”

The post How far can $50 million go toward improving college student access? appeared first on University Business.