Labor unions are finding support among graduate students at U.S. colleges and universities, according to a new report. Graduate students, upset by working conditions and pay, have held a series of organizing votes in the past two years, Times Higher Education reports. (September 2023). …
Leave a commentU.S. Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy dramatically changed tactics Saturday, offering a bill that would fund the government for 45 days, something members of his Republican caucus oppose. To pass the bill, he will need the help of Democratic members of the House. If McCarthy and the Democrats succeed, they would keep the government from shutting down — although only if the Senate goes along and President Joe Biden signs before midnight. McCarthy’s maneuver comes after Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives failed to pass a short-term spending measure Friday, increasing the chances of a government shutdown whenmore
Leave a commentThe Supreme Court is returning to a new term to take up some familiar topics — guns and abortion — while concerns about ethics swirl around the justices. The year also will have a heavy focus on social media and how free speech protections apply online. A big unknown is whether the court will be asked to weigh in on any aspect of the criminal cases against former President Donald Trump and others or efforts in some states to keep the Republican off the 2024 presidential ballot because of his role in trying to overturn the results of the 2020more
Leave a commentFormer President Jimmy Carter is set to mark his 99th birthday on October 1 while in hospice care. VOA’s Kane Farabaugh reports on an outpouring of admiration and well wishes for the onetime peanut farmer and Georgia governor who promoted peace and fought tropical diseases after leaving the White House. …
Leave a commentOnly about 4 in 10 Americans say they have a “great deal” or “quite a lot” of confidence in higher education. Sarah Wood of U.S. News & World Report examines why and offers some solutions. (August 2023) …
Leave a commentBetween a third to half of all students admitted to the University of Pennsylvania and the California Institute of Technology feature high school research projects in their applications, and the MIT application even has a dedicated section for them. Such projects can be “both a differentiator and an equalizer” in the admissions process: they can show your own individual drive and creativity, while also being accessible to students of all races and incomes. Read Janos Perczel’s argument in The Hechinger Report. (August 2023) …
Leave a commentUS President Joe Biden sharpened his attacks against Donald Trump on Thursday, delivering a forceful assertion that the former president and Republican front-runner represents an existential threat to the country’s democratic values and institutions. White House Bureau Chief Patsy Widakuswara has this report. …
Leave a commentU.S. President Joe Biden sharpened his attacks against Donald Trump on Thursday, delivering his most forceful assertion to date that the former president and Republican front-runner represents an existential threat to the country’s democratic values and institutions. In a speech in the western state of Arizona, Biden charged that Trump holds the “dangerous notion” that he has unchecked power and is above the law. “Trump says the Constitution gave him, quote, the right to do whatever he wants as president, end of quote. I’ve never heard a president say that even in jest,” Biden said. “Not guided by the Constitutionmore
Leave a commentAn op-ed in Politico argues that Chinese international students are often reluctant to discuss their country’s politics. They suggest two reasons. First, they fear punishment for themselves or their families by the Chinese Communist Party. Second, as anti-Chinese sentiments surge in many countries, they worry about discrimination. Read the piece by Jianyi Yang and Leslie Fu. (September 2023) …
Leave a commentJohns Hopkins University, a prestigious research institution in Baltimore, Maryland, boosted its racial diversity by expanding outreach and financial aid, as well as getting rid of “legacy” admissions — those admitted because they have a relative who previously attended the school. However, the U.S. Supreme Court banned affirmative action in college and university admissions earlier this year. Now Johns Hopkins, and other schools, must find a way forward. Susan Svrluga and Nick Anderson report for The Washington Post. (August 2023) …
Leave a commentTo cut costs, many colleges, including the University of Wisconsin-Madison, are using robots to deliver food in dining halls and at sports games. Students can order food with an app, and the robot will deliver it to them. According to the robot’s manufacturer, 64% of students surveyed say the service has kept them from skipping meals. Lauren Coffey of Inside Higher Ed has more. (August 2023) …
Leave a commentMany thousands of international students come to study at American universities and colleges each year. VOA’s Laurel Bowman met four students who have just landed at campuses in the Washington area. Camera — Adam Greenbaum and Saqib Ul Islam. …
Leave a commentMany prestigious companies in the U.S. are now offering their employees free coaching to get their children into selective schools. The perk is designed to recruit the best workers in a tight job market, but critics say it only worsens inequality. Jon Marcus has more for The Hechinger Report. (September 2023) …
Leave a commentThe U.S. college system is different from most others: Students are graded from A to F, and often choose their course of study — their “major” — one to two years after enrolling. Anayat Durrani of U.S. News & World Report explains the differences. (August 2023) …
Leave a commentU.S. Senator Bob Menendez pleaded not guilty on Wednesday to charges of taking bribes from three New Jersey businessman, as calls for his resignation from his fellow Democrats escalated. Federal prosecutors in Manhattan last week accused Menendez, 69, and his wife of accepting gold bars and hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash in exchange for the senator using his influence to aid Egypt’s government and interfere with law enforcement investigations of the businessmen. Menendez entered the plea at a hearing before U.S. Magistrate Judge Ona Wang in Manhattan. His wife, Nadine Menendez, 56, and businessmen Jose Uribe, 56, andmore
Leave a commentAfterSchool Africa takes a look at the finer points of arranging accommodations for international students. Among the considerations: How close is the housing to campus? How safe is it? What about its proximity to public transit? Read the full story here. …
Leave a commentAmerican college enrollments are falling, even as they are increasing in comparable countries. One culprit could be the cost: while college graduates earn more, the debt they accumulate often wipes out much of that advantage. Paul Tough investigates for The New York Times Magazine. (September 2023) …
Leave a commentThe University of Kentucky has spent $805,000 a day for the past decade on upgrades to its campus, and now has one of the highest tuitions in the country, despite serving a lower-income state. Melissa Korn, Andrea Fuller and Jennifer S. Forsyth report for The Wall Street Journal. (August 2023) [[ ]] …
Leave a commentEvery year, most American college students fill out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid. It determines how much need-based assistance you can receive and is also important for many scholarships, grants and other opportunities. Now, the format is being simplified, as Cheryl Winokur Munk of The Wall Street Journal explains. (August 2023) …
Leave a commentIn the Chronicle of Higher Education, Maggie Hicks writes that ChatGPT frequently invents sources, causing headaches for librarians asked to find them, and getting students in trouble when they don’t learn how to track down information themselves. With scholars willing to cut corners to get papers published faster, academia could fall prey to a “complicated web of lies,” as one researcher put it. (August 2023) …
Leave a commentThe U.S. Supreme Court recently struck down race-based affirmative action, but colleges have struggled to implement the ban. The new guidelines stress that affirmative action is now illegal but that there are other ways for schools to diversify their student bodies. Read the explainer from Liam Knox of Inside Higher Ed. (August 2023) …
Leave a commentWith just a week before Washington runs out of money to keep the federal government fully operating, warring factions within the Republican Party in the U.S. Congress on Sunday showed no signs of coming together to pass a stopgap funding bill. Congress so far has failed to finish any of the 12 regular spending bills to fund federal agency programs in the fiscal year starting on Oct. 1. House of Representatives Speaker Kevin McCarthy will push an ambitious plan this week to win approval of four large bills, including military and homeland security funding, that he hopes would demonstrate enoughmore
Leave a commentMost students looking to study in the United States are already familiar with prospects for financial aid, but there are some lesser-known scholarships available. The Times of India has compiled a listing of scholarships — many offered by individual schools — that can benefit students from other countries. (August 2023). …
Leave a commentA longshot candidate for governor in the U.S. state of Missouri and his supporters describe his use of a flamethrower at a recent “Freedom Fest” event outside St. Louis as no big deal. They said it was a fun moment for fellow Republicans who attended, and that no one talked about burning books as he torched a pile of cardboard boxes. But after the video gained attention on social media, State Sen. Bill Eigel said he would burn books he found objectionable, and that he’d do it on the lawn outside the governor’s mansion. He later said it was allmore
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