Podcasts about ed dept

Trump signs new executive order to change election rules; NC student loan borrowers could be left behind in Ed Dept. dismantling; Getting a read on SD's incarceration woes and improving re-entry; Nebraska LGBTQ+ group builds community with 'friend raiser.'

President Trump signs an order marking the beginning of the end of the Department of Education. A Georgetown student on a foreign visa arrested by the Department of Homeland Security. The sympathetic media largely ignoring his family ties to Hamas. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announces a sweeping review of chemicals in food. An American citizen is released by the Taliban. New documents from the JFK files illuminate President Kennedy's frustrations with the CIA. Tax Network USA: Call 1-800-958-1000 or visit https://TNUSA.com/MEGYN to speak with a strategist for FREE todayHungryroot: Visit https://Hungryroot.com/megynfor 40% off your first box PLUS a free item in every box for life

The Center Square's Greg Bishop reviews the back and forth over President Donald Trump's executive order to begin the process of closing down the U.S. Department of Education and the possible impacts on Illinois.Support this podcast: https://secure.anedot.com/franklin-news-foundation/ce052532-b1e4-41c4-945c-d7ce2f52c38a?source_code=xxxxxx

The Wisconsin Education Association Council talks endorsements for the April 1 statewide election, postal workers in Madison take to the street after the threatened Trump-Musk takeover, UAW Local 291 strikes Cummins Drivetrain and Braking Systems in Oshkosh, the Trump-Musk administration says that the federal collective bargaining agreement with the Transportation Security Administration just doesn't count any more so TSA workers with AFGE Local 777 and supporters speak up in Madison, the Flight Attendants Association has a nationwide Day of Action at airports around the country, Trump-Musk says the Department of Education is no more because they say they can, and Labor Radio remembers noted troublemaker Lucy Parsons.

Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison, along with 20 other attorneys general across the country, is suing to stop the dismantling of the federal Department of Education, and Nicole Mitchell spoke in her own defense today at a Minnesota Senate Ethics Committee hearing.Those stories and more in today's evening update. Hosted by Emily Reese. Music by Gary Meister.

WMAL GUEST: 7:05 AM - INTERVIEW - ANGELA MORABITO - Defense of Freedom Institute spokesperson and former Education Secretary spokesperson SOCIAL MEDIA: https://x.com/AngelaLMorabitoDepartment of Education offices closed Wednesday for ‘security reasons’ Nearly half of Department of Education staff will be eliminated imminently Education Secretary Linda McMahon praises department for taking steps to eliminate 'bureaucratic bloat' Randi Weingarten 'really angry' over Ed Dept elimination months after saying union members 'don't really care' Where to find more about WMAL's morning show: Follow the Show Podcasts on Apple podcasts, Audible and Spotify. Follow WMAL's "O'Connor and Company" on X: @WMALDC, @LarryOConnor, @Jgunlock, @patricepinkfile, and @heatherhunterdc. Facebook: WMALDC and Larry O'Connor Instagram: WMALDC Show Website: https://www.wmal.com/oconnor-company/ How to listen live weekdays from 5 to 9 AM: https://www.wmal.com/listenlive/ Episode: Wednesday, March 12, 2025 / 7 AM Hour See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In the 7 AM Hour: Larry O’Connor and Julie Gunlock discussed: WMAL GUEST: 7:05 AM - INTERVIEW - ANGELA MORABITO - Defense of Freedom Institute spokesperson and former Education Secretary spokesperson SOCIAL MEDIA: https://x.com/AngelaLMorabito Department of Education offices closed Wednesday for ‘security reasons’ Nearly half of Department of Education staff will be eliminated imminently Education Secretary Linda McMahon praises department for taking steps to eliminate 'bureaucratic bloat' Randi Weingarten 'really angry' over Ed Dept elimination months after saying union members 'don't really care' At Southwest Airlines, checked bags will no longer fly for free Trump buys a Tesla with Elon Musk in tow, at the White House Where to find more about WMAL's morning show: Follow the Show Podcasts on Apple podcasts, Audible and Spotify. Follow WMAL's "O'Connor and Company" on X: @WMALDC, @LarryOConnor, @Jgunlock, @patricepinkfile, and @heatherhunterdc. Facebook: WMALDC and Larry O'Connor Instagram: WMALDC Show Website: https://www.wmal.com/oconnor-company/ How to listen live weekdays from 5 to 9 AM: https://www.wmal.com/listenlive/ Episode: Wednesday, March 12, 2025 / 7 AM Hour See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In the 5 AM Hour: Larry O’Connor and Julie Gunlock discussed: Department of Education offices closed Wednesday for ‘security reasons’ Nearly half of Department of Education staff will be eliminated imminently Education Secretary Linda McMahon praises department for taking steps to eliminate 'bureaucratic bloat' Randi Weingarten 'really angry' over Ed Dept elimination months after saying union members 'don't really care POLITICO: USAID official tells staffers: Shred and burn your documents US strikes deal with Ukraine for ceasefire, says the ‘ball’ is now in Russia’s ‘court’ Where to find more about WMAL's morning show: Follow the Show Podcasts on Apple podcasts, Audible and Spotify. Follow WMAL's "O'Connor and Company" on X: @WMALDC, @LarryOConnor, @Jgunlock, @patricepinkfile, and @heatherhunterdc. Facebook: WMALDC and Larry O'Connor Instagram: WMALDC Show Website: https://www.wmal.com/oconnor-company/ How to listen live weekdays from 5 to 9 AM: https://www.wmal.com/listenlive/ Episode: Wednesday, March 12, 2025 / 5 AM Hour See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The FedRAMP program has been around for over a decade and has recently released a host of new policies and resources, including a new roadmap, a refreshed OMB policy memo, two different pilots, an emerging technology prioritization framework, an a request for public comment on new metrics. Zaree Singer, Agency Engagement Lead at the FedRAMP program at GSA joins the GovNavigators Show to talk about the new and refurbished FedRAMP program. Show NotesFedRAMP RoadmapEmerging Technology Prioritization FrameworkFedRAMP Agile Delivery PilotRefreshed OMB Policy MemoFedRAMP Metrics for Public CommentNews LinksWSJ: Cheetos Turning Mice TranslucentOMB Issues Guidance to Advance the Responsible Acquisition of AI in GovernmentGAO: OMB Needs a Structure to Govern and a Plan to Develop a Comprehensive InventoryWash Post: After bungling financial aid process, Ed Dept. begins testing new FAFSAFed News Network: Rep. Mace questions GSA's plan for replacing FedRAMP JABEvents on the GovNavigators' RadarPSC: 2024 Defense Conference (10/8/24)ACT-IAC: Cybersecurity Summit and U.S. Cyber Challenge Awards Ceremony 2024 (10/9/24)AFCEA Bethesda: Kickin' It with Energy: A Conversation With Leadership (10/10/24)Abundance Conference (10/9/24 - 10/10/24)

This Week: Happy New Year to the AOTA family. Manuel and Jeff are back in the studio post winter break and doing a roundup of lots of headlines since we've last been with you.  We got the insanity coming out of Harvard with them chasing a Black, woman president out over racist nonsense. We got a new survey showing that teachers are feeling better about the profession and want to learn more about AI before using it. We got cops in MA coming into a middle school to ban a book after an anonymous complaint about a book about a gender queer young person. And not to be outdone, we have a Palestinian American official in the USDOE resigning in the face of Biden's escalating support for Genocide in Gaza.  Manuel and Jeff discuss it all! Get your All of the Above swag, including your own “Teach the Truth” shirt! In this moment of relentless attacks on teaching truth in the classroom, we got you covered. https://all-of-the-above-store.creator-spring.com  Passing Period is an AOTA podcast extra that gives us a chance to check-in, reflect, and discuss powerful stories in between our full episodes.  Watch, listen and subscribe to make sure you don't miss our latest content! Website: https://AOTAshow.com Stream all of our content at: linktr.ee/AOTA   Watch at: YouTube.com/AlloftheAbove Listen at: apple.co/38QV7Bd and anchor.fm/AOTA Follow us at: Facebook.com/AOTAshow and Twitter.com/AOTAshow --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/aota/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/aota/support

Mary Batiwalla, former Tn Ed Department Assistant Commissioner, joins to discuss the new push to give every school a letter grade - the latest front in Governor Lee's efforts to undermine our public schools. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/tennessee-holler/message

Here at All of the Above we loooove teachers, especially super-dope ones. We're also, perhaps, a tad bit partial to California. That being the case, it should come as no surprise to our AOTA Family that we'd bring on yet another super-dope teacher from California–Jason Torres-Rangel!! Jason is a California State Teacher of the Year and a California nominee for the National Teacher of the Year competition, and he joins us to discuss the present and future of the teaching profession. But first, Jeff and Manuel take a look at recent headlines in education including a new study showing the benefits of small emergency grants for college students and a bit of shade being thrown at the Department of Education from the Government Accountability Office. → Get your Teach the Truth T-Shirt here! → View this episode on YouTube! AGENDA 0:00 - Welcome! 6:46 - Emergency grants boost college success 21:22 - GAO calls out Dept of Ed 35:55 - CA Teacher of the Year Jason Torres-Rangel 1:08:09 - Students walk out to protest CRT ban DO-NOW STORIES: Study shows small emergency grants can help college students stay in school Missing an opportunity: Ed Dept. criticized by GAO for teacher shortage strategy More about our guest: Los Angeles Unified AP English teacher is California nominee for national Teacher of the Year State Superintendent Tony Thurmond Announces 2023 California Teachers of the Year CLASS DISMISSED: Temecula students walk out to protest critical race theory ban Get MORE All of the Above: - Website - Podcast on multiple platforms via Anchor - Podcast via Apple Podcast - Podcast via Spotify - Twitter - Facebook Page Theme Music by its tajonthabeat --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/aota/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/aota/support

Some Nebraska state senators want the Legislature to investigate the Department of Education's handling of critical race theory.

Alex Spencer joins the show to chat about Biden Dept. of Education seemed to promote CRT with a wacky teacher group and Dallas area parents receive a letter asking to not allow their white kids to apply to Ivy League school... It would hilarious if it weren't so horrifying Follow Alex on Instagram at @AlexSpencerUSA Shop Capitalist Propaganda www.capitalistpropaganda.us Follow on: Instagram >>> bit.ly/jobobinsta Facebook >>> bit.ly/jobobfacebook Twitter >>> bit.ly/jobobtwitter The Jobob Show >>>bit.ly/thejobobshow See Less

This week we talk about the Church of Satan, religion at the impeachment trial, White House faith office, and more. Dustin was on the Zachrilege Cast Dustin' off the Degree - Church of Satan News When religion was present — and notably absent — at the impeachment trial Atheists sue Ed Dept., allege Trump-era regulation unconstitutionally favors religious student groups Biden to sign executive order reestablishing White House faith office PA State Rep. Brian Sims, Who's Openly Atheist, Is Running for Lt. Governor Florida County Will Consider Allowing Alcohol Sales on Sunday Mornings The Mormon church's investment group made $6 billion last year Saudi women's rights activist, Loujain Al-Hathloul, has been released from jail, but is still appealing her terrorism conviction Antisemitism in Spain: Spain's Jewish communities call for probe into neo-fascist demonstration in Madrid Feedback DudeManDeuce via Discord Gloria in Orygun via YouTube Support This episode is brought to you by: Henry K Danielle M Pat Acks from the Humanists of Idaho SoJo Beatriz A Zoe Darryl G Arthur K Samuel C Erik from Wyoming Jennifer N Erica B Jonathan N Richard G Balázs Rebecca P And by our $1 patrons and those who want no reward. Contact information, show notes, and links to Social Media and the like can be found at https://atheistnomads.com Theme music is provided by Sturdy Fred.

This week we talk about the Church of Satan, religion at the impeachment trial, White House faith office, and more. Dustin was on the Zachrilege Cast Dustin' off the Degree - Church of Satan News When religion was present — and notably absent — at the impeachment trial Atheists sue Ed Dept., allege Trump-era regulation unconstitutionally favors religious student groups Biden to sign executive order reestablishing White House faith office PA State Rep. Brian Sims, Who’s Openly Atheist, Is Running for Lt. Governor Florida County Will Consider Allowing Alcohol Sales on Sunday Mornings The Mormon church’s investment group made $6 billion last year Saudi women’s rights activist, Loujain Al-Hathloul, has been released from jail, but is still appealing her terrorism conviction Antisemitism in Spain: Spain’s Jewish communities call for probe into neo-fascist demonstration in Madrid Feedback DudeManDeuce via Discord Gloria in Orygun via YouTube Support This episode is brought to you by: Henry K Danielle M Pat Acks from the Humanists of Idaho SoJo Beatriz A Zoe Darryl G Arthur K Samuel C Erik from Wyoming Jennifer N Erica B Jonathan N Richard G Balázs Rebecca P And by our $1 patrons and those who want no reward. Contact information, show notes, and links to Social Media and the like can be found at https://atheistnomads.com Theme music is provided by Sturdy Fred.

H. Robert Showers Esq. has had a long and storied career in law. Prior to founding Simms Showers LLP, he was a principal at Gammon & Grange in charge of the litigation department, and before that was with the U.S. Department of Justice where he was acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General, a federal prosecutor and Chief of the Civil Section in the US Attorney's Office, and was Founder and Executive Director of what is now the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS). Episode Summary For many years, sexual harassment complaints were filed away without any action taken. This approach exacerbated the issue. These complaints–whether true or false--need to be taken seriously and investigated. Now with the emergence of the #MeToo Movement, institutions increasingly are seeing sexual harassment or sexual misconduct complaints filed by students, staff and faculty members. Therefore, institutional leaders need to be proactive in creating policies, procedures and training regarding these types of allegations. Increasing Number of Sexual Harassment Cases Expected Charges of sexual misconduct, particularly sexual harassment, are increasingly being taken seriously in the public eye. In the wake of the #MeToo movement with many high-profile offenders being found guilty of sexual harassment and sexual violence, higher education leaders need to be aware that their institutions have an increased risk of being caught up in the publicity of these types of allegations. College students have a higher risk of experiencing sexual violence than any other crime. Studies indicate that 80 percent of female students who have suffered an attack do not report sexual violence to law enforcement; however, that number will change. More than 50 percent of the college sexual assaults are against freshmen students, which also triggers child abuse laws that require mandatory reporting and increased scrutiny. These factors may lead to a tsunami of allegations that could swamp both secular and religious institutions of higher education. Therefore, all higher education leaders need to determine if their institution has appropriate policies, training, transparency and preventative measures in place in regards to sexual harassment. The Effects of the Court of Public Opinion The citizens who are selected to serve as jurors during trials are influenced by social and mainstream media. Previously, these jurors may have judged someone accused of sexual harassment or an institution that didn’t handle sexual harassment claims appropriately by saying that they were innocent until proven guilty. However, the #MeToo Movement has shifted the paradigm where many citizens are saying that these individuals and institutions are guilty until they prove themselves innocent. Ramifications of Not Taking Action Showers has worked on numerous cases in which a student lodged a sexual harassment complaint against a professor, who then gave the student the choice of remaining in the class or failing. The institution could have easily put the student in another class or allowed him/her to take another academic avenue to completing the course during the investigation. Instead, the leaders opted to have the student remain in the class with the alleged abuser. In several instances where this type of situation occurred, the students were re-victimized because they had to continue to interact with the alleged abuser. This approach led to a public relations nightmare as well as having additional financial damages awarded to the plaintiff following a court case. In the Michigan State case, additional ramifications included a decline in freshman student applications due to safety concerns. Changes to Title IX The first of the changes narrows the definition of sexual assault. The old standard was “unwelcome conduct of a sexual nature,” and the new standard is “unwelcome sexual conduct; or unwelcome conduct on the basis of sex that is so severe, pervasive, and objectively offensive that it effectively denies a person equal access to the recipient’s education program or activity.” The Ed Department justified this by saying it is in line with the Supreme Court guidance, but survivors’ advocates have come out forcefully and said that this new definition will put survivors’ education at risk. The second major change is the standard by which sexual assault is adjudicated. Previously, the standard was that the assault was “likely to have happened.” However, the new guidance provides for a higher standard, i.e., “preponderance of evidence,” the same standard used in civil suits. This is lower than “beyond a reasonable doubt,” the standard used in criminal trials, but it still creates a higher burden on the victim to prove that the incident happened.  In its guidance, the Ed Dept stated that institutions can use either standard, but this potentially opens the institution up to lawsuits, e.g., institutions may face a lawsuit by the accused if they use the lower standard or the victim if the institution uses the higher standard. The third major change has to do with holding universities responsible. Under the previous guidance, universities and colleges could be held responsible if they “knew about or reasonably should have known” about an incident. However, under the new guidelines, the institution must have “actual knowledge” of the incident in order to be held responsible; this requires the victim to make a formal complaint through official channels. Telling a professor or resident adviser isn’t sufficient – it must be reported to someone who can do something about it, such as a school official who is involved in enforcement. Additionally, schools can only be held responsible for incidents that happen on school property or at school-sponsored events, not at private, off-campus residences. Thus, if a fraternity house is located off-campus and an assault takes place there (as was the allegation in the Judge Kavanaugh – Christine Blasey Ford incident), the institution cannot be held liable, even if they have knowledge that these events have taken place in the past. Lastly, the accused will have the chance to cross-examine the victim under the new guidance, and many feel this will discourage victims from coming forward and reporting incidents. A Robust Policy on Sexual Harassment As we all know, the Department of Education released its new Title IX guidance in November, which provides guidance on sexual harassment.  However, some universities and colleges – especially religious institutions – are not subject to these rules. Therefore, it’s important for these leaders to review their institutional policies to identify and close gaps that would make it easier for individuals to bring sexual assault and sexual harassment charges against the college or university. A sexual harassment policy that will stand up to scrutiny includes: A clear definition of sexual harassment A statement that unambiguously says that this type of conduct is strictly prohibited A clear description of how to lodge a complaint and the process for starting and completing an investigation A prohibition of retaliation for reporting harassment A confidentiality statement about complainants An assurance that complaints are promptly investigated by objective professionals A way to separate the alleged victim from the alleged perpetrator A clear statement that makes clear that if the allegations are substantiated, a disciplinary action will follow and the investigation will be concluded A training process that moves the policy into practice so that all employees and volunteers are on the same page Training Employees and Volunteers The training process for recognizing and dealing with sexual harassment and sexual assault should offer awareness so that employees and volunteers understand what is considered to be sexual harassment. This training should include: The definition of what sexual harassment or sexual assault is, which involves unwelcome conduct of a sexual nature. For example, Title IX’s standard is unwelcome sexual conduct or unwelcome conduct on the basis of sex that is so severe, pervasive and objectively offensive that it effectively denies someone equal access to education. This is significantly different than the previous guidance from the Obama administration, which was “unwelcome conduct of a sexual nature.” All allegations should be taken seriously. The individual who brings the allegation needs to be reassured that their voice will be heard and the charges will be investigated without delay or bias. The person who leads the investigation needs to be someone who is objective, thorough and timely. Investigations Institutional leaders need to decide how to maintain an objective investigation that’s unbiased. Many cases can be investigated internally. However, internal investigators may know the alleged abuser so the investigation may be tainted, regardless of what is discovered, because the decision will not be taken seriously. In some cases an external investigation is needed. In these situations, Showers recommends that institutional leaders hire a law firm that is skilled in this area and is able to maintain appropriate protections for both the university and the victim. These types of cases provide tangible but objective results. Sexual harassment claims are particularly difficult to investigate because oftentimes it’s a “he said, she said” situation without much (if any) corroborating evidence.  These cases often have a lot of direct testimony where one person says that “This happened” and then the other person said, “No, it didn’t happen.” This is one reason why it’s important to retain an objective, unbiased and professional investigator who will keep confidentiality for both the alleged victims and perpetrators, as well as the university. Most colleges have outside or internal legal counsel. These types of cases need to be run by counsel because their expertise can help guide the decision as to whether an internal or external investigation is needed. This is important because the stakes today are high financially as well as in regards to the institutional image. It’s important that colleges and universities get these investigations right the first time. Additionally, historical sex abuse allegations, as illustrated by the Brett Kavanaugh case, are very, very complex to investigate. These cases, which happened years or decades ago, are especially difficult because memories fade, witnesses are lost and any tangible evidence is lost. Therefore, these cases provide even more reason to hire someone who understands and has done these cases before and who will be objective. Changes to Title IX The first of the changes narrows the definition of sexual assault. The old standard was “unwelcome conduct of a sexual nature,” and the new standard is “unwelcome sexual conduct; or unwelcome conduct on the basis of sex that is so severe, pervasive, and objectively offensive that it effectively denies a person equal access to the recipient’s education program or activity.” The Ed Department justified this by saying it is in line with the Supreme Court guidance, but survivors’ advocates have come out forcefully and said that this new definition will put survivors’ education at risk. The second major change is the standard by which sexual assault is adjudicated. Previously, the standard was that the assault was “likely to have happened.” However, the new guidance provides for a higher standard, i.e., “preponderance of evidence,” the same standard that is used in civil suits. This is lower than “beyond a reasonable doubt,” the standard which is used in criminal trials, but it still creates a higher burden on the victim to prove that the incident happened. In its guidance, the Ed Dept stated that institutions can use either standard, but this potentially opens the institution up to lawsuits, e.g., institutions may face a lawsuit by the accused if they use the lower standard or the victim if the institution uses the higher standard. The third major change has to do with holding universities responsible. Under the previous guidance, universities and colleges could be held responsible if they “knew about or reasonably should have known” about an incident. However, under the new guidelines, the institution must have “actual knowledge” of the incident in order to be held responsible; this requires the victim to make a formal complaint through official channels. Telling a professor or resident adviser isn’t sufficient – it must be reported to someone who can do something about it, such as a school official who is involved in enforcement. Additionally, schools can only be held responsible for incidents that happen on school property or at school-sponsored events, not at private, off-campus residences. Thus, if a fraternity house is located off-campus and an assault takes place there (as was the allegation in the Judge Kavanaugh – Christine Blasey Ford incident), the institution cannot be held liable, even if they have knowledge that these events have taken place in the past. Lastly, the accused will have the chance to cross-examine the victim under the new guidance, and many feel this will discourage victims from coming forward and reporting incidents. Bullet Points The #MeToo Movement, the resulting cultural shift related to sexual harassment and data related to sexual harassment of students suggests that higher education institutions will increasingly be dealing with sexual harassment and sexual abuse issues. Studies indicate that 80 percent of female students never report sexual violence to law enforcement. More than 50 percent of the college sexual assaults are against freshmen students, which triggers sexual harassment as well as child abuse laws that require mandatory reporting and increased scrutiny. Citizens who are selected to serve as jurors during trials are influenced by social and mainstream media. The #MeToo Movement has shifted the paradigm in favor of the victim and institutions are getting caught in the whirlwind. Higher education leaders need to review their institutional policies to identify and close gaps that would allow individuals to bring sexual assault and sexual harassment charges against the college of university. Institutions also need a strong training program to help educate employees and volunteers about the university’s processes related to charges of sexual harassment. This training should include defining sexual harassment and sexual assault, identifying the investigation process and ensuring that the process will be objective and concluded in a timely manner. Investigations need to be objective, thorough and done in a timely manner. Some cases can be investigated by internal team; however, these cases may be tainted by perception since some investigators may know the alleged perpetrator.  External investigations offer an outside viewpoint that can be seen as neutral in high-profile cases. It’s important to have a law firm that can offer appropriate protections for the victim and alleged perpetrator as well as the university. Higher education leaders should seek their institution’s internal or external counsel to get feedback on whether to create an internal or external investigation. This is important because of potential settlements as well as public relations fallout on specific cases. Links to Articles, Apps, or websites mentioned during the interview: Simms Showers LLP Title IX Guidance Guests Social Media Links: H. Robert Showers LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/robert-showers-133a618/ Simms Showers LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/simms-showers-llp/about/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/simmsshowerslaw Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SimmsShowersLLP The Change Leader’s Social Media Links: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/drdrumm/ Twitter: @thechangeldr Email: podcast@changinghighered.com

In addition to enjoying the holidays, December is a good time to pause and take stock of the past year. This also is an opportune time to get out the crystal ball to contemplate what might happen in 2019. 2018: The Year in Review There were a number of very nice gifts under the tree this year, but also a lot of lumps of coal. In 2018, we saw four big themes: marketplace dynamics; Washington follies; higher ed governance failures (which includes higher ed’s version of #MeToo); and the Harvard admissions lawsuit. Marketplace Dynamics: The Maturing and Decline of Higher Ed Markets In our previous blog and podcast on M&A activity in higher ed, we discussed the product life cycle and where higher ed stands in relation to this concept.  To briefly recap, the product life cycle (PLC) is a marketing tool that is applied to products, but also is relevant when examining market segments or industries. The PLC is made up of four stages: The introduction stage, which is characterized by the organization building brand awareness; The growth stage, which is characterized by strong growth as the organization builds brand preference and increases market share; The maturity stage, which is characterized by diminishing growth as “competition” increases and competitors offer similar “products.” This results in the implementation of multiple marketing strategies, such as cutting prices, rethinking positioning and branding, and market consolidation; and The decline stage, which is characterized by a decline in sales (which may be potentially significant). In many cases, the product (or organization) goes out of business or, as a last result, finds a buyer (leading to a merger or acquisition). Higher ed finds itself straddling the stages of maturity and decline, which is characterized by decreasing enrollment, lack of differentiation in the higher ed marketplace, and an increase in market consolidation and/or college closings. Which brings us to now. Breaking Down the Numbers.  Over the last few years (2016-2018), more than 100 colleges haves closed. Many can be directly attributed to the decertification of ACICS by the Obama administration. However, the more relevant reason for many of these closures is the lifecycle and current operating environment of higher education.  Over the past few years, 65 for-profits closed and seven merged with other institutions. Some of those mergers were huge (Purdue acquiring Kaplan, Strayer acquiring Capella, National University System acquiring Northcentral). In addition, 14 nonprofit universities closed and five merged while 36 public institutions merged or consolidated. This merger and acquisition activity makes perfect sense given that higher education is in the maturing to declining portions of the lifecycle. Transfer Students and Reducing Costs. We’ve also seen community colleges assume more of a role in reducing the costs of higher ed, as well as in degree completion.  State (and other) colleges are beginning to put more emphasis on attracting transfer students.  For example, Gov. Jerry Brown (D-Cal) is withholding $50 million from the University of California system until the system increases the acceptance and enrollment of transfer students while also meeting auditor requests to fix accounting issues. Brown’s decision was based on his commitment to a 2-to-1 ratio of freshmen to transfer students. However, several system’s institutions reported a ratio closer to 4-to-1. Privates are also emphasizing outreach to transfer students due to the costs to both the institution and the students.  Some privates are renting space at community college, thus giving students an easily available and direct track to a four-year degree.   This makes a lot of sense, especially given the current high cost of private education (e.g., one California private is charging $55,000 a year for undergraduate programs, amounts we see at Ivy League schools).  Thus, students find more affordable options by first attending a community college and then transferring to a public or private institution. This approach reduces the amount of student loans needed to complete a degree. This type of approach is especially important with students who start college without a clear idea of what they want to study or their pathway to earning their degree and end up dropping out due to cost.  This accounts for why we are seeing so many post-traditional students in higher education; they initially started college without understanding what they wanted to study and now are returning to complete their degrees. Having this community college low-cost option that transfers coursework to four-year colleges and university makes good sense because it minimizes the student’s time to completion and cost. College Closures and Rejuvenation. We continue to see higher education closures. While higher education leaders may point to the resurrection of Sweet Briar, those types of reemergence are few and far between.    Sweet Briar was an interesting case. Although the school had a substantial endowment (unlike most schools), those funds were legally earmarked for specific things and could not be used for operating funds.  This is an interesting (and possibly unique) situation and will make a great case study for future grad students who want to study the process of bringing a school back from the dead. Department of Education and Washington The second theme for 2018 is all about Washington, D.C. Frankly, there are so many things, it’s hard to know where to start. ACICS. ACICS is (in)famous for its accreditation of Corinthian and ITT, both of which folded, leaving 100s of 1000s of students stranded. Not surprisingly, ACICS was decertified by the Obama administration in 2016. At its height, ACICS accredited 200+ universities, but in the time between 2016 (when ACICS lost its accreditation) and now, most of the institutions accredited by ACICS have moved to other accrediting bodies.    However, the Trump Administration has other ideas on accreditation. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos reinstated ACICS’ accreditation authority this year in a process that had many missteps. However, the most egregious was that the department’s senior official who made the case for ACICS’ reinstatement is a former lobbyist who worked with for-profit universities, a clear conflict of interest. In her justification for reinstatement, the former lobbyist, Diane Auer Jones, said the Department of Education determined that ACICS was in compliance on 19 of the 21 applicable criteria. Equally as important, she stated that ACICS was likely in compliance with these criteria when President Obama’s Education Secretary John King, Jr. removed ACICS’ accreditation certification. According to the Education Department, ACICS is still “out of compliance” with federal standards in the remaining two areas but has been given another 12 months to come back into compliance.  The carnage from ACICS’ original accreditation still continues. Just this month, the Education Corporation of America (ECA), which was once accredited by ACICS and oversaw Virginia College, shuttered its doors, leaving 20,000 students up a creek without a paddle. In fairness to ACICS, they removed Virginia College’s accreditation, but only after the college attempted to get accreditation from another accreditor and failed miserably. Gainful Employment and Borrower Defense. Changes in gainful employment and borrower defense also emerged in 2018. In relation to the former, the Education Department missed the filing deadline for the gainful employment rule so these changes cannot come into play until mid-2020. Furthermore, the Social Security Administration -- which provides the earnings data needed to calculate gainful employment -- decided not to renew the information-sharing agreement that expired in May. Because of this, the Education Department will not have the data they need to calculate earnings data. So, in essence, gainful employment is dead for now. Borrower defense is another area on which Washington gets raspberries. Regulations put in place by the Obama administration protected students whose colleges (e.g., Corinthian and ITT) closed, leaving them with degrees that were considered worthless. However, the Ed Department under Secretary DeVos rejected the vast majority of the claims. It took Congressional pressure to turn the process around, and although the process has gotten better, it still not where it needs to be. I think we can expect to see some new regulations coming out of Washington over the next year in this area. Title IX and Sexual Abuse. The Education Department put out their draft ruling on new Title IX guidance in November and, overall, colleges are not happy. The revisions make major changes to the standard that, in many cases, are as clear as mud and/or will discourage victims from coming forward. New Title IX Guidance. The first of the changes narrows the definition of sexual assault. The old standard was “unwelcome conduct of a sexual nature,” and the new standard is “unwelcome sexual conduct; or unwelcome conduct on the basis of sex that is so severe, pervasive, and objectively offensive that it effectively denies a person equal access to the recipient’s education program or activity.” The Ed Department justified this by saying it is in line with the Supreme Court guidance, but survivors’ advocates have come out forcefully and said that this new definition will put survivors’ education at risk. The second major change is the standard by which sexual assault is adjudicated. Previously, the standard was that the assault was “likely to have happened.” However, the new guidance provides for a higher standard, i.e., “preponderance of evidence,” the same standard that is used in civil suits. This is lower than “beyond a reasonable doubt,” the standard which is used in criminal trials, but it still creates a higher burden on the victim to prove that the incident happened. In its guidance, the Ed Dept stated that institutions can use either standard, but this potentially opens the institution up to lawsuits, e.g., institutions may face a lawsuit by the accused if they use the lower standard or the victim if the institution uses the higher standard. The third major change has to do with holding universities responsible. Under the previous guidance, universities and colleges could be held responsible if they “knew about or reasonably should have known” about an incident. However, under the new guidelines, the institution must have “actual knowledge” of the incident in order to be held responsible; this requires the victim to make a formal complaint through official channels. Telling a professor or resident adviser isn’t sufficient – it must be reported to someone who can do something about it, such as a school official who is involved in enforcement. Additionally, schools can only be held responsible for incidents that happen on school property or at school-sponsored events, not at private, off-campus residences. Thus, if a fraternity house is located off-campus and an assault takes place there (as was the allegation in the Judge Kavanaugh – Christine Blasey Ford incident), the institution cannot be held liable, even if they have knowledge that these events have taken place in the past. Lastly, the accused will have the chance to cross-examine the victim under the new guidance, and many feel this will discourage victims from coming forward and reporting incidents. Whenever you get into sexual assault or similar types of accusations, the resolution process must be more than he said/she said. However, that is what it could come down to because of the cross-examination requirement. Many victims’ advocates and lawyers are concerned that we will revert to a previous time when a woman who accused a man of sexual assault would ultimately be the one on trial because of her dress or behaviors or whatever. MSU and Sexual Assault / Harassment in Education. A subset of this area brings to light the #MeToo movement in higher ed, especially in the aftermath of the Supreme Court hearings with Justice Kavanaugh.  It took a tremendous amount of courage for Christine Blasey Ford to bring up what happened to her after so many years and in such a public venue. Sadly, look at what ultimately happened – the good ol’ boys network derailed the investigation before it was able to go through to a conclusion. We also are seeing the fallout from the Michigan State sexual assault case. MSU’s former president has been brought up on felony charges for lying to the police, and the institution’s undergraduate applications have fallen by almost 8.5 percent in the wake of the scandal. Not only is this situation tarnishing MSU’s reputation, it is hitting them in the pocketbook. And maybe that's what has to happen for people to change. Higher Ed Governance Failures and the Role of the Board We are seeing a failure in the governance process in many higher ed schools. Three cases fall into this area at the following institutions: Penn State, Michigan State, and the University of Maryland. We must ask ourselves in all these situations, “Where were the Board of Directors/Regents/Trustees?” In the Penn State scandal, some Regents were brought up on criminal charges. We haven't seen that yet in the Michigan State scandal, but I believe we will.  MSU’s interim president has not done a great job in reaching out to the victims – it has been pretty nasty in many respects, but one must ask where are their Board of Regents? Same with the University of Maryland football coach after the player died – the board directed the university president to retain the football coach, but the president refused (rightly so). From all appearances, the majority of boards and Regents do not understand what their role is. Regents at state schools generally are political appointees, and it is considered to be a feather in one’s cap to be appointed to a Board of Regents/Trustees for a state university.  However, just because one is a political appointee to a board doesn’t remove their fiduciary duties as a board member.  More training needs to be done to ensure Regents understand their duties as well as how governance has changed over the years. This also goes for boards of private universities. The vast majority of these types of higher ed boards are made up of “friends of the president” or other large donors. This is especially egregious with many Christian colleges, whose boards are made up of religious affiliates or ecumenical personnel who have no experience sitting on the board of a multimillion-dollar organization and/or an understanding of higher ed. Fallout from the Harvard Admissions Lawsuit The Harvard lawsuit, in which a group of Asian Americans sued the university over its admissions policies, ultimately will impact a majority of higher ed institutions. Even though Harvard says that they are following the guidance from the Supreme Court, they get sued. Same with UCLA – they have been sued as well. Although a ruling is still forthcoming on the Harvard case, I think there will be ripple effects and we haven’t seen the end of this. Predictions for 2019 While much of the crystal ball’s foretelling for 2019 is cloudy, there are some clear indications of what lies in the future. An Acceleration of Consolidation and Closures First, we will see an acceleration of consolidations and closures in higher ed. For example, just in the last couple weeks, Moody's Investors Service and Fitch ratings both have declared a negative outlook for the higher ed sector for 2019. This is huge. We have a marketplace that is saturated. In these types of markets, smarter institutions focus on economies of scale (mergers), as well as positioning and differentiation (why is my university and/or degree different)? Carnegie Mellon and MIT have done this very well. This is one way to combat saturation, but not a lot of schools understand marketing positioning and differentiation. Consolidation (mergers) occurs for one of three reasons. Acquisition of a new technology; Market expansion and/or growth; or Eliminate competition and/or create market efficiencies. Consolidation will continue to accelerate. One need not look any further than what is happening with Pennsylvania’s 21 state universities. These institutions are vying for a smaller number of students graduating from high school, so are closing multiple campuses and realigning programs to eliminate duplication. This impacts the towns in which they are located since they are the major employers, and any change they make in consolidating degrees and/or reorganizing the system affects jobs, creating a ripple effect. Closures will also increase, but we think there will be far more consolidation rather than outright closings. The trend will continue toward the mega universities -- the merger of Strayer and Capella or Purdue and Kaplan -- or more shared services between universities. We will start to see far more of this with the privates as they struggle to survive. The biggest challenge is going to be for the smaller universities that don’t have strong endowments. What are they going to do? Most of these universities rely solely on tuition and/or state and federal funding to keep their doors open. They have limited research dollars coming in as compared to the Tier 1/R1 institutions. Right now, the closure rate is below 1%, but it will accelerate. The one wildcard in this is a potential recession, which could result in people going back to school to gain new skills and earn a different degree. Maybe that will help universities. The other trend that we have not talked about is how many people are disparaging higher ed, saying a college degree is not worth the money that you pay for it. This is going to hurt higher ed and its ability to bring in more students. This too may lead to more mergers and closures. Changing the Higher Ed Business Model The business model for higher ed must change. We don’t see rapid transformational change in the next year. However, there will be many changes in the next five years that people will realize was part of a changing higher ed landscape as they look in the rearview mirror. Neg Reg 2019 and its Implications.  The upcoming negotiated rulemaking process by the Ed Department focusing on accreditation and innovation could be very impactful, especially with its focus on credit hours and online education. Credit Hours. Moving away from credit hours as a measure of learning could be one of those breakthrough transformations that could spur the changing of higher ed’s business model. Once the Ed Department makes these changes, we will begin to see more institutions using CBE and giving credit for previous learning and life experiences. If you take a look at the three colleges that have done very well using these models (Western Governors who is the poster child for CBE, Capella, and Southern New Hampshire), they have seen tremendous growth while reducing the cost to students. This is a win-win and I think we’ll see more of this.  Online Education.  Although online education is an area that is beginning to get saturated because of for-profits, we will see far more privates and state schools moving into this area, as well as continued consolidations with online providers (OPMs), such as Learning House. Because so many OPMs exist, some of the smaller colleges will be able to expand into this area at a reasonably low-cost investment, and more for-profits will be acquisition targets. We will start seeing institutions embrace the opportunity to share online courses. This too will require changes from the Neg Reg process with respect to accreditation, but once these types of changes come out, we will start seeing sharing of courses and services as we have not seen in the education industry. Negotiations with Faculty. We will begin to see higher ed leaders toughen their stance with faculty. Market saturation with institutions and programs has resulted in price discounting, sometimes at a rate of more than 60%. This is not sustainable. According to Inside Higher Ed’s 2018 Annual Survey of Chief Business Officers (CFOs), 48% of respondents strongly agree or agree that their college tuition discount rate is unsustainable. This is up from 34% in 2017. Furthermore, two-thirds of CFOs at the privates say the same thing. This is huge. Institutions must start cutting programs that are not “profitable,” but in doing this, they must deal with faculty. Unfortunately, faculty look at programmatic cuts through the lens of job security instead of what graduates need to be attractive in the job market.  When faculty start to do this, there will be security and jobs for nearly all.  Faculty Promotion and Tenure. We will start seeing changes in how faculty are promoted and assessed.  Currently, faculty are promoted and assessed by their publication records. Going forward, we’ll see less reliance on citations and publications and more on teaching. Additionally, faculty hiring and tenure will change. We will start seeing a review of tenured faculty every 5 to 10 years, instead of having a job for life. I don’t see tenure going away anytime soon – it is too institutionalized – but employment for life will become a thing of the past in five years. Knowing Who Your Customers Are and What They Need. Many higher ed leaders have locked themselves in the ivory tower for too long, and it's time they understood what students need to be taught and what industry needs to be successful. Texas A&M is another really good example of this. They talk with stakeholder groups on a regular basis, including just completing a values survey. The institutional leaders currently are engaging in what they call Aggie 2030 to understand the future of higher education as a whole and where Texas A&M is going. This is the type of strategic planning that universities need to be doing with their alumni, stakeholders and the people who hire their graduates. Student Enrollment and Impact on Marketing Research and Spending. Another trend involves students making enrollment decisions based on their own proximity to a college. This is important for universities to realize and understand. Unless you are a R1 or major university, your students are more than likely going to come from a limited geographical pool. This has implications as to how and where you spend marketing dollars, but unfortunately, many institutions are wasting marketing dollars. As much as institutions would like to draw from a larger geographical area, institutions must put a greater emphasis on doing market research to understand where their students live and then spend the marketing dollars to get more students from that area. As the saying goes, fish where the fish are, because it's a waste of money otherwise. Harvard Lawsuit and Admissions. The Harvard lawsuit has the potential going all the way to the Supreme Court, and who knows how that will be decided with the current makeup of the Court. Cost Containment. We also will start to see far more cost containment as institutions no longer have the same level of disposable income. I think we will also start seeing the salaries of chief executives start to come down, especially as transparency hits the budgeting process. Higher Ed Funding. Cities and states will begin to fund college for students. The City of Chicago recently announced a new program where students will receive scholarships to cover costs of associate degrees that will be set up through DePaul University. And in another example, Starbucks is funding college for their people. We will start to see more of this as an employee benefit, but also as a way for businesses to invest in and retain quality employees. International Students. International students attending U.S. universities will continue to be an issue so long as the Trump administration continues to mess with immigration. This will continue to impact U.S. institutions as international students pay full tuition and universities use those funds to keep their bottom lines in the green. This is especially true with Chinese students.  Because of trade wars and increased emphasis on background checks, we will see fewer Chinese students enrolling in the nation’s higher education institutions. HBCUs.  I think the other one to look at HBCUs. I think there could be some really good things to come out of the HBCUs over the next few years. I've no idea what it is, but the crystal ball says to keep an eye on them.    Wrapping Up So long as the Trump administration is in office, we will continue to see turbulence coming out of the Department of Education and the rest of the government.  One thing is for sure: it will not be boring! Merry Christmas / happy Hanukkah, and wishing all the very best for 2019. Bullet Points Looking Back – The Highlights from 2018 Higher ed finds itself in the maturity to declining stages as characterized by declining enrollments, lack of differentiation in the higher ed marketplace, and an increase in market consolidation (M&A activity) and/or college closings. Over the last few years, 2016-2018, more than 100 colleges haves closed. Many can be directly attributed to ACICS being decertified by the Obama administration, but more relevant is where education is in the lifecycle and current operating environment.  State (and other) colleges are beginning to put more of an emphasis on attracting transfer students.  Privates are also getting into this space due to costs to both them and their students.  Some privates are co-locating at community colleges, renting space from them, and this gives their students a direct track to a four-year degree.    ACICS was decertified by the Obama administration in 2016, but Secretary DeVos reinstated its accreditation authority this year. There were many missteps with this whole process, but the most egregious of these was because of a conflict of interest (or appearance thereof) of the department senior official who made the case for ACICS’ reinstatement. Gainful employment is essentially dead for two reasons: The Education Department missed the filing deadline for the gainful employment rule so the changes that they want to make to gainful employment cannot come into play until mid-2020. Because of an inter-agency dispute over data sharing, the Ed Dept cannot get the data it needs to calculate gainful employment, thus essentially killing gainful employment. The Ed Department in November put out their draft ruling on new Title IX guidance. Overall, colleges and victims’ advocates are not happy with the changes. There are four major changes: The narrowing of the definition of sexual assault. Suggesting a higher standard for adjudication be used, i.e., “preponderance of evidence,” the same standard that is used in civil suits. Lessening the culpability of institutions and narrowing the reporting requirements. Giving the accused the right to cross-examine the victim. There is a failure in the governance process in many higher ed schools as exemplified by the Michigan State University sexual abuse scandal, and the death of a University of Maryland football player and the retaining of the football coach. More training needs to be done to ensure Regents understand their duties, and how governance has changed over the years. Looking Forward – Predictions for 2019 We will see an acceleration of mergers, consolidations and closures in higher ed. The 2019 Neg Reg process will begin a transformation of higher ed and its business model. Online education will continue its growth over the next 2-3 years. Much of this will be spurred by consolidation and strategic alliances with online providers. We will begin to see faculty promotion and tenure processes changing as a result of the need for universities to cull programs that are not financially viable. Market research will increasingly take root in higher ed, as institutions need to make smarter use of their marketing dollars by determining where their true prospective students are. Cost containment will continue to accelerate in higher ed, especially in privates where discounting has been the norm. This will find its way to the C suite and we will start to see a reduction of presidential salaries, especially at privates. We will start seeing more “interesting” ways for education to be funded. Part of this will come out of the Neg Reg process, but more city, state, and private entities will invest in their residents’ and employees’ futures. Links to Articles, Apps, or websites mentioned during the interview: Product Lifecycle: http://www.quickmba.com/marketing/product/lifecycle/ National University System: https://nu.edu Department of Education: https://www.ed.gov/ Neg Reg 2019 Process: www2.ed.gov/policy/highered/reg/hearulemaking/2018/index.html Your Social Media Links: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/drdrumm/ Twitter: @thechangeldr Email: podcast@changinghighered.com

Carol Aslanian is a market researcher who helps colleges build strategies and new programming to increase enrollment by focusing on post-traditional students, those students who used to be called “adult students.” Carol began her career in higher education research in the 1980s at the College Board. Her first project in the post-traditional student world was called Youth and Direction for a Learning Society that got hard data to help colleges grow the population of older students coming back to school at two-year and four-year colleges by talking to employers about their needs. The Current Higher Ed Marketplace The demographics of the “typical” college student has changed in the last 30-40 years. According to the College Board, 70 percent of all undergraduate students are made up of what now is called post-traditional students – students who do not study full-time during the day and are not in-residence. The remaining 30 percent are traditional students, those who study full time and are in-residence. Of this 70 percent, 19-20 percent of students study full-time online, and the other 50 percent are individuals who do blended programs, i.e., some classes on campus. The reason we are seeing a surge in post-traditional students, besides the demographics of the high school population being stagnant or decreasing in many areas throughout the United States, is that we now have a large number of students who began their degree but didn't finish. These students had less than two years of credit and dropped out, disenchanted with the college experience and/or the direction that they were going, and went into the workforce. They are now coming back to college 5-10 years later, knowing the career that they want and are focusing on that. There are three primary reasons why post-traditionals come back to school. First, they need a job; second, they want more money; and third, they want a promotion; all of which need a college degree.  This is a marked change from 20 years ago, where the majority of students headed off to college and finished in four years. Now, those that go to college and finish in four-years make up less than 25% of the market. The Evolution of The Current College and Distance / Online Education In the 1980s and 1990s, many colleges and universities had special units called continuing ed, extension, adult and professional development, etc. These units specialized in educating working adults – the 25-year old population which worked full time during the week – by offering evening or weekend courses to enable them to start and/or complete their degrees. Although adult students were not the primary focus of universities, so long as these units brought in revenue, the institution was pleased as the revenue supported other areas. Online education got its major start in the 1980s driven in large part by the University of Phoenix in 1989 and the advent of Blackboard in the late 1990s. Fast forward to 2010, higher ed adopted the concept that age no longer predicted the way people learn, which began tearing down the segregation of adult / post-traditional students from the traditional student. Online education has grown astronomically over the past 20 years, to where 1 out of 5 undergraduates in this country study fully online. The most recent statistics from Eduventures say that in 2016, 16-17 percent of all undergraduate students are fully online, and that percentage increased to 19-20 percent in 2017. This is despite the for-profit sector losing market share over the past few years, primarily because: many institutions in the public and the private sectors are entering the online marketplace; post-traditional students prefer to learn with an institution located within 100 miles of where they live; and the reputation of for-profit education has tanked. One example of this is Central Michigan University. Central Michigan used to have “campuses” on the military bases as a convenience for their adult military students, but they now have a huge online presence which makes sense for the military adult student because of deployments. What Post-Traditional Students Want Post-traditional students’ thoughts around education differ from those of traditional 18-24-year-old students. They want programs that are Convenient for them and fit into their lifestyle and their work hours. Post-traditionals typically choose institutions within 100 miles of where they live, and the majority within 40 miles. They do not want to give away their weekends as previous adult students did. Time to completion is important. They want to finish their degree fast, three years or less, and are willing to forgo summers off or long breaks between terms. Structure and compressed courses work well. Terms of 6-8 weeks are preferred, as are online and blended programs / courses. According to the Babson Research Group, 54 percent of all students take blended programs. This makes perfect sense when viewed through the lens of research from Aslanian Market Research. These students typically say, “I'll get in there once a week, but please don't make me come in three times a week.”  Building Programs for the Post-Traditional Market Market research is critical for understanding the potential for going after post-traditional students, as well as why current programs are not attracting the numbers that universities want or need. Market research must answer five key questions: How big is the market / how many post-traditional students are there in the local geographic area? What do these students want in terms of programs? How do they want these programs, i.e., what format and schedule? What marketing channels must be used to attract them? Who is your competition and how do you differentiate yourself? Aslanian Market Research does its market analysis of the student population within a 100-150 mile radius of the institution, and talks with both prospective and current post-traditional students. They feel it is critical that you work on the basis of demand – those who have done it instead of those who want to do it. You must also study the competition, what previous research conducted by extension sites / divisions of continuing education says, and talk to the faculty and administration about their viewpoint. All these things are required to come up with a set of recommendations of how a college can attract the post-traditional population to the campus. The majority of institutions do not understand marketing sufficiently. Consequently, they don’t spend what it takes to enroll this population. For example, most institutions give the traditional student incredible discounts on tuition – in some cases up to 50 percent – but are not giving the post-traditional student the same levels of discounts. Additionally, they are not investing in marketing to this demographic. Why not divert some of the money to the population that makes up 70-75 percent of the pool of eligible students? Transitioning the Institution and Resistance to Change Transitioning an institution for recruiting and educating post-traditional students requires change management, and change is not easy for most universities. A recent example of this had a university president on board with the proposed changes, but the provost was concerned because s/he knew that s/he must deal with academics to get them to change – which isn’t the easiest thing in the world. The key to making this argument is having the data that supports the changes and answers the questions as to what the market is demanding, but equally important is having leadership that builds trust and a transparent process that includes collaboration. “People support what they help create." Change depends mostly on the trust that employees have in their leadership.  There are four types of people you must deal with in change: early adapters who love change, the “wait-and-see” crowd, cynics who will never change (and will not give you a reason why), and skeptics. In the change process, skeptics are your best friend because they will tell you when something is not going to work and give you reasons why. There are many pros and cons for faculty when it comes to online teaching. One professor from Florida Atlantic University stated that he liked online because there was more of an opportunity to have one-on-one time with students vs. being in a huge lecture room, but that teaching online was more time-consuming – students will reach out at 11 PM with a question about an assignment. Competition for the Post-Traditional Student The competition also can play a role in driving distance education. For example, other than Penn, none of the Ivy League schools are implementing distance education, but when Harvard and others begin looking at what Penn is doing, they may move in this direction. One way in which they may do this is by implementing distance certificate programs. In some ways, their certificate programs already cater to an international audience, and this is one way that they could move toward implementing distance education.  New Trends in Higher Education One of the hot trends in the education marketplace is badges. Currently, the degree market makes up about 60 percent of students, the certificate market between 18-20 percent, and the remaining 20 percent take individual courses. Although there has been talk about badges and competency-based programs for a long time, according to current market research, there is not a lot of call for badges and competency-based programs yet. The hype around badges is similar to what we saw a few years back around MOOCs. Competency-based education may be different. For CBE to become more mainstream, it will require a change of perspective from the Department of Education. To wit, Western Governors is fighting massive fines from the Ed Dept because someone there said what they are doing was tantamount to a correspondence course vs. an actual academic institution. That has huge implications for CBE, and the jury is out on this one. What the future will hold is not clear, but for now, badges and CBE are farther and fewer between and do not surface to any degree noticeable in current research.  Three Keys for University Presidents Three key things university presidents must consider when establishing programs, growing, etc. over the next five years when it comes to the post-traditional population:  Pay more attention to and refocus your outreach and marketing (including marketing budget) toward the post-traditional student. Most institutions are placing their focus on and making their largest investment in the traditional enrollment of 18-year-olds coming directly from high school, whereas 70+ percent of the students are post-traditionals. Marketing dollars would be better spent on those post-traditional students who live within 100 miles of the institution. There are multiple advantages to this, including you can market more efficiently, and more quickly determine who is your competition.Additionally, post-traditionals generally are not asking for scholarships and grants. Consider adding blended and online programs instead of new traditional programs – this is where the market is heading and people want, especially if most of your students come from with 100 miles. For those students, the blended structure works very nicely. Courses should be 6 to 8 weeks in length and run continuously throughout the year so students can accelerate their learning and finish as quickly as possible. Post-traditional students are very cost conscious – tuition and fees are important to them. However, when those students who study at private institutions are asked the question “did you take the least expensive program,” 60% say no, which tells us that they also want convenience, acceleration, reputation, and content. Aslanian Market Research has three new research reports that can be downloaded from their website dealing with the post-traditional undergraduate, graduate, and online markets. Their website is www.educationdynamics.com.  The Crystal Ball Here’s what we expect over the next 5 to 10 years. The overseas market is beginning to grow. The international market has been slow to catch on in regards to online learning, but it is beginning show little glimpses of interest as institutions begin to cater to minority populations, first-generation students, etc. The online and the blended concept will begin to work more internationally than it has in the past.  The resurrection of colleges doing business with businesses will grow. With online and blended programs that colleges and universities can tailor to companies, they can regain the business partnership market whereby they provide education training needs for nearby businesses, something that waned in the last 15-20 years. Two good examples of this are Amazon and Starbucks. Mergers and acquisitions have started, e.g., National University, a nonprofit, acquiring Northcentral University, a for-profit institution; Purdue University and Kaplan; and Strayer acquiring Capella University. This is a normal market consolidation as online education grows, and we will see more of them.  Bullet Points   The demographics of the “typical” college student has changed in the last 30-40 years. According to the College Board, 70 percent of all undergraduate students are made up of what now is called post-traditional students – students who do not study full-time during the day and are not in-residence. The remaining 30 percent are traditional students, those who study full time and are in-residence. Post-traditional students’ thoughts around education are different than those of the traditional 18-24-year-old student. They want programs that are Convenient for them and fit into their lifestyle and their work hours. Within 100 miles of where they live, and the majority within 40 miles. They do not want to give away their weekends as previous adult students did. Time to completion is important. They want to finish their degree fast, three years or less, and are willing to forgo having summers off or long breaks between terms. Structure and compressed courses work well for this population. Terms of 6-8 weeks are preferred, as is online and blended programs / courses. Market research is critical for determining both the potential for going after post-traditional students, as well as understanding why current programs are not attracting the numbers that universities want or need.It must answer five questions: How big is the market / how many post-traditional students are there in the local geographic area? What do these students want in terms of programs? How do they want these programs, i.e., what format and schedule? What marketing channels must be used to attract them? Who is your competition and how do you differentiate yourself? The majority of institutions do not understand marketing sufficiently. Consequently, they don’t spend what it takes to enroll this population. Transitioning an institution to recruiting and educating post-traditional students requires change management, and change is not easy for most universities. The key to making this argument is having the data that supports the changes and answers the questions as to what the market is demanding, and faculty who trust leadership. People support what they help create. Three key things to consider wrt the post-traditional population: Pay more attention to and refocus your outreach and marketing (including marketing budget) toward the post-traditional student. Consider adding blended and online programs instead of new traditional programs. Post-traditional students are very cost conscious – tuition and fees are important to them, but they also want convenience, acceleration, reputation, and content. Links to Articles, Apps, or websites mentioned during the interview: Case Studies: https://www.educationdynamics.com/case-studies Market Research: https://www.educationdynamics.com/e-books Guests Social Media Links: Education Dynamics website: https://www.educationdynamics.com/ Twitter:https://twitter.com/EdDynamics Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/educationdynamics/ Drumm's Social Media Links: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/drdrumm/ Twitter: @thechangeldr Email: podcast@changinghighered.com

Show Notes: During today's show, we discuss the following topics during our first segment: From the New York Times (linked below), the way schools are evaluated may be changing. We discuss how a new study shifts how we look at "underperforming" schools. This study suggests that policy makers and education leaders may be thinking about student outcomes in all the wrong ways! In our second segment, we have two very special guests to discuss Social Emotional Learning and a program they created called "TEAMology." Resources Mentioned/Referenced: How effective is your school district? A new measure shows where students learn the most TEAMology Invent Penn State backs TEAMology with $75,000 award from Fund for Innovation TIME: Betsy Devos: The Biggest Controversies from year one Devos reverses policy on campus sexual assault investigations Ed Dept says it will scale back civil rights investigations Betsy Devos wants to spend millions on school vouchers. Two new students say they don't actually work A raw deal from Betsy Devos For-profit college regulations Devos Forcing scammed students to repay loans for meaningless degrees Devos has 10 boats, two helicopters, a yacht scheduler and a lifestyle that you can’t afford ($580m in assets) The Polarizing Pick to be Betsy Devos’ right-hand man Students boo Betsy Devos as commencement speaker at HBCU Republican Tax plan is an early christmas gift for Devos family (Senator Toomey inserted amendment that exempts schools that don’t accept federal funds from being taxed on their endowments) Guest Information: Tonight we have two guests who are experts in Social Emotional Learning and building Character in our young students. Students who rank higher on the Social Emotional Learning scale have demonstrated they are more successful students, as they demonstrate higher levels of skills such as problem solving, resiliency, and leadership, they are shown to score higher on tests, attend school more regularly and become more valuable assets to future employers and society. Linsey Covert is a former teacher and school counselor and now instructor in the Penn State College of Education. As a graduate student, she saw a need for a practical solution to help students develop better relationships and life skills for a more successful future. She began developing ideas for Project TEAM over a dozen years ago and is now the director of Project TEAM, a school-wide anti-bullying movement developed at Penn State to help schools evolve into TEAM-oriented climates. She founded TEAMology, which under license from the university, began recently spreading the SEL and Character Foundations to schools throughout the region by launching a cloud based platform allowing teachers to easily access research based SEL curriculum, track progress, earn badges in SEL, and most importantly communicate, collaborate, and support one another. Linsey is joined by Lisa DiBernardo, who not only taught these skills successfully to students in NJ for 6 years, and won awards, she joined the TEAMology movement as an Education Director and has been largely credited with helping 1,200 teachers and now 14,000 students improve their Social, Emotional and Character skills.

Grants will need partners; Ed Dept shows ESEA inclinations; New AASA survey tells of continued pain.

Grants will need partners; Ed Dept shows ESEA inclinations; New AASA survey tells of continued pain.