College News and Views

College News and Views is a semi-monthly publication that was created to provide you with highlights on a variety of topics in the world of higher education.  Here are some of the latest items of interest:  

 The Start of Tuition Discounting and the Current State

How did this discounting get started?  Some believe the high tuition, high aid model creates a Chivas Regal effect. So named for a high-priced Scotch whiskey, the Chivas effect suggests that people weighing the merits of two similar institutions will tend to think the more expensive one is superior. There’s also a compelling case to be made that students and their families are apt to attend high-discount institutions because they’re flattered by the offer of aid and perceive the large discount as a good deal.

Between the early 1990s and 2007, average tuition discounts for first-time freshmen grew from 27 percent to 39 percent, according to the National Association of College and University Business Officers. While there’s no survey data available for 2009, many college presidents say they offered even larger discounts this year — convinced that it was necessary to double down at a time when affordability was such a concern for families.

Report from the AASCU Urges Colleges to Emphasize Math, Science, and International Studies

A new report by the American Association of State Colleges and Universities.titled “Leadership for Challenging Times,” is the result of a yearlong study by the association’s Presidential Leadership and Global Competitiveness commission, which consisted of 13 college presidents. It highlights some of the challenges that American higher education faces, including declining student interest in math and science, weaknesses in elementary and secondary math and science education, and the increasing cost of college.

The report also said that americans ages 25 to 34 are less educated, on average, than their parents’ generation, and are less likely than their predecessors to earn degrees in science, technology, and mathematics.

New CLEP (College Level Examination Program) classes

A few months ago, CLEP launched two new exams: College Composition and College Composition Modular. At the same time, three CLEP exams will be retired:

• English Composition with Essay will be replaced by College Composition
• English Composition will be replaced by College Composition Modular.
• Freshman College Composition will be replaced by College Composition Modular.

Both of the new examinations will assess writing skills taught in most first-year college composition courses.

College Composition includes multiple-choice items and two mandatory essays scored by CLEP. College English faculty from throughout the country score the essays via an online scoring system.

College Composition Modular includes a multiple-choice section that may be supplemented either with an essay section provided by CLEP and scored by the college, or an essay section provided and scored by the college. This exam is intended for colleges that want a valid, reliable multiple-choice assessment and greater local control over the direct writing assessment.