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Report
Takes Another Look at the MBA
In a time when the global business environment is changing and business-school
deans find themselves asking how best to reposition MBA programs
if they are to survive, a new report focuses on the future of the
master's in business administration.
The
Economist Global Executive report, "MBA Outlook," includes
discussions with deans at top MBA programs from around the world,
a profile of the most selective MBA program in the world (the Indian
Institute of Management (IIM) in Ahmedabad), a look at entrepreneurship
and the MBA, women and the MBA and the increasing number of MBA
programs in Latin America. The report also talks about how much
an MBA is worth and other relevant issues.
—
The
Economist
August 2002
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CANADA
U.S.
Schools Woo Ontario Graduates
As Ontario eliminates its five-year high school curriculum in favor of
a four-year plan, 2003 will see twice the number of graduates seeking
admission to university. Hoping to capitalize on fears the province won't
be able to cope with the unprecedented surge in students, U.S. schools
have begun an aggressive recruitment drive north of the border.
Amid speculation
that as many as 30,000 students might be refused admission to Ontario
universities, U.S. schools are pitching themselves as convenient alternatives.
"Some students who may not have considered studying in the United
States will have no other option because of the double-cohort problem,"
said Stephen Dunnett, vice provost at the University
of Buffalo. "Coming to the border institutions may be viewed
as a more affordable option than going out of province."
The Ontario
government insists that every qualified and willing student will find
a home at a school in the province. Student trends suggest otherwise:
the number of Canadians studying in the United States jumped 7.4 percent
in 2000-01, and more recent figures may show an even more dramatic increase.
To attract
students from Ontario's class of 2003, U.S. institutions are stepping
up attendance at Canadian recruitment fairs, visiting high schools and
using mass media and direct-mail campaigns.
—
The
Canadian Press
July 22, 2002
CUBA
Government
Offers Scholarships to Kenyans
The Cuban government in July announced a five-year undergraduate scholarship
program for underprivileged Kenyan students.
Ten Kenyan
students have already been picked to start various degree courses in Cuba
this September. Every year for five years, a similar number of underprivileged
students will be selected for the program.
Currently
- and completely unrelated to the scholarships - there are six Kenyan
students in Cuban universities taking degree courses in pharmacy, agricultural
engineering, veterinary sciences and general medicine.
—
The
East African Standard
July 24, 2002
UNITED STATES
New Immigration
Policy Threatens Border Institutions
In the last issue of WENR, we reported a new federal policy that prohibits
Mexicans and Canadians from enrolling part time at colleges in the United
States. The Immigration
and Naturalization Service (INS) announced the policy on May 22 in
a memo to INS field offices and to the Association of International Educators
(NAFSA), a nonprofit organization that supports international education
and exchange in higher education.
Officials
at some institutions complained about the lack of warning with regard
to the announcement. Under the new policy, part-time students in continuing
education programs that started before May 22 were able to complete their
courses through the end of the session but were no longer permitted to
sign up for courses on a part-time basis.
As a result, thousands of Canadian and Mexican college students are barred
from returning to school this fall, which will cost colleges and universities
near the borders millions of dollars.
The potential
losses are serious on both borders. El
Paso Community College in Texas stands to lose most of its 2,400 Mexican
commuter students, $2 million in state financing, as well as tuition losses
"too mind-boggling" to calculate, says one school official.
In Detroit, Wayne State University
expects to lose more than 500 students, or 2 percent of enrollment, costing
$1 million in lost tuition.
Schools are
being forced to reassess programs designed to attract foreign students.
The University of Buffalo recently
began promoting a teacher-training institute intended for a large enrollment
of Canadians. Stephen Dunnett, vice provost for international education
at the university, said that without Canadian commuters, the training
institute's enrollment could be cut in half.
"We
now have no idea what's going to happen to it," Mr. Dunnett said.
Two congressmen
from border states, Representative Jim Kolbe, Republican of Arizona, and
Representative John J. LaFalce, Democrat of New York, introduced a bill
in July to create a nonimmigrant visa category to include part-time students
from Canada and Mexico. Mr. Kolbe said he thought the bill would not meet
much opposition, but there is little chance it can work its way through
the House, Senate and the Bush administration before the fall terms begin.
—
The
New York Times
July 8, 2002
Many
Find School a Haven From Recession
Increasing numbers of people are seeking refuge from the recession by
staying in school or going back to college to earn professional degrees.
Law schools are experiencing the biggest rise in applications in 20 years,
according to the Law School Admission Council
(LSAC). Business schools and other graduate programs are also seeing an
increase.
The current trend is a reversal from late 1990s, when many students skipped
graduate school for high-paying jobs at booming companies and "dot-coms."
In a report published last spring by the National
Association of Colleges and Employers, the 415 companies surveyed
estimated they would hire 36.4 percent fewer graduating seniors this year
than last.
Applications
for law school are up 17.9 percent for 2002-03. As of July 5, the LSAC
counted 88,418 applications nationwide, compared with 74,994 the same
time last year.
At the University
of Connecticut School of Law in Hartford, a record 2,914 applications
were processed, up 46 percent from last year. The school expects to take
in 240 students this fall, up from the 210 it normally enrolls.
About 7,400
applicants applied to Columbia
Business School, up 26 percent from last year. The University of Pennsylvania's
Graduate School of Education received
approximately 1,700 applications, a 38 percent increase.
—
Associated
Press
July 23, 2002
Research:
Standardized Tests Don't Give Complete Picture
Research presented at a meeting of the American
Association for the Advancement of Science challenges current standardized
testing methods and traditional university application standards. The
research concludes that testing analytical skills alone is not an accurate
measure of future student performance, and that testing for creative and
practical abilities should be added.
A Yale professor
recently suggested in a study that intelligence consists of three components:
analytical ability, creative ability and practical ability. He maintains
current standardized tests do not gauge creative and practical abilities,
so he developed - and tested - new methods designed to gauge these components.
Among various other criteria, his test asks students to solve school-
and office-related problems, to solve common reasoning problems with everyday
math and to tell stories through captioned cartoons.
Researchers
conducted these experiments at several U.S. high schools and colleges,
and at one business school. The results, they believe, suggest these new
testing methods, when used in conjunction with current standardized tests,
provide a more accurate picture of a student's potential.
—
The
Guardian
Feb. 19, 2002
Foreign
Students Flock to U.S. Schools Online
International students, scrambling to secure a U.S. education before the
Immigration and Naturalization Service cracks down, are turning to online
learning in numbers not seen before.
Inquiries
from international students were up 40 percent (64,000 potential students)
in recent months at Tampa, Fla.-based Bisk
Education, a company that has partnered with five universities offering
Internet courses.
It is feared
stricter reviews of applications for international student visas will
dissuade many from coming to the United States, and universities offering
online courses are poised to enroll some of those students.
Students
from the Middle East - about 37,000 of 547,000 foreign students attending
U.S. colleges and universities - face the toughest scrutiny in the refined
student visa process, which calls for more thorough background checks
and tracking students once they arrive in the United States. In November,
the State Department said the United States would slow the process of
issuing visas to young men from Arab nations so their backgrounds can
be searched for any evidence of terrorist activities.
While the
University of South Florida (USF) won't
know until classes start in the fall exactly how many international students
sign up for online classes, it expects to top last year's figure of about
1,800 foreign students. USF is a Bisk Education partner in online schooling.
Other Bisk
offerings are associate's and bachelor's degrees from St.
Leo University, a master's in business administration from Regis
University, a project-management certificate from Villanova
University and an online nursing program at Jacksonville
University.
—
The
Miami Herald
Aug 12, 2000
Three
Community Colleges Now Offering Bachelor Degrees
Three community colleges in Florida have been authorized by the state
to offer four-year degree programs. The Florida
Board of Education granted approval to Miami-Dade
Community College to offer bachelor's degrees in secondary education
and exceptional education. Chipola
Junior College and Edison Community
College were authorized to offer bachelor's degrees through joint
agreements with two state universities.
Chipola and
Florida State University will jointly
offer bachelor's degrees in business administration, nursing and secondary
education. Edison and Florida Gulf Coast
University will offer several bachelor's degrees.
The new degree
offerings address the needs of the local work force. All new bachelor's
programs will be reviewed by the state each year.
—
Community
College Times
May 28, 2002
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