Campus Talk: Parents Now Top Source of College Funding For First Time Since 2010

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PARENTS NOW TOP SOURCE OF COLLEGE FUNDING FOR FIRST TIME SINCE 2010
For the first time in five years, the Bank of Mom and Dad is the No. 1 source of college funding, according to the “How America Pays for College 2015” national study from Sallie Mae and Ipsos, a global independent market research firm.

This year’s report — now in its eighth year — found parent income and savings covered the largest share of college costs, 32%, surpassing scholarships and grants (at 30%) for the first time since 2010. Families covered the balance of college costs using student borrowing (16%), student income and savings (11%), parent borrowing (6%), and contributions from relatives and friends (5%).

After four years of relatively stable spending, families spent 16% more money on college in the 2014-15 academic year, for an average cost of $24,164, including tuition, room and board, living expenses, and other direct and indirect costs. At the same time, fewer families were worried that economic factors would affect their ability to pay for college, fewer eliminated colleges from consideration due to cost, and fewer took actions (cost-saving measures) to control college costs, the report says.

The complete “How America Pays for College 2015” report and a related infographic are available at this link. You can also join the conversation on Twitter using #HowAmericaPays.

UAPB NAMED ONE OF TOP FIVE HBCUs IN THE U.S.
The University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff was selected as one of the top five schools in the annual rankings of top 25 Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) in the U.S., according to independent online publication College Choice.

Tuskegee (Alabama) University took the top spot, followed by Hampton (Virginia) University, and Bethune-Cookman University in Dayton Beach, Fla. UAPB and Winston-Salem State (North Carolina) University rounded out the top five schools. The complete rankings can be found here.

College Choice rankings of HBCUs are based exclusively on factors actual college freshmen said were most important to their college decision. According to the most recent nationwide survey published by the Higher Education Research Institute at UCLA, these factors include academic reputation, financial aid offerings, overall cost, and success of graduates in the post-college job market.

Each factor was weighted equally in the ranking and data was derived from a variety of publicly available sources, including U.S. News & World Report, the National Center for Education Statistics, and PayScale.com.

ARKANSAS TECH ESTABLISHES ONLINE LEARNING DEGREE PROGRAM
Arkansas Tech University recently established the College of eTech to better serve students through online learning, university officials said. Dr. Hanna Norton, who also holds the titles of assistant vice president for academic affairs and professor of journalism, was appointed to serve as its first dean. She has served on the Arkansas Tech faculty since 2001.

The College of eTech will work with the Bachelor of Professional Studies degree program and all other online courses at Arkansas Tech. So far, 83 courses have been vetted for online delivery. That process has involved each college on campus, 16 departments and 60 faculty members.

Norton said her goals for the College of eTech include simplified navigation menus for all online courses, further integration of multiple media into classes, ensuring accessibility regardless of connection speed and encouraging collaborative activities between online students.

Visit www.atu.edu/etech to learn more.

EDUCATION SECRETARY JOINS LINKEDIN
U.S. Department of Education Secretary Arne Duncan shared his first ever post on LinkedIn, promoting the future of the teaching profession and how in many places, education is being put back in the hands of teachers.

“There is no better resource for a school than teachers who are empowered and equipped to solve problems using their own talent and experience,” Duncan posted. “It does not take a federal initiative or a state program for teachers to solve the biggest challenges in education. Yet, for teachers to truly lead large-scale transformation, state and local systems must be willing to provide teachers both time and training to exercise leadership. We, at the federal level, support and encourage their efforts.”

Duncan also posted a video highlighting the activities at Lehigh Senior, just outside of Ft. Myers, Fla. See Duncan’s LinkedIn post and video here.