HIGHER ED DIGEST: Daily Briefing - Dec. 6, 2021
Amid pandemic, international student enrollment at U.S. universities fell 15% in the 2020-21 school year
Fewer than 1 million foreign students enrolled for either online or in-person classes at U.S. universities in the 2020-21 school year, comprising 4.6% of total enrollment at American higher educational institutions. That not only marks a 15% year-over-year decrease from the 2019-20 school year, but also marks the first time since 2014-15 that fewer than a million international students have enrolled at U.S. institutions.
Laura Silver - Pew Research Center
NY Assembly’s Higher Education Committee chair calls on SUNY chancellor to resign
The New York State Assembly’s Higher Education Committee chair, Deborah Glick, is among the latest state legislators calling for SUNY Chancellor James Malatras to resign.
Last week, investigators with the New York Office of the Attorney General released emails and text messages from Malatras mocking Lindsey Boylan, an ex-aide to former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, after she called the work environment toxic in 2019. Boylan was one of several women who later accused Cuomo of sexual harassment.
Megan Zerez - WSKG
Triad colleges, universities are key for Greensboro-Randolph Megasite workforce
“It’s going to transform lives and hopefully jobs for decades to come here,” said Elbert Lassiter, vice-president of Workforce Development at RCC.
A roughly decade-long transformation came to fruition on Monday as Toyota announced it’s bringing the first battery manufacturing plant in North America to the Triad.
Rasheeda Kabba - MyFOX8.com
UW-Madison, other UW campuses want test-optional admissions extended 2 more years
The standardized test, a well-established college admissions requirement dreaded by many high school students, could be considered optional for another two years at all University of Wisconsin System campuses.
System officials are asking the UW Board of Regents this week to extend the current test-optional policy through the 2024-25 school year. The policy was implemented just a few months into the COVID-19 pandemic when many students were unable to take the test because of extremely limited testing site availability.
Kelly Meyerhofer - Wisconsin State Journal
University of Georgia to clean dorms amid student health complaints
UGA said they have received 244 reports of potential mold since the start of the fall semester. In most instances, officials said they did not find mold. When mold was discovered, officials said it was immediately addressed.
Many of the residence halls that UGA plans to focus on during the break were originally built in the 1960s. UGA said it is finalizing plans, under development since late summer, to spend $20 million to renovate five first-year residence halls by 2025. The university said it has invested nearly $170 million since 2013 in renovations of major building systems including plumbing, electrical, mechanical, fire, security, and heating and air.