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The agenda has been posted and registration is now open for the 2008 IdeaFestival, to be held September 25-27 in Louisville. The IdeaFestival (IF) is “a world-class event that attracts leading and highly diverse thinkers from across the nation and around the globe to explore and celebrate innovation, imagination and cutting-edge ideas.”

This year’s IF features a diverse lineup of presenters, including New York Times crossword editor Will Shortz, world champion juggler Vova Galchenko, founder of the Webby Awards Tiffany Shlain,  Teller (of Penn & Teller fame), and Centre College professor Lori Hartmann-Mahmud among many others. Sessions cut across disciplines to cover topics ranging from neuroscience to architecture to philosophy to entrepreneurship…the list goes on.

There is an early registration discount for those who register prior to July 15 receive a 15% discount off the all-access pass. Learn more at www.ideafestival.com.

See video highlights from IdeaFestivals 07.

AIKCU’s Institutional Researchers and data administrators will meet in Frankfort on Wednesday, August 8, from 9:30 AM to 3:00 PM.

AIKCU Institutional Research/Data Coordinators Meeting
American Pharmacy Services Corporation Building
Frankfort, KY
August 8, 2007

AGENDA

9:30
Coffee and conversation

10:00
Welcome/Introductions/AIKCU Update
- Gary Cox, AIKCU President
- Mason Dyer, AIKCU Director of Communications and Research

10:30
CPE Update
- Charles McGrew, Director of Information & Research, CPE (and staff)
- Comprehensive database reporting changes
- KPEDS update
- Affordability Study update
- High School Feedback Report
- Transfer Feedback Report
- Other CPE projects

11:45
Break for working lunch (Continue CPE discussion)

12:30
NAICU University and College Accountability Network (U-CAN) Consumer Information Project (Teleconference)
- Frank Balz, Vice President for Research and Policy Analysis, NAICU
- Natasha Janson, Asst. Dir. of Research and Policy Analysis, NAICU

1:30
AIKCU roundtable discussion

- National surveys - Who is doing what? Emerging trends or future plans?
- KCTCS data sharing initiative
- CPE Project Graduate
- Dealing with multiple requests/priorities and limited staff resources.
- Using the common data set.
- SACS
- Methods for tracking and communicating key institutional indicators (software, reports, etc)
- Engagement and “Outcomes” surveys - NSSE, etc
- Other topics?

3:00
Adjourn

AIKCU will hold its annual recognition reception and banquet on Wednesday, February 21 at the Thomas D. Clark Center for Kentucky History. AIKCU Named Scholars and their sponsors, as well as AIKCU business partners will be recognized during the evening. Special recognition will go to Toyota Motor Manufacturing, Kentucky for their longstanding support of independent higher education in Kentucky.

The evening begins with a reception at 5:30 PM EST. The banquet will begin at 6:30 PM.

Map

Kari McCallister, a Berea junior and single mother of two, is featured in this Courier-Journal article about the impact of new welfare regulations.

Incidentally, Kari was featured in the 2005 AIKCU Annual Report as a UPS Named Scholar.

For business/finance administrators concerned about energy efficiency on campus and the impact of rising energy costs, here’s a low cost training opportunity offered by The Kentucky Pollution Prevention Center at the University of Louisville. Seminars will be held in Louisville (Apr. 12), Lexington (April 19), and Bowling Green (May 3). For more information and to register, visit KPPC’s Web site, www.kppc.org, and click on the “KEEPS Energy Management Seminars” hyperlink; or call Libby Clem at (502) 852-0965.

From the KPPC release:

The Kentucky Pollution Prevention Center (KPPC) is offering Energy Management Seminars for School Administrators that will provide information about saving money through energy efficiency (E2) and the Kentucky Energy Efficiency Program for Schools (KEEPS). These seminars are designed for school administrators, such as school board members, college administrators, principals, superintendents, facility managers and finance officers.

KEEPS is a voluntary program that provides training and expertise to help school districts and universities keep education dollars from blowing out the window. KEEPS helps identify and implement low-cost/no-cost energy-savings measures with short payback periods, plus the technical expertise to finance and implement more complex energy-savings measures with longer payback periods.

The one-day Energy Management Seminars for School Administrators will provide information on key elements of a district-wide energy management plan; an overview of energy savings performance contracting; and low-cost/no-cost ideas to save money now. Read the rest of this entry »

“Hail, Berea!” The Lexington Herald-Leader reviews Berea College: An Illustrated History (Kentucky.com)

Meeting the Challenge: America’s Independent Colleges and Universities since 1956 was recently published by the Council of Independent Colleges to celebrate their 50th anniversary. It contains a great essay by historian and University of Kentucky educational policy professor John Thelin that should be required reading for anyone interested in higher education. In “Small by Design: Resilience in an Era of Mass Higher Education” Thelin writes:

The enduring–and endearing–characteristic of American higher education since the 17th century has been its diversity. While the large universities gained resources and publicity, the small private liberal arts colleges not only survived but thrived on their ability to provide affordable, high-quality undergraduate education to new generations of American students.

Thelin goes on to trace the variety of ways that independent institutions have evolved to promote access, maintain affordability, innovate, and thrive over the last 50 years. Particularly interesting are his analyses of the importance of science education and the connection between campus life and student success at the independents. Thelin’s essay points to several AIKCU member campuses in his examples, including Berea, Lindsey Wilson, and Centre. The book’s second essay focuses on current trends and initiatives by CIC members and includes a nice write-up of Georgetown College and President Crouch’s entrepreneurial spirit. Find the book here.

This article “Rich Student, Poor Student” from Inside Higher Ed highlights the launch of a new data website, economicdiversity.org, a project of The Institute for College Access and Success, Inc. (TICAS). The site provides two options for campuses, researchers, policymakers, and stakeholders to access student income data for both public and private institutions:

Institutional Profiles: For each school, view a summary page with key facts plus detailed data on enrollment, income, race and ethnicity, financial aid applicants, and usage of Pell grants and student loans.

A quick dive into the site provided some interesting snapshots of AIKCU campuses and the students they serve (note: data is only available for 19 member campuses - the site doesn’t include 2-year privates, which St. Catharine was classified as for 2003-04, the most recent data year included in the site).

For example, pulling a quick table of dependent student family income levels of students who applied for aid and averaging the campus percentages indicates that: 21% of dependent students at the average AIKCU campus have family incomes under $30,000; 32.7% are in the $30-60K income bracket; and 46.3% have family incomes over $60K.

Doing the same thing for the 8 public universities shows that the average public university serves students in very similar proportions: 24% of dependent students have family incomes under $30K; 31.5% between $30-60K; and 44% over $60K.

Speakers at NAICU meeting discuss opportunities, increased scrutiny for private higher education: “A Tale of 2 Speakers” (Inside Higher Ed)

The Chronicle reviews President Bush’s 2007 budget request: “Pell Grant Spending Would Remain Level, but Bush Seeks to Eliminate Perkins Loans and Several Other Programs” (Chronicle of Higher Education, subscription required)

“College Financial Aid Rules Loosened” (USA Today)

“Higher education’s turmoil brings eruption at Murray, exhortation at UK” (Courier Journal)

This article provides an overview of findings from the 2005 version of “The American Freshman” report from UCLA’s Cooperative Institutional Research Program.

Among the findings: First generation students are more likely to be from low-income backgrounds and received lower grades in high school, on average.

The Chronicle: Daily news: 01/25/2006 — 01 (subscription may be required)

This could prove interesting for small colleges seeking to take advantage of the popularity of the iTunes Music Store to connect with not only students, but also alumni and other constituents eager to connect to campus life and scholarship.

From the article:

Apple Computer will allow any college or university to set up a customized portion of the iTunes Music Store to distribute course content and other audio and video material. The free service will let institutions limit use of some materials to certain people and make other content available to all.

The service, called iTunes U, will allow colleges to set up collections of materials that can be accessed using the free iTunes software, but that can be customized with the college’s colors, logos, and photographs. The service was announced late Monday.

Official Apple iTunes U page