HE News Brief 25.1.11

by Abby Chau

• Approximately 15,000 protestors descended on the Parliament in Hague to demonstrate against a proposed multi-billion austerity plan, which include plans to slash university budgets and increased fees for some students. A policy aimed at students who take longer to graduate is causing a commotion. Under the new proposal, students who take longer than 4 years to complete their three year undergraduate degrees will have to pay an extra $4,000 per year in fees. Starting from 2012, the government is hoping to save $501 million each year from this initiative.Full Story: BusinessweekMore: Edmonton Journal
• A survey of over 6,000 students at 62 institutions and 20 junior colleges showed that graduate employment rates in Japan has hit a new low since records began in 1996. 68.8% of Japanese university students found a job before graduation, which represents a 4.3% decline from the previous year. Those graduating in the field of science and engineering had the largest hurdle, with job offers dropping 7.3 percentage to 71.3 %. In response, the Japanese government has announced new incentives for companies who employ graduates as well as plans for more career fairs.Full Story: Japan TodayMore: BBC News
• A new report reviewing state spending for higher education by the Center for the Study of Education Policy at Illinois State University and the State Higher Education Executive Officers is being released this week. Preliminary results show that in 2010-11, states have spent approximately $79 billion on higher education, a .7 decline from the previous year. That may not sound like a massive shortfall, however as stimulus money is running out and sharp budget cuts will take effect, the financial wellbeing of many institutions will be severely challenged. Texas has announced that four community colleges will be shut down. The governor in Arizona will introduce cuts of 20% to universities and California's new governor Jerry Brown, has called for 18% cut for state university and 16% for the University of California.Full Story: Inside Higher Education
• South Korea is looking to revamp its higher education admission system in the hopes of developing a more diverse portfolio of university students as well as attracting international students. In order to move away from the entrance exams which places value, some critics say, more on memorization than imagination, the government has invested approximately 31 million dollars to recruit and train admission officers who will be the new gatekeepers to university admissions. The United States' National Association for College Admission Counselling has helped many countries, including South Korea, to expand their admission criteria to include extracurricular activities and demonstrated strengths in a particular field. Seoul National University was the first institution to broaden its admission requirements and many, including KAIST has followed suit.Full Story: Chronicle of Higher Education
• A new 600 page report by the Agence d'evaluation de la recherche et de l'enseignement superieur, or Aeres, is on the state of the French higher education system which is currently undergoing massive reforms. The report took 4 years to produce and included 4,500 higher education experts overseeing 10,000 evaluations in order to form a regional profile of universities. The profile includes student success rates, finances, student and staff numbers, governance and research specialisations. The report lauds the successes of the Operation Campus, which is a multi-euro initiative to create institutions that will be highly ranked in league tables. Full Story: University World News