Cosmetologists play an essential role in American life, helping physically transform and instill confidence in their clientele. However, they often train within a predatory system that their industry reinforces. Cosmetology associations and individual schools have attempted to limit federal consumer protection rules while peddling an educational…

University leaders, governments, industries and donors use university rankings to assess the success or failure of higher education institutions; however, these rankings tell us nothing about how universities are challenging or amplifying oppression in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. This article first examines the implications of the…

Concern with university rankings have become widespread throughout post-secondary education (PSE), fuelled in part by administrative concerns that demotions down the rank ladder will produce negative institutional outcomes. There is reason to believe, however, that ranking 'effects' may be partially muted in Canadian PSE due to the (1) national…

People attend postsecondary institutions for a variety of reasons and with a variety of expectations. Among the supposed benefits of a college education are greater earning potential and satisfaction with life (SWL). It is also widely assumed that a degree from a highly selective (or prestigious or elite) college is more valuable than one from a…

Students suffer extreme hardship when their postsecondary education is interrupted or significantly devalued by school closure or misconduct. Private postsecondary education in particular can cost tens of thousands of dollars in tuition, fees, equipment, and required materials. These considerable expenses constitute only part of the economic harm…

Historically Black colleges and universities are a unique institutional cohort in American higher education. These colleges have been celebrated for their achievements and critiqued for their composition at differing points during their collective history. This article addresses contemporary ebbs and flows of their relevance and reputation in the…

A recent report published in the United Kingdom proposed the image of "an avalanche" to describe the radical changes affecting tertiary education in many parts of the world (Barber, Donnelly and Rizvi, 2013). Indeed, powerful transformative forces of three kinds--rupture factors, crisis factors and stimulus factors--are challenging…

Academic program rankings are highly anticipated by many university administrators, faculty, and alumni. This study analyzed the perceptions of agricultural education departmental contact persons to identify esteemed post-secondary agricultural education programs and the distinguishing characteristics of each program. The ten most distinguished…

Factors that 1983 National Merit and National Achievement Semifinalists in Maryland felt influenced their college choice were studied. The 143 survey respondents were asked to indicate how important 22 factors were in the selection of a college. The factors covered items dealing with the characteristics of the college, efforts by the institution…