Federal Student Aid Myths That Christian Colleges Believe
We are frequently asked, “How will my institution be negatively affected by participating in the Higher Education Act Title IV student financial assistance programs?” Student aid myths abound. Many negative tales are spread by well-meaning people that convince some...
How to Refine Rubrics Using Student Work Samples
This is a true story: the assessment coordinator at a small college wanted to find an excellent sample — the best example of student work in an ePortfolio that met the rubric criteria for the institutional student learning outcome of Written Communication. By the...
Calamity, Stability and Leadership Accountability
The prestige of being a top higher education leader is highly alluring. The perks of the office, the collaborative leadership style, and the constant focus on maintaining positive public relations on behalf of the institution and the leadership can create a bubble of...
5 Recommendations for Colleges With Limited Resources
Over the past few years, frequent news stories have announced the closure of several Christian higher education institutions. Although institutional officials may cite a number of reasons leading to closure, the primary reason appears to be finances. Many of these...
How a Fundraising Job Title Impacts Giving
Even Christian colleges must transform in some ways or risk extinction. A new study shows this is especially true in transforming your school’s fundraising job title. The beliefs, attitudes, and values that supported traditional titles, such as Director of...
College Enrollment Trends
College enrollment in the United States declined for a sixth straight year, according to new data from the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center, but at the slowest pace since the slide began. The 1 percent decline this past fall was due to undergraduate...
Ransomware Attack: Malware in Its Cruelest Form
Ransomware is a type of malware, but with an extra sting. If infected with this malware, access to your operating system or files will be prevented or limited. The hacker will demand payment (ransom), but often times will not unlock the systems or files even if ransom...
How to Torpedo Any Chance of Achieving Accreditation
So, you want to be accredited? Great! But wait! Achieving accreditation requires adequate strength. Attempting to climb the accreditation mountain before getting in shape can make you sorry for starting the trek. Pause for a moment and consider how to avoid the...
Impact on Higher Education of Tax Reform & New FASB Standards
We now have the first tax code reform since 1986, plus nonprofit financial reporting standards changes in Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) Accounting Standards Update (ASU) 2016-14. Is your institution ready for these big changes? There are several specific...
Building a Sustainable Campus
One of the core values that every institution embodies is commitment to preserving the campus environment and surrounding communities. As institutional leaders develop strategic plans, increasing that commitment is a priority for many colleges and universities....
Conference Profile: Association for Biblical Higher Education (ABHE)
If you want to meet fishermen, hang out in front of a bait shop. If you want to meet dinosaurs, go to Jurassic World. But, where can you go to meet college presidents, deans, and other colleagues serving God through higher education? The annual ABHE conference is...
Title IV Check-Up: What’s Your State of Health?
As you move forward in 2018, you may have already started to act on personal health or financial issues, but not items of concern in your institution’s Federal funding program. Some of those issues may seem insignificant and not worth the effort to review, but if not...
Hippies Turn against Free Speech
Do you remember the good old days, when liberals believed in the freedom of speech? The University of California Berkeley is arguably the birthplace of the free speech movement. Indeed, beginning in the 1960s UC Berkeley was one of the epicenters of powerful...
Responding to Troubled Students on the Christian College Campus
If you are involved in Christian higher education, you know that students identify us as trustworthy sources of wisdom when they are in distress. It may seem as though troubled students use crowd-sourced strategies to seek feedback via social media, but the...
Christian Colleges MUST Teach About Homosexuality: Where to Start
Understand the times. The place and rights of the homosexual community is not just a polarizing issue. It is a massive one; one that is bound to impact our institutions. We may already be asking, “What are the legal challenges and how should we respond?” But, there...
5 Tips to Help Non-Traditional Students Graduate
This article presents five board, administrative, and practical tips that can empower the nontraditional student (NTS) at Bible school to complete their studies. Helping non-traditional students graduate is crucial because, in the 20th century, one-third of students...
3 Steps to Stronger Passwords
I once heard a speaker say that passwords are like underwear: change them often, keep them long, don’t leave them lying on your desk, and don’t share them. As a security professional, I have been discussing the need for stronger passwords for almost 20 years, and not...
Would We Lose Donors If We Become a Liberal Arts College?
Having to bring drug-sniffing dogs onto a Christian campus is a good learning opportunity. This school was not careful enough in vetting their new students for Christian commitment. Although they only accept Christian students, anyone can write a testimony and get a...
