A Peek Into Private Higher Education's Future

NAICU Annual Meeting Speaker George Dehne's perspectives on emerging trends in student attitudes, recruitment, market competition, and public opinion were reported on the Chronicle of Higher Education's web site on Wednesday. Dehne, a college recruiting and marketing expert who has worked with countless private colleges, urged college leaders to prepare now for societal trends that will significantly impact private colleges over the next few years.

Click here to watch Dehne's PowerPoint presentation.

Donna Brazile Calls for Unconventional VP Picks

Speaking at the NAICU Annual Meeting on Tuesday, CNN Political Commentator Donna Brazile urged the eventual Democratic and Republican nominees to look outside their parties for a running mate.

Citing the need for politicians to "bridge the partisan gap," Brazile said that heading into the general election, Barack Obama or Hillary Clinton should "go outside the Democratic box, and pick a Republican or Independent to put on the ticket." Failing that, a Democratic governor from a red or purple state would suffice.

Republicans should consider a similar approach--picking a Democrat, Independent, or Republican governor from a blue or purple--to appeal to an electorate that is "sick of the partisan game, partisan bickering."

Brazile managed the Gore-Liberman presidential campaign in 2000. She has worked on several other Democratic presidential campaigns, stemming back to 1976.

Listen to an excerpt from Donna Brazile's address here.

Demographic and Tuition Trends Pose Student Recruitment Challenges

Marketing expert Robert Sevier's session on the evolving demographic and social characteristics of tomorrow's college students and their educational needs and expectations is covered in this Chronicle of Higher Education story.

Watch Robert Sevier's PowerPoint presentation here.

Minimizing Financial Conflicts of Interest on Campus

Earlier today, the heads of the National Association of College and University Attorneys and the National Association of College and University Business Officers outlined steps for minimizing the risk of institutional and individual conflicts of interest in college business dealings. Among the suggestions for developing and implementing guidelines: don't wait for external pressures before reviewing policies; emphasize scenario discussions when educating employees; and leave as little gray area as possible--in particular, in policies covering board directors. Both organizations have posted resource materials, including institutional examples of conflict-of-interest policies, on their web sites.

Check out the Chronicle of Higher Education's web site, for coverage of the session. Inside Higher Ed's story appears here.

An ‘Impossible Situation’ on Campus Drinking?

Speaking today at the NAICU Annual Meeting, Middlebury College President Emeritus John McCardell argued that the nation’s current drinking age puts campus leaders in an “impossible situation,” as they are increasingly expected to control student drinking behavior that has moved off-campus and become more dangerous in the past 10 years.

McCardell called the federal law that effectively raised the legal drinking age to 21 in 1984, an “abysmal failure.” The law has driven student drinking underground and has led to irresponsible drinking habits, McCardell said.

Statistics presented by McCardell show that binge drinking by 18-20-year olds grew 56 percent between 1993 and 2001. Ninety-percent of all alcohol consumed by underage drinkers is consumed during binge drinking.

McCardell, who is now president of Choose Responsibility, described his organization’s four-part proposal to allow states to waive the 21 drinking age without losing federal highway funding.

An alternative view on the 21 drinking age is available on the Mothers Against Drunk Driving web site.

Watch John McCardell's PowerPoint presentation here.

View C-SPAN's coverage of this session.

Listen to audio from the session.