Dept. of Education Hosts College Ratings Forum
BU IN DC
Gerald Fine of the College of Engineering visited the National Science Foundation (NSF) to discuss manufacturing education and the BU Engineering Product Innovation Center (EPIC) on Monday.
Christine McGuire, Associate Vice President of Enrollment and Student Affairs, participated in a meeting of the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators (NASFAA) Higher Education Act Reauthorization Task Force to review the formula used for campus-based financial aid allocations.
DEPT OF EDUCATION HOSTS COLLEGE RATINGS FORUM
The U.S. Department of Education held a day-long technical symposium on Thursday to discuss the Obama Administration’s proposed college ratings system. Education researchers and ratings practitioners discussed how federal ratings could be created, with considerable agreement amongst presenters that the Department needs more accurate data than is currently available in order for a ratings measure to work. Panelists also discussed the lessons learned from ratings of elementary and secondary schools, the merits of program-level data rather than institution-level data, and the considerable time and resources needed in order for a thoughtful set of ratings to be rolled out this year. The Department also released yesterday more than 120 stakeholder comment letters received in response to the agency’s call for input on the proposed ratings.
Read the public comments on the proposed ratings.
VA LAUNCHES NEW EDUCATION TOOLS FOR VETERANS
The federal government has unveiled two new mechanisms to improve college access and enhance the university experience for student veterans. On Tuesday, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), U.S. Department of Education, and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau released a new college scorecard to help student veterans calculate their GI Bill benefits and assess the quality of the schools to which they apply. The release followed on the heels of the VA’s announcement last week of a web-based feedback system for student veterans to report problems with their colleges or employers.
See how the veterans’ scorecard works
NEW APPOINTMENTS AT NIH, HOMELAND SECURITY
Dr. Hannah Valantine was named the first Chief Officer for Scientific Workforce Diversity at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) last week. She will lead the development and implementation of a comprehensive strategy to increase the recruitment and retention of underrepresented populations in the biomedical workforce. Dr. Valantine, a cardiologist and Senior Associate Dean for Diversity and Leadership at Stanford School of Medicine, is expected to start this spring.
Last week, President Barack Obama announced his intention to nominate Dr. Reggie Brothers as Undersecretary for Science and Technology at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, a position that has been vacant since September 2013. Dr. Brothers is currently Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Research.