Academics

The State University of New York at Buffalo has made big gains on its graduation rates, thanks in part to a "Finish in 4" pledge that features real commitments by students and the university alike.

Higher education institutions should think clearly about their students' occupational goals and the ways various credentials can give them access to the fields they want to enter, write Jimmie Williamson and Matthew Pittinsky.

Creating a new competency-based degree program isn't easy, writes Cathy Sandeen, who shares lessons she learned from helping to develop the UW Flexible Option.

Colleges should be on some sort of financial hook when their students don’t succeed, writes Carlo Salerno, but why are we pushing for policies to accomplish what's already occurring?

In federal graduation rates, part-time students and transfers aren’t counted. #CountAllStudents wants to tell those graduates’ stories.

When students spend more time in physical activities, they are more likely to succeed academically, study finds.

Administrators and faculty members desperately need a new language to characterize minority, low-income and first-generation students -- one that frees us from dependence on labels such as “disadvantaged,” argues Byron P. White.

Hospitals are experimenting with a new model of care to tackle the demands of an aging population. The same model could help colleges improve student retention rates, experts say.