More Social Media Changes Coming
Facebook announced that they will be integrating their Messenger program with WhatsApp and Instagram by 2020. While social media plays a role in marketing for higher education, this change will be crucial for colleges as GenZ continues to complete applications. In early 2016, Facebook and WhatsApp were exchanging 3x the amount of messages that were sent via text, according to TechCrunch. With the integration, colleges will be able to carry over conversion data and perhaps spend less on social media ads.
Source: The New York Times
Johns Hopkins Buys Newseum
Over the last few years, several universities have purchased large and elaborate facilities, some in large cities near their main campuses. Following Rice University, the University of Utah and the University of Iowa, Johns Hopkins joined the trend with their purchase of the Newseum near Capitol Hill. The remodel is planned for Fall of 2020 and will result in 400,000 square feet to host graduate programs ranging from nursing to international studies. The building purchase was funded by the sale of other properties and alumni donations, the latter of which increased by 6% across the largest U.S. institutions from 2016 to 2016.
Source: Education Dive
Bar Requirement Rejected by ABA
A recent proposal put to the American Bar Association to require law schools to have a 75% graduation rate of the bar was rejected. Supporters wanted to see schools required to have ¾ of their students pass the bar within the first two years of graduation. Opponents argued that the rule would significantly punish those institutions that serve minority students. While law schools are feeling pressure to admit students who show a good chance of passing the bar, they fear this rule will be too strict.
Source: Inside Higher Ed
International Students Speak up at Duke
When they received an email from an administrator encouraging them to speak English “100% of the time” in any “professional setting,” Duke students responded with anger. While the email was investigated and the professor who sent it stepped down, the argument to force international students to assimilate is not new.
Source: The Chronicle of Higher Education