There's been a lot of press lately on the gender gap in higher education. As of the most recent report by the American Council on Education, while men currently make up only about 43% of college enrollment, the gender gap is for the most part holding steady.

The following chart, published by Inside Higher Ed, shows the percentage of male undergraduates who are ages 24 or younger, according to race and ethnicity.

You'll see that most ethnicities are holding steady, neither widening nor narrowing the gender gap significantly; Latino male enrollment, however, does seem to be decreasing. The report shows that educational achievement and enrollment is lowest among Hispanic men who were born outside of the United States.

One explanation for the widening gender gap among Latinos, according to Deborah A. Santiago, VP for Policy and Research at a Latino advocacy group, is that "for many low-income Latino males, the opportunity costs of higher education seem too great, when they compare paying for college to 'earning $25 an hour in a construction job.'"

It is because of this attitude, elaborates Santiago, that work-study programs may be the only way to appeal to these Latino immigrant males.

And what about the future of gender gaps in higher education? Will the men ever catch up?

According to an article in The Chronicle, the current economic situation may actually help further narrow the gap.

Jacqueline E. King, a vice president at the American Council for Education, explains this outlook:

There has been some anecdotal evidence coming in from community colleges saying that since the recession, they've seen enrollment of non-traditional-aged men expanding pretty rapidly. They've been laid off or they're worried about being laid off, so the job market is pushing them to upgrade.

That's not to say that the number of male applicants below 25-years-old will also go up, but it is a start.

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• In the State of the Union address, President Obama urged colleges to “get serious about cutting their own costs.” To assist in the goal of making higher education more affordable to the greatest number of students, Obama plans to increase federal support for education by 6% in 2011. Obama also supports the Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act which, if passed by Congress, would eliminate bank-based federal student loans. This bill, according to the presdient, “will finally end the unwarranted taxpayer subsidies that go to banks for student loans.”A more lenient payback plan is also being discussed. (The Chronicle)

• According to The Chronicle last week college endowments have declined by about 23% in the last two years. In fact, the investment return for 2009 was the worst return recorded in the history of the endowment study, at -18.7%. According to John D. Walda, president of the National Association of College and University Business Officers, however, “the picture for endowments is a lot cheerier than it was a year ago.” Optimism for the future, though, doesn’t help the fact that certain schools that had been dependent on endowments are now in pretty bad shape, especially considering the sizable loans they’re now forced to take out. The only reason why these schools didn’t go under was because of fortunate investment returns from previous years.

• The Moscow Times reports that “Russia’s business education market was among the world’s worst hit in 2009.” In some cases, admissions fell about 50% from last year. Some schools are even dipping into their own funds to create lending programs for students in order to maintain adequate student enrollment. Besides the fact that students (or their sponsoring companies) can no longer afford to pay for business schools, students in general seem to have lost interest in pursuing an MBA, at least for the time being. However, despite the decrease in MBA program enrollment, interest in EMBA programs in Russia is on the rise.

• Women are equally represented in medical and law schools, but still lag well behind in numbers in the b-school sphere. “Business Schools Sweeten Lures for Women,” a recent article from WeNews, suggests that in order to increase female enrollment in America’s business schools, MBA programs are forced to lure women in by their sweet teeth, both figuratively and literally. Recruitment events for female MBA prospects are popping up all over the country, including a private party at New York City’s Dylan’s Candy Bar.

• Do students benefit from being in a diverse educational climate? Is affirmative action, or "race-conscious admissions," justified? Will diversity improve education? These are questions raised by Peter Schmidt, author of a recent Chronicle article on campus diversity. The answer: It depends (of course). If situations are handled optimally then educational benefits will increase and the inherent problems of affirmative action will decrease. Most agree that affirmative action is not a policy that can be accepted on its own, but most be implemented along with other educational and diversity initiatives and even at that, with caution. Still, many universities are skeptical of the educational benefits derived from race-conscious admissions and believe that accepting more qualified students will benefit the students and the school, both long- and short-term, more than were they to focus on boosting classroom diversity.

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Due to a massive snow storm The MBA Tour's Washington DC event has been cancelled. It was originally scheduled for Sunday February 7 and then postponed to Tuesday February 9. It is now cancelled.

  By Linda Abraham, President and Founder of Accepted.com.

NYU Stern was hit particularly hard during the financial crisis, mainly because of its proximity (both in location and in interests) to NYC's Wall Street. Now, according to a recent article in BusinessWeek, Dean Peter Henry (the new NYU Stern Dean as of January 15), is working towards creating a more global educational profile with a lower dependence on investment banking.

In short, Dean Henry is attempting to remove Stern's reputation as a "finance school" and instead transform the school (and its reputation) into a more diverse program that doesn't just churn out students for careers in finance, but for a wide range of other career fields as well.

In 2007, 44% of Stern graduates entered investment banking. In 2008 that number was down to 37%. In 2009, only 32% entered that same field.

In 2008 only 8% of Stern graduates did not receive a job offer three months after graduating. In 2009 that number jumped up to 18%.

Relying on investment banking is just not as wise as it once was.

The challenge of transforming the Stern class profile is a twofold challenge: First, restructuring the career services department—this will require the addition of many new resources as new recruiting relationships need to be forged in new industries. The second challenge is more difficult—the restructuring of the academic program itself. These changes will require getting new faculty members and shifting around management duties, in addition to the actual changes that need to be made in the curriculum.

Students for the most part are welcoming these changes with open arms. Stern graduates are somewhat notorious for taking jobs in North America alone and perhaps look forward to the program's forthcoming global footprint expansion.

The new dean makes it clear that despite his ambitious plans to expand Stern's program and diversity, one should not conclude that he plans on severing relationships with Wall Street. In fact, Henry says "he will continue to strengthen relationships with Wall Street and the finance sector in general."

Thomas Cooley, Professor of Economics and former Stern dean reflects on Stern's past and present situation. He explains that this is not the first time that Stern was faced with such a challenge. In the last decade, he explains, when everyone was turning towards the dot-coms, Goldman Sachs actually had trouble recruiting.

Cooley ends by making two final points: First, he says, "[w]hatever you think the world is right now, hold on because it can change very quickly. And second, "Stern will always tilt slightly toward Wall Street, but then again most business schools do.

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While most universities only require verification on test scores and grades and will rely on the applicant's integrity for the rest of the details, reports MercuryNews, the University of California system will further investigate applicant assertions.

So if you didn't really donate your last paycheck to save the whales, then don't say you did. And if you aren't really descended from a Sioux Indian chief, then don't say you are. And finally, if you don't really dance for the Rockettes, then don't say you do.

In short, be honest. The UC "application police" won't just be checking for plagiarism in your essays, but for falsifications (read: FIBS or even, yes, EXAGGERATIONS).

In fact, last month alone UC sent 1,000 letters to applicants requesting that they provide proof for claims in their application essays, personal statements, or other application fields. The admissions offices at UC schools are now being flooded with photos, certificates, trophies, receipts, and other memorabilia that will prove a student's accomplishments.

UC chooses students at random to receive letters requesting proof. The UC administration believes the fear factor associated with the possibility of being chosen will inspire an applicant to stick as close to the truth as possible. Just like the potential IRS audit for the applicant’s parents.

UC has been utilizing this sleuth-style admissions strategy since 2003.

Related Resources:

• Ten Do's and Don'ts for Your College Admissions Essay, a free article.
• 5 Fatal Flaws, a free, 5-day email course.
• Perfect Phrases for College Application Essays, a book.

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