Powered by unique educational programs that give students real-world learning opportunities and expand access to STEM education, Illinois Institute of Technology's enrollment continues to buck national trends

CHICAGO-Illinois Institute of Technology (Illinois Tech) has recorded a remarkable increase in student applications and enrollments, marking the highest numbers in three decades. Amid a nationwide trend of declining enrollments, Illinois Tech has experienced a surge in interest, evidenced by a 35 percent year-over-year increase in fall 2024 undergraduate applications and admissions.

This significant uptick follows a three-year period of growth, with the number of first-year applicants doubling from approximately 5,900 in fall 2021 to more than 11,800 for fall 2024. That places Illinois Tech well above national averages, with its 2023 first-year student enrollment growth being three times higher than the national average and four times that of private, nonprofit, four-year…

HPU's Robotics Club recently won second place for its robot at the 2024 Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) SoutheastCon's student hardware competition in Atlanta, Georgia. Pictured from left are club members Alan Gutschmit, Jordan Destafino, Natalie Roberts, Eric Brockmann, Levi Wenger and Morgan Abrams.

HIGH POINT, N.C., May 10, 2024 - Members of the High Point University community frequently conduct, publish and share research and creative works in a variety of ways. Below is a recap of recent research and innovative initiatives.

HPU Robotics Club Wins Second Place in Regional Competition

A team from HPU's Robotics Club recently won second place for its robot at the 2024 Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) SoutheastCon's student hardware competition in Atlanta, Georgia. The team competed on March 23 against more than 40 universities from across the Southeast.

IEEE is a technical professional organization of more than 460,000…

The Gorter Family Career Advancement Center recently hosted its largest in-person Career-A-Palooza ever, with a record-breaking attendance of 283 students.

This event, which drew approximately 16 percent of all enrolled undergraduates, aimed to equip students with the confidence and skills necessary to thrive in today's evolving professional landscape.

Themed around the future of work, Career-A-Palooza embraced the dynamic nature of contemporary employment trends. Recognizing the importance of adapting to shifts like the hybrid workplace, generative AI, and maintaining work-life balance, the CAC seeks to empower students by providing them with the tools and knowledge needed to excel in any career path.

"The Career Advancement Center has provided so many opportunities to learn more about the world of work," Maria Argueta Gonzalez '27 said about what drew her to the event. "This exposure has helped me gain confidence in seeking out professional opportunities and given me many…

CHICAGO-The School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC), a leader in art and design education, today announced Jiseon Lee Isbara as the School's next president, completing a successful national search. Jiseon, who currently serves as the provost of Otis College of Art and Design in Los Angeles, will step into the role that will be vacated by Elissa Tenny upon her retirement.

Jiseon, the second woman to serve as president in SAIC's 158-year history, comes to the School with extensive experience in higher education and the arts. During her tenure at Otis College of Art and Design, she led the implementation of a five-year strategic plan which resulted in substantive changes at the school, including enrollment growth, a curricular revision to better align pedagogy with student mental health and career preparedness, and a strengthening of the school's diversity, equity, and inclusion infrastructure.

"SAIC is composed of a community of diverse people, philosophies, pedagogies, and…

MACON, GA - Wesleyan College and President Meaghan Blight has announced the official vision for advancement over the course of the next half decade. The college's strategic plan was made official on Tuesday.

In the spirit of accelerating equality for women - which has remained at the forefront of Wesleyan College since it's inception in 1836 - the plan is focused on the achievement of four overarching goals: future-proofing the college's financial state, championing innovative learning opportunities, forging meaningful community connections and nurturing an engaged team with a strong culture.

"Like the women we educate, our institution is positioned for great possibility," Blight said. "In the next five years, we will be taking important steps towards establishing financial sustainability that will be Wesleyan's foundation to thrive. We'll be evaluating and adjusting our operations to ensure we're serving our students, donors, alumnae, and community at the highest standard. And…

Animation major Michael Houston '23 learns to hone his craft
At just four-years old, Michael Sharod Houston '23 was perfecting his drawing skills during church as he sat in the pew and sketched out roses. He was always drawn to animations that teach and make people feel good. Children's animations like Arthur and other PBS Kids shows spoke to him because it's something the whole family can enjoy and learn from together. As he grew older, he continued drawing and his signature mark became the lead smudges over his sketches.

"Even when I would do my math problems in school, you would see the numbers all over the paper," Houston said. "The way I show my work is very erratic. No one ever saw the beauty in my artwork."

Today, he's found passion breathing life into his artwork.

"I thought of animation as the natural progression of art," Houston said. "I saw it as activating my work."

Houston earned his Associate in Studio Art through Austin Community College taking dual-credit…

The University of the Ozarks Pat Walker Teacher Education Program honored several of its students on April 30 with a pinning ceremony and inductions into the Ozarks Student Education Association (OSEA) and Kappa Delta Pi (KDP).

The newest inductees included, (pictured, from left) Haley Howard (K-6 elementary education), Aislinn Zapata (K-6 elementary education), James Johnson (K-12 physical education), Olivia Reed (K-12 physical education), and McKenzie Becerra (K-12 physical education). Howard, Zapata, Johnson and Becerra will all graduate on May 11. Reed is scheduled to graduate in December.

The pinning ceremony is a symbolic, time-honored tradition marking the occasion when students are formally welcomed into the teacher education program. The newest inductees received a pin that signifies their association with the teaching education program as well as their new affiliation with the teaching profession.

Several members of the University's Teacher Education Advisory…

What can I do with a B.S. in Biology?

Embarking on the path toward a Bachelor of Science in Biology sets the stage for an enriching exploration of diverse and rewarding career opportunities. While students may have an interest in biology, they may not always know what to expect when it comes to careers, job prospects, and salary - in other words, why earn a BS in Biology?

The Versatility of a B.S. in Biology

Earning a Bachelor of Science in Biology unfolds a world of diverse and impactful career opportunities. The degree provides a robust foundation, a comprehensive understanding of biological principles, research methodologies, and analytical skills, forming a solid foundation for navigating various professional landscapes. From delving into the intricacies of biomedical research to guiding organizations toward sustainable environmental practices, a B.S. in Biology offers a spectrum of paths.

For example, you might bridge the gap between science and business as a…

Cresson, Pa. - Mount Aloysius College will showcase the research and experiential learning of their students at Experiential Learning Week. This celebration will be a combination of two events: the Student Research Symposium and the Career-Based & Service Learning Showcase. The Career-Based & Service Learning Showcase will be held in the Bertschi Center on April 23 from 3:30 to 4:30 pm. The Student Research Symposium is April 25 from 3:30 to 5:00 pm in the College's Athletic Convocation and Wellness Center (ACWC).

"The Student Research Symposium provides an opportunity for student researchers to demonstrate that learning by sharing their work with those within and outside their discipline in a welcoming, collaborative environment," said Dr. Virginia Gonsman, a member of the Student Research Committee.

Students from a variety of disciplines will present their topics at these events. There will be presentations in areas such as education, biology, medical imaging, nursing, and…

(L to R)Christina Moylan, Dean of the School of Health Sciences and Human Performance; Nia Nunn, Associate Professor in the Department of Education; Michelle Goode, Program Director for the Center for Health Promotion and Bonnie Prunty, Vice President for Student Affairs and Campus Life.

Each year, Ithaca College celebrates the achievements of four women in leadership positions across campus by presenting the Women of Distinction Award. This accolade recognizes women who exhibit leadership and pave the way for women in their fields of expertise; serve as role models and mentors and are committed to advancing women; and give back to the IC community through their time, talent, and resources.

This year's winners were Michelle Goode, Program Director for the Center for Health Promotion; Christina Moylan, Dean of the School of Health Sciences and Human Performance; Nia Nunn, Associate Professor in the Department of Education; and Bonnie Prunty, Vice President for Student Affairs and…

"I truly think you can only teach people through optimism and through humor," Collina Strada's creative director Hillary Taymour told a packed house of SCAD students at SCADstyle 2024. At the exclusive event Radical Independence: The Collina Strada Story, the iconoclastic eco-activist chatted with The Washington Post's fashion writer Rachel Tashjian about self-expression, embracing innovation, and why sustainable fashion doesn't have to be boring.

Collina Strada renowned for its environmental stewardship, stands out with its distinctive blend of patterns and textures crafted from repurposed textiles and leftover fabrics, a departure from the conventional "sustainable aesthetic," as Tashjian noted. This, according to Taymour, is a deliberate choice.

"I always hated it when it's organic and everything is just beige," Taymour said. "So I kind of went against the grain. You can have fun and joy and have color in your collection, but also make it better. And that's been the…

Ohio Wesleyan Professor Shares in $3 Million National Science Foundation Grant
DELAWARE, Ohio - The National Science Foundation (NSF) is awarding a four-year $3 million grant to a consortium of scientists, including Ohio Wesleyan University's Eric J. Gangloff, to support a new Research and Mentoring for Post Baccalaureates (RaMP) Program.

The funding will create the RaMP Program, which will work to train "the next generation of interdisciplinary scientists to collaboratively address species responses to climate change."

Gangloff, Ph.D., an OWU assistant professor of Biological Sciences, is a collaborator on the new NSF grant with co-primary recipients at Bridgewater State University in Massachusetts, Michigan State University, Monmouth University in New Jersey, Penn State University, and Susquehanna University in Pennsylvania.

RaMP will create a postbaccalaureate research and mentoring network under the umbrella of the existing NSF-supported Salamander Population and…

Lynn Capirsello is a designer and educator who specializes in interiors. Before becoming a professor she worked in architecture firms in Syracuse and New York City and designed and ran her own coffee house in Auburn, New York. Today she's an assistant professor and program director for Russell Sage College's Interior + Spatial Design BFA program.

Capirsello's Russell Sage students voted her faculty member of the year at the conclusion of the 2023 academic year. Per college tradition, she delivered special remarks at Sage's 2024 Honors Convocation and later responded to a Q&A about her career inspiration, favorite classes, and what she's excited for the 2024-2025 academic year.

What attracted you to the Interior + Spatial Design field in general, and to the higher education side more specifically?

I've been an artist since I was a child. I was always creating something. My mom says I would constantly be building spaces with Legos or commenting on why the spaces we were in…

University of Dayton graduates continue to find success after graduation, with a record-tying 98% reporting being employed, pursuing a graduate degree or participating in a service program within six months of graduation.

The number ties the mark set last year. UD's success rate has been at least 95% in seven of the last eight years, with the outlier being 93% the COVID-19 year of 2019-20.

Other items of note from the survey of graduates from August and December 2022 and May 2023 include:


The average starting salary was reported at $59,766, up from $57,808 last year.
Like last year, 96% reported they are finding success in their chosen fields or in a job that's a first step toward a position in their field.
The success rates by school are 99% for the School of Education and Health Sciences, 98% for the School of Business Administration and the School of Engineering, and 96% for the College of Arts and Sciences.
Top employers include GE Aerospace, the U.S.…

The Reinhardt University Eagles captured its first 2024 National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) Women's Lacrosse National Championship title in Savannah, Georgia on May 4th. With a final score of 18-10, they beat the defending champions, Lawrence Tech.

Head Coach Roy Reynolds received the NAIA Coach of the Year Award, and the NAIA named Shelby O'Neil (RU-2024) the most valuable player of the tournament. She made the all-tournament team along with Jillian Mello (RU-2023 & 24), Anna Marie Gazzo (RU-2024), and Angela Sciacchitano (RU-2024).

O'Neil, a biology major who graduated the day before, expressed joy about her team's success. "This national title is the sum of all the years of hard work. I knew this year and this team was special. The national championship just proved it to everybody else. We worked on physical toughness, but at the end of the day it was the mental toughness that set us apart," explains O'Neil. She adds that everyone on the team had a voice…

WPI has awarded seed funding from the President's Research Catalyst Grants Program to three faculty-led groups that will develop proposals for large research centers focused on making advances in bioengineering, new materials, and mental health.

Each group will receive $50,000 from the Catalyst program, which launched in 2024. Recipients will use the 18-month grants to develop center-scale, interdisciplinary research proposals that will attract financial support from external sponsors. The program is designed to catalyze and facilitate the development and preparation of extramural grant applications that require extensive planning, exchange of ideas, collaboration, team building, partnering, and other activities that demand significant investments of faculty members' time and effort.

"Pressing societal challenges call for large-scale, interdisciplinary, long-term research efforts," says Grace Wang, WPI president. "These seed grants build on WPI's research strengths and faculty…

Rochester Institute of Technology's College of Liberal Arts and the University of Rochester's Warner School of Education have established new 3+2 and 4+1 admissions agreements, providing RIT undergraduate students with expedited pathways to launch their careers in teaching, higher education or counseling.

The agreements streamline the process for eligible students to earn both their bachelor's and master's degrees within a five-year timeframe, school officials said.

In the 3+2 program, RIT students admitted and enrolled through this pathway will complete all required coursework for undergraduate majors in three years. This paves the way for a smooth transition to the Warner School's mental health counseling and school counseling master's programs. The first year at the Warner School concurrently fulfills the final year of their bachelor's degree.


Bryant & Stratton, Jordan Health partner on workforce development effort
Born during a time of radical change, Nazareth…

D'Youville University proudly announces the approval of a $149,312 Initiatives award from the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) for the project titled "Embedding Humanities in Interprofessional Education." This significant grant marks the second major NEH award supporting the university's Health Humanities program, building upon the success of a previous Connections grant.

Expanding upon the interdisciplinary groundwork laid by the faculty, the Initiatives award aims to equip students pursuing healthcare careers with foundational humanities skills and perspectives. The Health Humanities program at D'Youville University provides students with a holistic understanding of human health across various healthcare professions.

The core focus of the NEH Initiative grant is health justice, with a particular emphasis on developing Humanities Interprofessional Education (HIPE) curricula/co-curricula for graduate health professions programs. Dr. Gina Camodeca, the principal…

The College of Wooster's 154th Commencement Ceremony celebrated the Class of 2024 on Saturday, May 11, 2024, in the Scot Center with an excited crowd of family, friends, and members of the College community. Coming back to Wooster as the head men's basketball coach at the University of South Carolina, Fighting Scot alumnus Lamont Paris '96 encouraged the nearly 400 graduates to recognize the preparation they received at the College to respond to failure "when (not if) it happens" in his commencement address.

President Anne McCall celebrated the graduating class in her opening remarks, acknowledging the strengths she sees them taking with them as they become Wooster alumni. "When I look at you, I see that you leave with knowledge and experiences across the liberal arts, with habits of humble listening, of finding, sifting through, studying, and weighing evidence that will distinguish you as careful thinkers," McCall said. "I also see creativity and a certain boldness of vision that…

Douglas Rodriguez, '24, wants to empower his future students to be successful.
Douglas Rodriguez, '24
As a first-generation college student, Douglas Rodriguez, '24, wants his future students to know anything is possible.

"I never saw myself graduating from college," he said. "It feels amazing to accomplish this and set an example for future generations. It's bigger than me."

Originally from Washington, D.C., the secondary education and Spanish major with a history minor set his sights on La Salle because of a recommendation from his high school wrestling coach. He already had experience in the Lasallian school setting, attending both a San Miguel school and Saint John College High School. With La Salle's supportive enrollment and financial aid office, attending the University became a reality.

His coach inspired Rodriguez to become a K-12 teacher. He's found the Education Department at La Salle to be supportive and helpful, providing him with the tools to enter the…

For the first time in the 10-year history of the St. Francis College (SFC) #BuildYourDream Pitch Contest, graduate and undergraduate student teams competed for cash prizes to support their entrepreneurial ventures. Competing students presented a range of business ideas - including a YouTube dating show, biodegradable flowerpots, streaming-media super-apps and pediatric cancer care - in three categories: Best Student Business, Best Idea for Sustainable Development and Best Presenter. Contestants had to "wow" the audience and judges - Kathie Lee from the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce, Winnie Siclait from the Brooklyn Public Library and SFC professors Vincent Vazzana and Brent Ferguson - regarding market demand, innovation, technology use and support of the United Nations Sustainability Goals.

In the Best Business category, K-len Abreu came in first with Iuli, which provides financial services to small businesses. Iuli also creates social impact by given women the opportunity to work…

Indiana Tech's Cyber Warriors, the university's cyber defense team, completed its Collegiate Cyber Defense Competition (CCDC) season ever over the weekend with a 10th-place finish at the national competition in San Antonio, Texas.

For the small-but-mighty Cyber Warriors, it's the highest national ranking the squad has ever achieved and it finds itself standing among giants like the University of Texas, the University of Virginia, Brigham Young University, Oregon State University and California State Polytechnic University as the nation's best.

"I am very proud of our performance at nationals. We started out strong and actually held first place for almost the first three hours of the two-day competition," said Cyber Warriors coach Matt Hansen. "What hurt us was the fact we had the only roster in the competition with zero experience at the national level. When we return to nationals next year, we will be able to use this experience and the knowledge gained to our strategic…

Tyler Salrin '25 came across Coe serendipitously during his senior year of high school, but since that moment, he has been intentional in his pursuits, including his latest accolade - a Goldwater Scholarship.

The Goldwater is a highly regarded scholarship for students who intend to pursue research careers in science, technology, engineering or mathematics.

The drive to excel in these areas led Salrin to Coe. A physics and chemistry major, Salrin discovered Coe during his senior year of high school while looking for a piece of equipment he needed to complete a research project. He was pointed towards Professor of Physics Mario Affatigato '89.

"Dr. Affatigato was incredibly helpful and met with me after school hours multiple times; teaching me the intricacies of the instrument and showing me other instruments in the lab that proved useful for completion of my project," said Salrin.

That experience helped Salrin determine that Coe was the best option to advance his education.…

Bentley University graduates are earning among the highest salaries in the country 10 years after graduation, according to new findings from the HEA Group, an education research group, based on U.S. Department of Education data.

The assessment, which looked at the income of over 5 million former students from over 3,887 higher-education institutions nationwide, named Bentley in the top 10 of these institutions for graduates with the highest median incomes 10 years after graduation, with incomes exceeding graduates from universities such as Yale, Columbia, Harvard and others.

The findings echo recognition Bentley has received in other data-based reports over the last few years for considerable return on investment. A new New York Times tool ranked Bentley #4 among colleges where alumni earn the highest median income a decade after graduation, ahead of schools such as Stanford, Princeton and Georgetown.

Bentley was also ranked No. 8 in the nation among colleges and universities…