Purdue to Build Data-Science Flagship

Purdue: "Purdue University will build a new $40 million facility dedicated to data science, designed to help the university meet its goal to be a national and global leader in the field of data science research and education for all students. The flagship four-story building will be 86,000 square feet, featuring classroom and teaching space for all of campus alongside collaborative workspace for College of Science graduate researchers and faculty who form the core of the university’s growing data science program."

Patrick Wolfe, Dean of the College of Science, comments: “By bringing together Purdue’s research strengths in mathematics, statistics, and computer science within an innovative building design, we will further cement our leadership in a critical STEM area and fulfill our commitment to make Purdue the first school for which data science is a part of every student’s education, no matter their field of study. Data science is the new language of life, cutting across all disciplines and fields of research, and so it’s crucial that our students are prepared for this future.”

Extracurricular Tip: Everything Matters

Brennan Barnard: "New this year in the activities section on the Common Application, students are able to choose 'Family Contributions' from the drop-down menu. This is an acknowledgement by member colleges that these responsibilities are at least—if not more—as important as being the president of a school club or captain of an athletic team. Jenny Rickard, president and CEO of Common App says, 'learning about your life outside of school — including life at home — is critical to how college admissions officers understand you as an applicant.'”

"She adds, 'we want to help students understand that there is real value in sharing how they spend their time, including taking care of family responsibilities, working to contribute to household expenses, caring for siblings or family members, and more.' Applicants can also provide a more detailed explanation of any special contributions or responsibilities in the 'additional information' section of their application."

"The college admission process can send a range of messages to young people about what matters as they look toward their future. While academic potential and extracurricular involvement are important foundational factors in this equation, they can often overshadow some of the less visible, yet equally significant, qualities of who applicants are and what they have to offer a college campus. These more subtle commitments to family and the common good are what build healthy communities, and that matters!"

How Do Graduates Grade College?

Ed Surge: "College graduates who see clear connections between their coursework and their later employment place the highest value on their college education, a new large-scale consumer survey found. The survey, conducted by Gallup in conjunction with Strada Education Network, which focuses on pathways between education and employment, included data from interviews with nearly 100,000 people who have completed college in the past two decades."

"When asked whether their postsecondary education was worth the cost, graduates of vocational programs were the most likely to “strongly agree” (57 percent chose that option). Grad-school grads were the next most likely group to strongly agree (at 50 percent), and the least likely to do so were graduates of bachelor’s programs (at 40 percent)."

"Among graduates of four-year colleges, those majoring in health care disciplines and education gave their college experience the highest value ratings. Graduates of liberal-arts fields assigned the lowest values to their post-secondary education among survey respondents. “Among these graduates, only 34 percent strongly agreed their degree was worth the expense, and just 36 percent strongly agreed it would benefit their careers,” said a report by Strada about the survey results."