There’s no doubt higher education is under attack on many fronts these days. Public scrutiny is growing as politicians, parents, employers, and students question the value and relevance of a college degree. Budgets are tight and enrollments uncertain. Shifting demographics mean more poor and first-generation students, who need additional academic and financial support, are attending college. And a growing number of new technologies and players in the academic marketplace are prompting changes in the classroom—which, increasingly, may exist online—and providing competition.
“Every board is saying, ‘Higher ed is changing, and we need to change with it,’” says Carol T. Christ, a former president of Smith College who now consults with colleges and directs the Center for Studies in Higher Education at the University of California at Berkeley.
Most colleges aren’t exactly known for fostering a rapid-response culture. Maybe you’ve heard the old joke about how many faculty members it takes to change a light bulb. The punchline: “Change?” Indeed, the author of a new book on higher education predicts colleges will be led “kicking and screaming into the 21st century by consumers.”
But the changing landscape could also lead to new opportunities for colleges—to experiment with and improve the way students learn, to use data analytics and new technologies to reach more-diverse students, and maybe even to save money. Such efforts are well under way at some colleges. There’s plenty of innovation going on out there.
How, though, do college leaders know what’s a passing trend and what’s important? And how can they continue to do their day-to-day jobs in such turbulent times?
Those questions inspired this special issue, The Trends Report, which spells out 10 key shifts in higher education. It examines the most pressing problems but also looks at some cutting-edge solutions. You’ll find strategies being tried by other colleges, tips on how to promote change, data, expert commentary, and other takeaways—think of it as a briefing on what’s essential to know in 2015.
Here are the 10 higher-education trends identified by our editors and reporters, with help from many of you who deal with these issues every day:
■ A new spotlight on retention. With attrition rampant and a growing number of academically unprepared students in the pipeline, colleges are seeking new approaches to an age-old problem, in some cases using big data and better advising to keep students on track to graduate.
■ A reimagining of the campus career office. Under pressure to demonstrate that degrees will lead to jobs, some colleges are thinking way beyond the traditional job fair and résumé-writing workshops.
■ Growing governing-board tensions. Economic pressures, polarized politics, and increasing public skepticism about the value of a degree have led to a troubling trend, especially at public institutions: the rise of the activist trustee.
■ Academic-freedom skirmishes in the social-media age. As more faculty and staff members share their personal opinions online, colleges are challenged to balance free speech with the need to protect themselves from fallout.
■ The “unbundling” of higher education. New players and technologies are giving students more options to assemble nontraditional credentials—and mainstream institutions are paying attention.
■ A continued push by adjunct faculty members to improve working conditions. Contingent instructors, who make up a large majority of the professoriate, are demanding—and getting—better pay, benefits, and job security.
■ The rise of team science. A decade of tight federal research budgets has led universities to look for creative ways to fill the funding gap, such as encouraging more collaborative projects.
■ A higher profile for teaching. Fresh attention to the classroom may actually stick this time, thanks to pressure to prove that students are learning and some valuable lessons gained from large online courses.
■ The cultivation of millennials as future donors. Millennials don’t give to their alma maters, and colleges are trying desperately to change that before they lose a generation of potential supporters.
■ The need to navigate wisely in a culture of change. College leaders must learn how to manage—rather than be managed by—change, and find that “sweet spot” that will allow them to distinguish between a trend and a true opportunity.
We hope you find The Trends Report helpful. Of course, not everyone will agree with our Top 10 list. If you think we missed something big, please let us know in the comments below. With all the innovation and change taking place out there, it may not be long before we need a new list.
—The Editors
