Change is Here for Higher Ed

The times have surpassed the model, and change is here

About 90% of all college students in the US are enrolled in institutions that face potentially existential challenges. For these institutions, change is not an option; it’s a necessity. While the public’s perception of “college’ may — almost unconsciously — focus on the Ivies, highly elite privates and the 63 institutions that are member of the Association of American Universities, only 4 million students enroll in these elite, affluent, and largely residential institutions.

But the vast majority of US college students, 18 million or so, are enrolled in community colleges and public and private colleges and universities that are much more local and regional in their focus, and far less affluent than the top 10%. Virtually all of these colleges and universities are in need of significant structural alignment given market changes related to evolving learning styles, rapid industry innovations, global competition, new technology, and an unprecedented and unpredictable political landscape that is understandably skeptical of their business model.

Faculty Drive the Bus(iness)

It’s often said that without students, there would be no colleges. However, one could equally say that without teachers there would be no colleges. Teachers bring to the academic enterprise both extensive experience and a deep understanding of and commitment to learning as the core of education. Frankly, of all the parts within…