The Future of the College Education? An opinion on an opinion...

Interesting read... re/ the 'future' of college.. I don't agree with all of it, but some seems to be right on. Here is my take...

I find this to be a well presented and compelling interview of Scott Galloway, written by James D Walsh and published in the New York Times May 11, 2020.

See the original article here: https://nymag.com/intelligencer/amp/2020/05/scott-galloway-future-of-college.html?fbclid=IwAR3cSAuNwLbTzAAGrU1FO239a2r2t_fkJK5Q5pxP3t-cExmHkWC7anVO80M

As mentioned, Mr Galloway has a track record of foreseeing ‘mega trends’ in the business world, and now, as a professor at NYU, he is providing a viewpoint of what a post-Covid-19 university campuses may look like. His viewpoints are realistic and some of the trends are already established. More online courses, more interaction of corporations and academics, a less centralized campus life, and an inspection of the cost / ROI of a present college education.

The short and long term implications may re-shape education. I wanted to give my viewpoints on some of the points the Mr Galloway raised. Many I agree with, some I do not, but generally I concur that what colleges / universities - and high schools for that matter - look like now, may be very different than they may look like in the near and distant future.

Summarily, I find that many of the points presented in this article are valid and correct. Some are not new and have been in motion for some time, however the shut in and lock downs will accelerate their manifestation.

In the end, this is really a question of: What is the value of a college education in 2020 and beyond?

Most colleges and nearly all grad schools have already been offering online courses and degrees so while this is a more obvious shift at the elementary and middle and high school levels, this is not a new phenomenon at the university / graduate school level. My son is currently a university student and he has taken one online class each semester he has been enrolled. I have colleagues who have done executive MBA and other higher degree programs completely online (with a limited residence requirement in some cases). Online offerings have always been more about convenience and having a greater opportunity to attract students.

It seems inevitable that some schools, just like some businesses, will struggle more than others and many may ultimately close or at the very least drop many non-essential things like sports in an attempt to maintain the academics. As an extension it is reasonable to conclude that this is in part economic (being able to ride out any down turn), in part enrollment (will the quality of admitted student decline if application numbers decrease?) and in part competition (can all 3800+ schools in the US survive).

The academic / business / technology partnerships are a reasonable cause effect in part because the schools will need the support and the companies want to have a steady supply of qualified workers. Colleges are already a ‘farm system’ for industry and businesses but this will likely intensify if larger, influential corporations become stakeholders in higher education

The article does not mention the (potential) role of the government in this scenario in a consultative or regulatory way (or any other). I suggest that at some point, particularly in state funded and land grant schools, that this will have to be addressed since many large state universities are subsidized by tax monies.

I agree with the author that ‘credentialing’ is a key part of the present educational system which is in part a form of networking and ‘who you know not what you know’. Again, this is not a new concept. An “Ivy” degree has always held a higher status than a state college degree (regardless of the true quality of the education and / or the costs) however students pay a short term premium for this sheepskin, and according to the author, in turn, have a greater upside long term income / lifestyle. Generally I find that this makes sense although it is generalized.

Campus life will change more due to social restrictions (e.g. social distancing) than due to a cultural type of change on the campus. The recent trend for schools competing for ‘high caliber’ students is to invest a great deal of money into lifestyle improvements on campus - on campus gyms, new suite style dorms, upgraded dining facilities, more law enforcement, stronger branding and identity… any parent just has to tour a ‘modern’ campus and compare this to what our alma maters looked like when we graduated. Of course all this comes with a cost to the schools.

Here is a link to the original article:

https://nymag.com/intelligencer/amp/2020/05/scott-galloway-future-of-college.html?fbclid=IwAR3cSAuNwLbTzAAGrU1FO239a2r2t_fkJK5Q5pxP3t-cExmHkWC7anVO80M