The Kids Are Alright: Myths and Realities in Higher Education

To paraphrase a famous quote: Reports on the demise of higher education are premature.?

But to say that all is well - and that change isn’t necessary - would be equally misleading.

First, in full disclosure I make my living in part working with colleges and universities. In sports terms, I am a homer. But higher education is more than a market to me – it’s a worthy cause because it changes lives and fosters upward mobility for so many. And not just economic mobility but social and cultural mobility as well. There’s a mountain of evidence to support this point but if you don’t believe me just Google about the benefits of higher education. You'll get a few hits. Or spend some time noodling on the Brookings Institute website as they have loads of studies showing the impact of higher education over time.?

So if the benefits of higher education are obvious, why do I feel so compelled to share my opinions to reinforce them? Well, because higher education is changing dramatically – in mostly good ways but not all change is positive. And with change comes confusion, disruption and sometimes even chaos. So, in part, my motivation is to counterbalance the wave of negative press and public sentiment that has befallen this sector recently and to encourage others to do the same if they feel as I do. Homers need to stand up for their team and this is a team worth standing up for.?

Some of this motivation is simply to dispel common myths that I see played out in the headlines and then sadly echoed by friends, family, colleagues and perhaps most worrisome – legislators - who are not close to the field of higher education. Like most myths, many about higher education are grounded in some basis of fact. But also like most myths, the facts get bent, twisted and manipulated to create compelling headlines, stories and soundbites. Or to support someone’s agenda or worldview. For example, fewer people are pursuing a college degree today. That is a fact. But does that mean higher ed is dying? Not at all. It’s the same as knowing that even because far fewer people go into a bank branch than they used to, banking still thrives and is a necessary service.?It's just different than it used to be. It evolved.

Finally, I bear witness almost every day to the amazing things colleges and universities do – from education to research to healthcare and many other forms of public good. So, my thoughts are more about offering a balanced view. Because if you look beyond the myths and the polarized viewpoints, there’s every reason to be optimistic.?

Myth #1:?College as we know it is dead.

Reality:?Higher education is transforming – albeit slowly.

Yes, overall college enrollment is down. According to the U.S. Census, college enrollment now stands at around 17 million, but this represents its lowest level since 2007. And it has lost at least 1 million students since the pandemic began. The decreases are dramatic and not limited to the traditional four-year institutions. And they will have significant long-term implications on our economy and society. There are numerous and well documented reasons for this: changing demographics (fewer students), a robust job market, rising tuition costs, and the pandemic of course. And yes, wavering opinions about the value of a college degree.?

But what often doesn’t get mentioned are the new alternatives to traditional four-year residential colleges that are evolving and emerging. Technical schools, dual mission institutions, community colleges and other hybrid models are evolving to be more aligned with the needs of employers and students. Some of these formats were formerly scoffed by many as somehow “lesser” but are beginning to be seen for what they really are: different. Higher ed isn’t one thing anymore – it’s transforming the way retail did in the 1960s to respond to suburban sprawl and then again in the early 2000s in response to digital technology. This transformation is a good thing and will eventually result in new forms of education that meet learners where they are versus trying to fit everyone into a few traditional molds. A traditional four-year college degree is NOT for everyone. But the choices of how one is educated beyond high school are expanding rapidly and I predict that as we start to measure the market differently, we will eventually see increased participation if not an increase in the number of bachelor's degrees.?

Myth #2:?College is completely broken.

Reality:?Colleges and universities are imperfect and complex.

Very recently a new university was launched (or at least announced) – The University of Austin . Its introductory statement read in part:?So much is broken in America. But higher education might be the most fractured institution of all.?That’s quite a claim. Do we really feel that the over 5,000 colleges and universities in the United States are all broken? I don’t. Yes, as a category they do struggle with fulfilling their missions in the most efficient and effective ways. Some are bloated. Some are technologically behind. Some are dysfunctional. And some likely won’t survive the next decade.?But so many more continue to help transform lives, do groundbreaking research, and drive innovative discoveries that impact almost every aspect of society – from healthcare to energy to climate change. Not to mention helping to preserve and enable artistic and cultural endeavors without which we would not be a society at all.

From the largest public university to the smallest private college, these institutions are inherently complex. They were created in a different time when competition was only for bragging rights in athletics or academic reputation. Times have changed and these institutions must change with the times. It is slow to come but it is happening – you just have to dig a little deeper to see it. The increase in online learning channels is just one way these institutions are adapting to change. Many are working more closely with K12 systems, and some are even starting their own high schools to create more pathways to higher education. Higher ed fundraising campaigns have shifted from an historic emphasis on capital projects – buildings, laboratories and athletic facilities – to raising money for scholarships, student financial aid, health and wellness initiatives, career counseling and other services. These are steps in the right direction toward institutions becoming less institutional and more student driven.?

Myth #3:?College is unaffordable.

Reality:?College costs have risen and are inconsistent, but values exist.

I read an article last year about degree inflation – the rising demand for bachelor’s degrees in jobs that never required one and possibly don’t need one.?It is a fascinating premise which I won’t revisit here but is rooted in the modern history of higher education. Following WWII, demand for college degrees grew steadily and increasingly were required by employers for even entry level jobs. Simple economics dictates that anything in high demand is less price sensitive. So, when you combine high demand with inflation, rising costs and less intense competition you get colleges and universities that could raise tuition and so they did. A seller’s market if you will.

Are inefficiencies in how schools are run to blame for the higher costs? In part, but even more so may be the dramatic decline in financial support schools now receive from state and federal governments. The real question here is more about value: is college worth the investment? It depends and varies highly by the institution's value proposition and what the learner wants from their investment. Like all markets where open competition thrives, learners will have a greater number of price alternatives and have become savvier in determining a good return on their investment based on highly personal criteria - convenience, quality, prestige, location, and yes, price. Is Purdue the best engineering school in the country? Maybe or maybe not. But when you combine the fact that yes, they are very good at engineering and have also frozen their tuition for the past eleven years, you get a very compelling value proposition. Price is only one element in this equation and more schools are realizing that they must look beyond rankings as a measure of value.?

These misperceptions are just three of the many I see, hear and read about almost daily. There are others including the current talent exodus from higher ed (which could be offset by new blood and new thinking), the politicization of a liberal education and my personal favorite – that the marketing of higher ed somehow cheapens the offer. But that’s a whole other blog post.?The bottom line: Let us all continue to criticize higher ed – its institutions, practices and leaders. But let’s do it in a constructive way and help to evolve perhaps the greatest institution of all time when it comes to advancing our overall quality of life and improving the human condition.?