It’s been a busy week, with a Lumina board meeting, an important set of conversations with foundation colleagues about AI and philanthropy, and two speaking engagements, including a keynote at the terrific and inspiring Complete College America national meeting in Indianapolis.
At CCA, I spoke about the moment we are in, and the anxiety and uncertainty many feel.
So many things are being said about higher ed today. Some of the critiques are spot-on, and some are outright distortions and falsehoods, meant to drive more and more of a wedge into society and feed our increasingly polarized and toxic debate about the future of the nation. Many are caricatures of the unique world of elite, highly selective institutions, where relatively few students attend college. The obsession with the elites leaves little room for understanding what really happens on most college campuses.
The evidence is overwhelming that higher education has been and continues to be the best pathway to individual and shared prosperity. But that doesn’t mean that the system as it’s been for the past century or more is sufficient going forward. High costs have put too many schools out of reach for many Americans. The system is inflexible and hard to understand. It inequitably serves learners based on race, ethnicity, income, geography, and other factors. And students are often unsure if their coursework will prepare them for today’s jobs.
Higher ed must be responsive to what society needs, and those needs have evolved in light of global, technological, economic, and social changes.
Rather than spend all of its energies playing defense and pushing back on what it is against, higher ed has an opportunity to say what it is FOR. This means both making clear what higher education is and isn't, while also pursuing urgently-needed changes that demonstrate the value the system adds to the lives of people and their communities. To me, the urgency of getting more people to and through high-quality degree, certificate, and other programs while also making fundamental changes to how the system is financed, structured, and delivered is not an either-or, it's a both-and.
Advancing American talent through a revitalized and robust system of higher education is the best pathway to individual and shared economic prosperity. Graduates equipped with 21st century skills and immersive experiences in problem-solving, communication, digital literacy, critical thinking, teamwork, and other foundational skills have higher wages. They also are the best contributors to their communities and are the best defenders of freedom and democracy.
You can read or watch the speech, "Progress in a time of disruption: the urgency of reimagining higher ed," here:
https://lnkd.in/ghHPbMUu