Canary: Higher Ed Issues Landscape Report 10/21

October 21st, 2024

• What we’re watching: polls, fundraising, career fair protests
• Preparing for the election: considerations, flashpoints, best practices
• What we’re reading: tribal campuses, college sports, rankings

What we're watching

Polls and surveys

A couple of polls caught our attention this week for approaching higher education sentiment from distinctive angles.

The University of Austin, in partnership with Hunt Research, released the results of a poll of Pennsylvania voters — the school’s “first battleground state poll of the 2024 election.” UATX found that:

• 55% of respondents distrust higher education.
• 59% said trust would increase if reforms improved campus climates around free speech.
• 46% said trust would increase if reforms prohibited race, ethnicity, religion or gender considerations in admissions.
• 45% said trust would increase if faculty were more balanced between conservative and liberal.

Cross-referencing higher education trust to the presidential election, UATX found that 81% of voters who “trust higher education institutions” planned to vote for Harris, while 76% of those who distrust them plan to vote for Trump.

“Trust in higher education has become a key factor in vote choice,” - Morgan Marietta, Dean of Economics, Politics & History at UATX (Press Release)

USA Today and Talker Research asked 1,000 Americans about the value of their degrees as well as their "college regrets." They found that:

• Over two-thirds (72%) think a degree is worth pursuing.
• However, over one-third (37%) feel they’d be in the same job even without a degree.

• 59% think their student loan investment was worth the cost.
• 31% regret not taking a gap year before attending.

Fundraising and finances

Donations to Columbia University during the university’s "Giving Day" fundraiser were down by 28% compared to previous years. Some departments (including the Columbia Business School and the School of the Arts) saw drops of over 75%, while others (law and athletics) saw increases of over 35%.

Over at Harvard, president Alan Garber said he was disappointed with recent fundraising ahead of the university releasing its 2024 financial report. Commentators attributed fundraising declines to pro-Palestinian protests, a claim Garber dismissed.

“There are also some indications that we will see improvements in the future . . . I can’t get more specific than that right now. . . There are many alumni who have concerns about . . . what has happened at Harvard and remain very much committed to the University and care deeply about its future” - Alan Garber (The Harvard Crimson)

Nevertheless, despite their reputation-related challenges, Ivy League schools look set to have a “phenomenal year” financially — with their endowments growing on average between 9 and 10.5% — according to the Philadelphia Business Journal.  That means multi-billion dollar gains due to the size of those endowments to begin with. For example, while UPenn’s endowment grew at only 7.1% for FY24, that amounts to over $1 billion.

However, Fitch announced it would maintain a “deteriorating outlook on the higher education sector,” and downgrades are expected to continue to outpace upgrades through at least 2025. Fitch singled out smaller private colleges as those most at risk due their dependance on student fees, “effectively unselective admissions” and rising operating costs.

Career fairs

Student protestor tactics continue to evolve, with disruptions at career fairs now commonplace. According to Inside Higher Ed, disruptions have taken place at Northeastern, Case Western Reserve, Temple, and MIT over the last month. At MIT, recruiters from Lockheed Martin apparently left the event after a large banner reading “LOCKHEED KILLS CHILDREN IN GAZA” hung over their booth.

Cornell University endured such a protest in September, which has resulted in sanctions for 19 students.

“There is ample video and photographic evidence of these activities, both at the entrance to the Statler and within the ballroom. As of today, these videos and photographs have been used to identify nearly 20 individuals who participated in this disruption. All who have been identified as Cornell students are being referred for conduct violations.” - Interim President Michael Kotlikoff (Cornell)

Preparing for the election

As the 2024 general election approaches the home stretch, university communicators and administrators are preparing for the possibility of further unrest on college campuses.

Over the last few months, a number of election news stories have dragged universities into the spotlight while also showing how the landscape on campus has evolved from previous elections. Universities are responding by curating voter information for students, emphasizing civility, and showcasing elections expertise.

Always worth considering

How elections play out on campus continues to evolve. However, many things stay the same and should continue to be taken into account as administrators and communicators prepare.

Students’ political sensitivities: Art & Science Group’s annual studentPOLL surveyed over 1,500 high school seniors, finding that 28% of respondents said they’d ruled out a college based on the politics, policies, or legal environment of its state.

Candidate views on higher education: Obviously, candidates have very different views and ideas about higher education. This is especially important in 2024, as higher education has become a political lightning rod.

First rodeo: Most students will only be on campus for one general election, and for many of those, it will be their first time voting or participating in one.

Eligibility: student voting access is different across states depending on residency rules and other stipulations. For example, of the 35 states that require a photo ID for voting, only 23 permit a student ID to be used in place of a driver’s license or passport.

Current controversies

A number of election news stories have dragged universities into the spotlight while also showing how the landscape on campus has evolved from previous elections.

Purdue: For the first time in 20 years, Purdue will not have an Election Day polling place this year, despite university leaders requesting one from the county election board.

“This is an overt attempt to suppress the student vote in Tippecanoe County . . . Frustrating a voter is the very best way to make sure they become a non-voter.” - Julia Vaughn, Common Cause Indiana (Democracy Docket)

KANSAS: The University of Kansas announced last Friday that an instructor who joked that they would “line up and shoot” some voters is no longer employed. FIRE has criticized the decision, calling it an “egregious misunderstanding of the First Amendment” that failed to take into account the hyperbolic nature of the instructor’s words.

Arizona: Students across the Sunshine State received text messages from the Harris-Walz campaign, causing ire among conservative students, commentators, and politicians. In the face of criticism, state university system leaders said they were required to hand over the information under freedom of information laws.

“The breach of students' personally identifiable information to a political campaign raises serious ethical and legal concerns,'' - Arizona state Sen. Jake Hoffman (Capitol Media Services)

OHIO STATE: As part of a pilot program to support student participation in the election, Ohio State University is making Election Day a "university-wide day of asynchronous learning.”

“We believe a big part of citizenship is voting, and we want to help emphasize Ohio State’s education for citizenship initiative. We hope this allows students and faculty alike the opportunity to go out, and vote and work the polls.” - OSU USG President Bobby McAlpine (The Lantern)

Political provocateurs: Both Charlie Kirk and Beto O’Rourke have embarked on multi-stop tours of college campuses in order to encourage voter registration — as well as certain political candidates or positions.

“Charlie Kirk has really blown up over social media the last month or so. He’s definitely become like an online persona for our generation just because he’s debated so many college students — and a lot of them have really held their ground and made good points.” - Morgan Kilbourne (Teen Vogue)

“Their whole angle is basically to try to get people who are really passionate, but maybe not the most eloquent [to talk] about really divisive topics…Then they edit it to make them (look) even stupider.” - Greg Meyer (Daily Barometer)

“We wanted to make sure that Texans had every opportunity to get registered to vote and to actually cast a ballot. This is the toughest state in the nation to get registered, it’s the toughest state in the nation in which to vote, and so it’s going to take tough people doing the tough work to overcome that.” - Beto O’Rourke on the road with Powered by People’s “Ready to Vote Tour” (North Texas Daily)

Best practices

Among the many things universities are doing to prepare for election season’s crescendo, the following three stand out:

Voter information: many universities — including UW Madison, CU Boulder, and Mizzou — have created resources listing registration deadlines, voting locations, and other pertinent information in order to help students navigate the process.

“I think this is an unprecedented election in a lot of ways, and also for many of our students, their first time ever voting. Some of our students are a little bit nervous or anxious to vote for the first time, so it’s our goal to make the process as approachable as possible.” - Ashley Liegi, (Stony Brook University)

Emphasizing civility: through presidential messaging, event series, and university news features, colleges are modeling civility and free speech norms for students in the run-up to November 5th.

“Stanford is recommitting to a 21st-century version . . .  of the university’s civic mission through new courses and experiential learning. The university aims to prepare students to be active contributors to their communities and capable members of a pluralistic society.” - Josiah Ober, political scientist (Standford)

Expertise: from political scientists to policy specialists, universities are showcasing their scholarship on issues that touch upon the election — through both earned and owned content. Some universities, such as Notre Dame and Emory, have consolidated expertise on a mini-site.

📖 What we’re reading

ProPublica: Tribal College Campuses Are Falling Apart. The U.S. Hasn’t Fulfilled Its Promise to Fund the Schools.

• In the 1970s, Congress committed to funding a higher education system controlled by Indigenous communities. These tribal colleges and universities were intended to serve students who’d been disadvantaged by the nation’s history of violence and racism toward Native Americans, including efforts to eradicate their languages and cultures. But walking through Little Big Horn College in Montana with Emerson Bull Chief, its dean of academics, showed just how far that idea has to go before becoming a reality.

Sports Illustrated: Everyone Has a Plan to Fix College Sports—but Will Any of Them Work?

• The wheels are turning. Everywhere. Everyone is in search of a better plan for college football and college sports as a whole. There are projects and blueprints and high-level meetings all coming down at once. . . Confused? Engulfed by off-field issues fatigue? Understandable. But even as one of the most interesting years in the history of the sport reaches the midseason stage, the race is on to make major changes. Urgency is in the air.

Higher Ed Dive: U.S. News & World Report’s college rankings should do away with peer assessment

• It’s college rankings season, when institutions across the country are sorted into lists purportedly so prospective students can choose a college. These rankings are often seen as a proxy for academic quality. In practice, they can be unreliable. . . It’s worth noting that only about a third of those who receive the peer reputation survey complete it. Perhaps this is why U.S. News uses a two-year weighted rolling average of the responses. To place this peer assessment in context, here is a closer look at the mechanics of completing the survey.

#️⃣ Trending on Social This Week

Sources:

• Charlie Kirk (@charliekirk11)
• DC_Draino (@DC_Draino)
• Kamala Harris (@KamalaHarris)

Legend Labs is a brand and communications consulting firm for the digital age. We help ambitious leaders create, grow, and protect their Legends. This analysis of reputation-related trends in higher education features insights from Meltwater and direct social media & web analysis.

For more information, email us at hello@legendlabs.com.