EDUCATION

US College Leaders Worry About the Future

November 16, 2019

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For generations, the United States has enjoyed one of the strongest
higher education systems in the world. But conditions at U.S. colleges
and universities are changing, and that system now faces challenges
challenges.

Many higher education leaders worry about their ability to deal with a
number of issues in the years to come. However, several experts think
the schools will do well if they are willing to try new methods of
meeting students’ needs.

In October, the American Council on Education reported on a survey

of nearly 500 leaders at four-year, non-proRt colleges and
universities. Se study was a joint eTort with the Georgia Institute of
Technology and the Huron Consulting Group.
Se school oYcials were asked about what they thought would be the
biggest issues their institutions would face over the next three to Rve
years. Sey also were asked how well they thought their college or
university would be able to deal with these challenges.

Se study identiRed the top six issues that the 500 leaders listed. Se
most common concern was increasing competition with other
educational institutions. About 62 percent of those questioned noted
that concern. Se next most common issue was the decreasing size of
the traditional student population, meaning students between 18 and
24 years old.

Sirty-nine percent of the leaders listed the growing numbers of non-

traditional students, including adults with full-time jobs. Two other
concerns were shrinking state and federal Rnancial support, and
decreasing public trust in higher education. Also, the oYcials said
they were worried about political conditions around the world, and
their eTect on international students coming to the United States.

When it comes to changes in the student population, the college and

university oYcials felt like they have some answers. In fact, 89 percent
expressed conRdence in their school’s ability to meet the needs of the
growing number of students who are working adults.

Peter Stokes argues this is because colleges and universities have

always been dealing with change. Stokes is the managing director for
higher education with Huron.

“We haven’t had any real consistency in … student involvement in

higher education, the degrees that are delivered
delivered, the industries that
are being serviced. So there’s continual change,” he told VOA.
Stokes added that aaer World War II there was a sharp jump in the
U.S. birth rate, leading to an increase in the number of young people
going to college. Sen, aaer the Great Recession in 2008, the birth rate
dropped. Around that time, the number of working adults starting or
returning to higher education began rising.

Se traditional student population will likely recover eventually,

Stokes says. Until then, schools will have to continue on the path many
have already started down of using nontraditional methods to deliver
higher education. Sis includes increasing internet-based and short-
term programs to meet the needs of students who have less time and
money to spend.

As for the Rve other issues identiRed in the study, plenty of concerns
remain. No more than seven leaders felt very conRdent in their
school’s ability to Rnd solutions to any of the issues.

Louis Soares is the chief learning oYcer at the American Council on

Education. He says that in recent years, Americans have come to think
of higher education as more of a means of getting a well-paying job
than as a public good.

Sis may not be surprising given the increased cost of higher

education. But Soares says that this put many educational institutions
in competition with one another to prove how their programs can
aTect better career results.

At the same time, U.S-based companies like Amazon and Google are
creating their own educational programs to compete with traditional
degree programs. And countries like France, Canada and Australia are
becoming more appealing to international students who would have
likely looked to U.S. schools in the past.
As a result, some colleges and universities across the country have
been closing. Se U.S. Department of Education reports that in 2018
the number of institutions nationwide dropped to its lowest level since
1998.

Soares suggests that schools have a better chance of surviving if they

work together, as Georgia Tech has, sharing new program ideas and
methods with 50 other institutions. But that is not always easy.

“U.S. higher education is innovative

innovative, but the innovation tends to be
small-scale
small-scale,” he said.

Lynn Pasquerella says what might be more important is working on

the issues around public trust and governmental support of higher
education. And she suggests the two issues are closely connected.

Pasquerella is president of the Association of American Colleges and

Universities. She says U.S. higher education has done a poor job of
showing that what goes on at an institution is very important. Many
people have come to think of colleges and universities as places where
students waste time learning unnecessary subjects or hearing one-
sided beliefs.

But many students go on to become business and political leaders who

shape policies in hopes of improving living conditions in their
communities and nationwide. And major scientiRc and technological
developments usually start out in a college or university laboratory.
“Demonstrating the ways in which … their success is inextricably
linked to the physical, emotional, economic well-being of people in the
communities in which they’re located and which they seek to serve …
is a Rrst and critical step in helping to restore public conRdence in
higher education,” noted Pasquerella.

She adds that as Americans develop a better opinion of the schools,

state and federal governments will have little choice but to support
them.

I’m Dorothy Gundy. And I’m Pete Musto.

Pete Musto reported this story for VOA Learning English. George Grow
was the editor. Write to us in the Comments Section or on our
Facebook page.

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Words in Sis Story

challenge(ss) – n. a diYcult task or problem

challenge

survey – n. an activity in which many people are asked a question or a

series of questions in order to gather information about what most
people do or think about something

institution(ss) – n. an established organization

institution
conRdence – n. a feeling or belief that you can do something well or
succeed at something

consistency – n. the quality or fact of staying the same at diTerent

times

degree(ss) – n. an oYcial document and title that is given to someone

degree
who has successfully completed a series of classes at a college or
university

deliver ed) – v. to provide or produce something

deliver(ed

sharp – adj. sudden and quick

innovative – adj. having new ideas about how something can be done

tend(ss) to – v. used to describe what oaen happens or what someone

tend
oaen does or is likely to do — followed by to + verb

small-scale – adj. involving few people or things

inextricably – adv. closely joined or related

restore – v. to put or bring something back into existence