Challenging Landscape

We’ve talked a lot about the changes in the higher education landscape and the challenges ahead. Two articles this week clearly articulated some of these for me.

The first one, from the Wall Street Journal, gives us a bit of history (we’ve lived it) and how we have ended up where we are. It’s no singular event but a lot of iterative changes. I believe it’s actually more complicated, but it’s an interesting read and provides a nice overview.

Why Americans Have Lost Faith in the Value of College

This Chronicle of Higher Education article explores the phenomenon of universities investing heavily in expensive and cutting-edge facilities, such as laboratories, stadiums, dormitories, and student centers, to attract more students and donors. Now, we must be investing more in technology and innovation.

The New Academic Arms Race

(Remember, you have a subscription to both publications with your CofC account.)

Together, the articles paint a challenging picture of what’s ahead. But they can serve as guideposts to navigate what’s ahead. We must remain true to who we are as a School of Business, where we provide an excellent experience. We need to stay focused on learning and the outcomes, not what we’ve always done. We need to be strategic in our technology deployment and look for ways to simplify many of the things we do so they are scalable and the results are clearer.

A lot of this is happening in our School. We need to elevate it, share it, and help each of us work smarter, not harder. Together, we will navigate the challenges.

YOU make a difference.

Ponder with me…