Easier To Get In?

Is it easier now to get into college?

At a recent Provost/Deans Meeting, John White, Dean of Libraries, shared an article from the Washington Post. According to Copilot 😉:

“The article discusses how it is becoming easier to gain admission to many colleges in the United States. This trend is attributed to several factors, including declining birth rates leading to fewer high school graduates, and increased competition among colleges to attract students. As a result, acceptance rates at many institutions are rising, making it less challenging for applicants to secure a spot.”

The data presented is insightful on how quickly the landscape has changed. Many schools that had low admission rates a decade ago now have surprisingly high admission rates, including many name-brand R1s.

It’s worth a few minutes to read the free MSN version:

It’s becoming easier to get into many colleges

If you have a subscription to the Washington Post, there are some great charts:

Washington Post

I thought about this article in the context of the Simon Sinek “Notes that Inspire” quote below. It would be easy to let all these articles and the underlying data cause us to do things that are inconsistent with who we are. To address these challenges, we do need to change and evolve. But we must do so without forgetting our Why (tip of the hat to Simon again). Our Why is how we treat individual learners and colleagues as individuals with unique goals. How we value our relationships to achieve extraordinary outcomes.

As Dean, I regularly see how you live out this why. That is why I don’t worry too much while I take these articles seriously. What you do is extraordinary. There are plenty of people who are looking for just that.

Then, after writing this post, I listened to this Future U Podcast:

How One Regional University is Growing

The first part is a thought-provoking interview with the President of Montclair State University. NJ is famous for exporting more students than any other state, yet this university has achieved record enrollments. He points out that first-generation students are also first-professional students, so while we can’t lose sight of the higher calling of higher education, we have to realize that we have to deliver on expectations. The key is outcomes. The secret is don’t Iose sight of our why. It’s worth a listen.

YOU make a difference.

Ponder this with me …