When Education Programs Bite the Dust
“That’s the biggest concern of all,” said Heather Sparks, director of teacher education at OCU. “We know we’re going to continue to need teachers, and yet we’re not doing a good enough job, collectively, at getting folks into the pipeline.”
Building The Post-COVID Adaptive Workplace in Higher Education
This shift will be built on key enablers that drive success in a hybrid environment: navigating virtual collaboration tools and telework platforms, implementing telework policies and procedures that maximize productivity and collaboration while minimizing data security risks, and adapting long-held in-person norms and culture. Institutions that are successful in making this shift will first assess their current landscape, then begin to address high-priority workplace components that impact faculty, staff, students, university finances, and operations.
The Impending Collapse in Higher Education
The underlying fundamentals have gotten quite a bit worse and it is arguable that a substantial swath of the higher ed industry may be vulnerable to collapse. No, that is not hyperbole. It simply reflects multiple underlying realities related to consumer behavior, market shifts, increasing student attrition, unsustainable business models, and substantial moves away from college degrees as credentials for employment.
6 Trends That are Emerging in Higher Education Technology
The shorter programs can take one to 10 hours to complete, while accredited ones typically take 1,000 to 5,000 hours to finish. These programs could be a lucrative model for universities, considering that the microcredential market is expected to double over the next three to five years. Meanwhile, the affordability of these popular programs will likely continue to promote diversity, equity and inclusion.
NHGs versus SCNCs: Pivot or transformation?
At minimum, a quick pivot seems in order. But what if the underlying disconnect between institutional mission/purpose/operations and sustainable growth/success is not a hairline fracture but a gaping chasm? Which institutions have the capacity to transform key indicators without engaging in deliberate organizational and operational transformation?
SUNY stops withholding transcripts from students with debt
Students often need proof of their academic record to transfer to another institution or apply for higher-level academic programs or employment. A movement to stop colleges from holding back the transcripts of indebted students predates the pandemic, but the health crisis’s fallout sharpened focus on the practice and others that fuel inequities.
Adult learners, low-income students, and those who are members of racial and ethnic minority groups are the most likely to have earned college credit but not a credential due to institutions withholding this paperwork, according to a 2020 report by research nonprofit Ithaka S+R.
No Matter What Else You Do, It’s Ultimately about Your People
What separates organizations who are losing employee commitment from those that are excelling? As is often the case, preserving or building employee engagement takes a clear, dedicated approach on the part of deliberate, compassionate leaders.
Calbright College: When Good Ideas Don’t Work
It is more than a little ironic that part of Gov. Brown’s motivation for starting Calbright College was to provide an alternative to for-profit vocational schools in California. Ironic, because one thing that career colleges almost always do better than public institutions, including Calbright, is student support, particularly as it relates to career services.
Case Studies in the Price/Value Proposition of Post-Secondary Education
At the behest of former U.S. Senator Lamar Alexander and the support of former Governor Bill Haslam, Tennessee implemented “free community college” under the Tennessee Promise Program in 2015. In its first six years, the program supported nearly 12,000 students across 84 counties. One eastern Tennessee region reported a 90 percent gain in enrollment in 2016 compared to 2008. Other states and localities have mimicked the policy and now at least 24 “Tennessee Promise” clones operate across the U.S.
Even Harvard Has to Care about the Student Value Proposition – Or Not
What’s really interesting about Harvard’s decision is that rather than explore how they might create a better value proposition for undergraduate education students, Harvard being Harvard, with the help of a $40M donation, shifted the cost to external donors and moved the program to the graduate level, where it will be part of a fifth-year program largely funded by an external source rather than by student-customers.
Are College Leaders in Denial?
In the same survey, two thirds of presidents claim that their institutions have the capacity to meet the mental health needs of their students, yet another national 2022 survey found that nine out of 10 students report that their campus is in the midst of a full blown mental health crisis! Can both be true?
The Importance of Integrating DEI and Wellbeing
As we slowly transition out of the pandemic and pick up the organizational pieces, organizations could greatly benefit from wellbeing strategies that are equitable and inclusive of diverse employees, as well as comprehensive DEI initiatives that deliver a consistent employee experience for everyone.
One Reason Higher Education Enrollment Is in Decline: Cheaper, Shorter, High Value Alternatives
Demographics, cost, relevancy, inconvenience, poor ROI, and of course, the pandemic, are all contributing to a 12-year decline in higher education enrollment, but another significant cause is the growth of non-credit post-secondary education. There are many examples, but one of the fastest growing can be found at Google.
On the matter of ‘inflections’ in Higher Education
Is higher education at an inflection point or will business as usual suffice post-Covid?
Celia Ffrench Named New Partner at Transformation Collaborative™
Celia Ffrench, a veteran marketing and branding professional for post-secondary and higher education institutions, has been named partner of the Transformation Collaborative™.