Dive Brief:
- Inside Higher Ed reports on a forthcoming survey of more than 200 college and university executives that will reveal a negative perception of higher education's commitment to student outcomes, but largely positive perception of the work being done on their individual campuses.
- More than 60% of survey respondents indicated that their school has too many initiatives in place designed to address student outcomes, which leads to "initiative fatigue" and a lack of deliverables or results in this key area.
- Nearly half of the executives surveyed say that higher education at large is somewhat worse than it was 10 years ago.
Dive Insight:
The impact of the national recession has affected the mission, execution and morale of higher education in many ways. Budget cuts and falling enrollment have significantly reduced academic and student support systems, and have forced changes to enrollment management which have compromised metrics of diversity and equitable access.
Technology is changing, industry is changing, and in the middle of all of it, colleges are caught trying to meld the liberal arts tradition with the 21st century imperative for innovation. For many campuses, the only approach is to find dynamic, hands-on leadership which begins from the presidential level and impacts legislative, philanthropic and student advocacy initiatives to spur excitement about institutional missions.
