tag: Value of higher education

Today’s students increasingly see higher education as a vehicle to employment, and colleges and universities have a responsibility to ensure that graduates are well-positioned to meet their career goals. Too often, however, the measure of whether colleges are meeting that responsibility is reduced to a single number—students’ early career earnings. The reality is more complicated, and taking a broader, longer-term view is essential: outcomes like career adaptability, lifetime earnings, civic engagement, and even personal fulfillment all matter, too.

The results of Ithaka S+R’s first Higher Ed Insights survey, released yesterday, provide a rich set of information about the views of a group of people deeply immersed in the sector.  In full disclosure, I was one of the survey’s respondents, and the questions encouraged me to ponder and articulate my views on a number of important issues and trends, as I’m sure they did for others. One thing that struck me about the survey and its results was…

Amidst the flurry of a vital and long-overdue national conversation surrounding college completion, affordability and debt, and post-graduate employment, it is easy to conceive of the outcomes and value of higher education as mostly economic. Do students learn skills and earn credentials that lead to fruitful labor force participation and economic self-sufficiency? However, as change and innovation sweep across higher education, it is important to keep in mind the broader range of valuable outcomes and goals we hold and ensure…