Five Lessons Institutions of Higher Education Need to Learn

Questions were posed last week on “Monday Morning Quarterback” related to accountability, institutional change, and what institutions of higher education need to learn for the future. These are  very critical and timely questions, given the current status of the economy, and its impact upon institutions of higher learning.

Here are five lessons that institutions of higher education (IHEs) need to learn:

1. How to better provide for the global developmental care and success of its students.

It is my contention that IHEs need to learn how to better provide for the global developmental care and academic success of their students, which in many ways has been lost. When I say “global developmental care,” I am referring to intentional and planned initiatives to help students successfully transition into adulthood in all aspects of their lives: emotional, spiritual,vocational, intellectual, physical, financial, etc. I think everyone can agree that a college career naturally lends itself to much more than simply book learning. It truly does indeed touch every area of a student’s life. And I think I can safely say that most college and university mission and vision statements were originally written with this in mind.

Unfortunately, it has been my experience within the realm of higher education that there is a growing sense that the ultimate developmental care and academic success of a student  is “somebody else’s” responsibility: a veritable “tag-you’re-it” type of mentality. Once the admissions folks get them in the door, everyone and no one is responsible for that student. However, when a student has a goal, we should ALL share it. If  a student has a  problem, we should ALL own it. Student success is systemic, and we ALL have parts to play in it. As they say, it “takes a village” to raise a child. I urge that it “takes a village” to develop a successful college student.

Additionally, with a fever-pitch consumerist mentality of parents amidst an ever-increasing litigious atmosphere, IHEs in many regards have been making decisions that may be antithetical to educational success. Now this is not to say that every professor and administrative staffer needs to be on their desk inspiring students to vehemently recite “O Captain! My Captain!” Furthermore, this does not mean that a student is not ultimately responsible for his or her own success. But I think there needs to be better coordinated efforts between all institutional employees, to develop S.M.A.R.T. (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic and Time-Limited) outcomes and corresponding educational interventions and programs for our students.

2. How to be more transparent about the perils of higher education.

Additionally, I feel that IHEs must also be more transparent and forthcoming about the challenges that a college education can bring. While admissions personnel are hard-working warriors for their team’s cause, I have witnessed (and have personally experienced) admissions staffers veritably telling parents and students what they want to hear so that they attend that particular institution. But in the 18 years that I’ve been in the higher education environment, I’ve never heard an administrator talk to a visitation group about the statistics related to post-secondary education, including low graduation and large attrition rates, the staggering amount of debt a student can face after college, and the possibility that their student will not find gainful employment in their field of study (or any employment at all!) Also, the pitfalls related to alcohol and other drug use are rarely discussed either.

While making students and their parents aware of the perils and pitfalls related to the college experience, administrators can balance this discussion by also providing strategies for how students can be more successful, including the possibility of advising NOT to go to college, attend at a later time, OR attend another institution more suited for a student’s particular goals.

3. How to promote reasonable expectations.

It should be the duty of institutions of higher education to establish a set of rights and responsibilities as well as fully explain what students and parents can expect from their institution. The online shoe and apparel company Zappos is well-known for offering employee trainees $2,000 to NOT work for the company. They do this to ensure that all employees that work for the company are there because they truly believe in the vision of the company, and that they will truly contribute to the company’s culture and core values. Although I’m not advocating that colleges and universities offer money to potential students for not choosing to attend their institutions, I think it is crucial to be honest and up-front about what is expected of a student at that particular institution AND what the student can expect from their school. This conversation should be revisited throughout a student’s time there, if they choose to attend. Thomas E. Miller, Barbara E. Bender, John H. Schuh and Associates offer more insight on how institutions of higher education can align student and institutional views of the college experience.

4. How to make the experience prestigious and sacrosanct again.

It was not all that entirely too long ago that college and university students would all go to class in business casual wear. Going to the cafeteria was almost a formal occasion in which students would dress up and be on their absolute best behavior. And I’m not simply referring to the elite Ivy League-type schools. This also included public institutions all around the country. Now students go to class un-showered, adorned in pajamas and flip-flops. Granted, you don’t have to be clad in a suit and tie to learn the liberal arts, but I think there is something to be said about the perception that colleges and universities once conveyed. Aside from a smattering of “old school” institutional culture across the country, that sense of prestige and formality is all but gone.

Anyone that can fill out an admission application (and not necessarily accurately) and pay a fee, has the ability to attend numerous institutions without any question. Does it dilute the product if anyone can attend (especially when statistics illustrate that many high school graduates are not all that ready or prepared for the experience)? Does this become a more salient issue when more tax-paying dollars are being spent on individuals that are not taking the experience all that seriously (potentially depriving more worthy students, who may have a greater financial need)?

5. How to capitalize upon educational psychology and student development theory.

Theory should inform practice. However, there are scores of administrators and faculty members alike that do not have a grasp of the literature that illustrate how students best learn, develop, and benefit from the college environment. With an ever-growing, diverse student body attending our nation’s colleges and universities, it is crucial for all higher education employees to have a working knowledge of student success research.

Does a mechanic need to know how to drive an automobile in order to know how to repair an automobile? Not necessarily. But knowing how to drive an automobile will offer other insights that can indeed lead the mechanic to troubleshoot an issue more quickly, and potentially repair the automobile more soundly. In regard to knowing student development and learning theory, I would say the same would hold true for physics professors, admissions and financial aid counselors, theatre arts professors, maintenance personnel (yes, they are responsible for student success as well!) and every other employee at the university.

Some may balk at this assertion, but in actuality every interaction at the institution is a potential learning opportunity, and shaping the institutional environment will ultimately affect what a student takes away from their college career. This is not to say that every higher education employee needs to have a doctorate in ed. psych or college student development; but again, there needs to be a coordinated effort of institutions to have EVERYONE participate in the student outcomes discussion.

Conclusion:

American higher education has recreated itself many times since the 1630’s when the first college was established on our shores. Given that there are multiple competing priorities in today’s economic climate, higher education is going to have to again reinvent itself before the bubble bursts. With that being said, institutions of higher education will indeed have to learn many things quickly in order to avert a potential crisis. What else do institutions of higher education need to learn?

Scott M. Helfrich has been a full-time higher education professional for the past 10 years and has presented nationally and internationally on Student Activities, Student Government, Residence Life, and mental health-related topics. He has been published in the Journal of College Student Development, Student Leader Magazine, Programming, and has been a training module developer and writer for various colleges & universities, online companies, and higher education organizations. He has also been recently accepted to be a guest blogger on the Huffington Post College blog. Scott is currently a doctoral candidate (ABD) in the higher education program at the Pennsylvania State University. You can read more of Scott’s work at studentlifeguru.wordpress.com and connect with him via Twitter at @studentlifeguru

“Monday Morning Quarterback” is a new regular feature on Higher Ed Career Coach. Every few weeks, we’ll introduce a topic related to higher education, student affairs, and/or career development, and dedicate the next 2-3 Mondays afterward to allowing guest bloggers to share their insights on the topic. If you are interested in  writing a column for “Monday Morning Quarterback,” contact sean@higheredcareercoach.com.