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Five Lessons Institutions of Higher Education Need to Learn

by | Jul 19, 2010 | Monday Morning Quarterback

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?

Photo: Scott Helfrich

Our first "Monday Morning Quarterback," Scott Helfrich.

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.

What Do Institutions of Higher Education Need to Learn?

by | Jul 12, 2010 | Monday Morning Quarterback

Over the last few years, as the economy went into the tank, our public discussions about the future of higher education have increasingly been about budget cuts, rising tuition, and the need for accountability. A central talking point in these discussion has been the need to implement outcomes-based measurement.

This new emphasis has changed the way we plan programs and services in higher education. At many schools, everything must be matched to an outcome, and every outcome must be assessed in some way. Institutions then use this data to drive decisions about funding and priorities, and to justify their programs and services to state legislatures, donors, accreditation bodies, incoming students, their parents, alumni and an ever-growing number of watchdog groups like the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE).

So, like it or not, we live in interesting times. This can be viewed as a blessing or a curse, and it’s my opinion that we need to find the blessing in this situation, and to be thankful for the opportunity today’s political and financial environment provides. Change isn’t easy, and in our personal and professional lives, we all have periods of doubt. There are healthy and productive ways of dealing with this reality. Wanting things to stay the same is not one of them.

As a career coach, I help individuals work through these issues, by discovering their purpose, and finding ways to align that purpose with their work. This involves discussions about a person’s background and professional history, but more importantly, it requires exploration and discovery. The process that gets people unstuck is co-creative. Coaches ask the “big questions” and give activities that help clients explore them. We challenge assumptions, conclusions and doubts. We work through blocks. We help people explore new interests, research them, and focus on creating new, more positive patterns of behavior. We try to integrate the important parts of a person (talents, skills, abilities, interests and values) into each individual’s plan to move forward, and to help clients set S.M.A.R.T. (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic and Time Limited) goals.

The best part of being a coach is that for the most part, clients come to you when they are ready to change. The discussions and activities are geared toward helping the client define, in real and measurable terms, what success means, and how they will know when they achieve it.

But lately, I’ve been wondering if higher education, as a field, is really ready to be coached. Furthermore, I’m not quite sure who should be coaching. I don’t think the state legislatures should be doing it, because they aren’t  looking at the big picture, only at the cost of doing business, and who should be paying it. And politicians are more worried about re-election (their S.M.A.R.T. goal) and what institutions shouldn’t be teaching, than how they should be teaching. Watchdog groups like FIRE are often most passionate about the what than the how, and many times, their approach shuts down discussion, or erodes into a chaotic and mind-numbing clash of talking points or a game to be won, rather than a co-creative, purposeful process of discovery.

Here are three resources that really got me thinking about these issues.

I’d like to start a dialogue on this topic. Please share your thoughts and questions by commenting on this post. Take whatever direction you like, but here are some questions to get you started:

  • What’s the purpose of higher education these days? Has it changed from in  the past?
  • What do institutions of higher education need to learn?
  • Is higher education, as a field, ready for change? (And if so, is higher education “coachable?”)
  • What learning outcomes do you think are most important?
  • What S.M.A.R.T. goals should the field set for measuring improvement?
  • Where should higher ed look for coaching on these goals? The legislature? The federal government? Professional associations? Somewhere else?

And if you have perspectives you’d like to share on these topics, in an upcoming guest post on Monday Morning QuarterBack, send me a message at sean@higheredcareercoach.com. I would ideally like to have guest posts on this topic each Monday for the next 2-3 weeks.

Today on BlogTalkRadio: Working Parents in Higher Ed/Student Affairs

by | Jul 9, 2010 | Podcast

On today’s episode of the Higher Ed Career Coach show on BlogTalkRadio, we’ll be talking with Cindy Kane, Director, Student Involvement & Leadership at Bridgewater State College in Bridgewater, MA, about the challenges of parenting young children and working in student affairs. Kane is also a doctoral candidate, an adjunct instructor for the Department of Counselor Education at Bridgewater State College, and of course, a working parent. You can follow her at @cindykane on Twitter, and you can follow the funny exploits and life commentary of her son at @littleredsaid.

Call-ins on the topic of parenting and work/life balance are not only welcome, but encouraged. We’ll also talk about news in higher ed, the recent design changes for our sites and more. We may have some other random guests and call-ins, so stay tuned.

You can get to the show via the badge below or the BlogTalkRadio Player in the sidebar. To call in during the show, our number is (347) 989-0055, or you can connect for free once the show is on air by clicking on the Skype click-to-talk logo from the page for this episode

Listen to internet radio withthe HigherEdCareerCoachon Blog Talk Radio

Tuesday Time Out #1: What I Did at Work Today

by | Jul 6, 2010 | Tuesday Time-Out

Tuesday Time Out LogoI believe that everyone needs a break every now and again, and I know that for me, Tuesday is almost always one of those days. Mondays are slow moving at the start but usually pick up, and then Tuesdays, if I am lucky, I feel like I’m starting to accomplish something.

Wednesdays are the worst, and everybody knows that, but Tuesday doesn’t get enough cred. It often sucks, too. So I am going to start giving you an early break in the action each week with a new feature, the “Tuesday Time Out.” Some of you will feel it’s too early to take a break, and if so, that is the beauty of this thing. You can catch it Wednesday sometime. It will still be here.

The art for this feature is another great spot illustration by DJ Coffman, my friend from Third Tribe. He’s a super-swell guy and very funny. And from what I can tell, a pretty reputable comic artist. So I was psyched to connect with him on 3T and even more psyched to have his art on my site. Check him out at DJCoffman.Com.

So the first lesson I learned is that I need to get an earlier start and stick with a concept once I have it. But today, I got a little sidetracked. One of the hazards of working at home. I was supposedly catching up on some client notes and projects, and cleaning my office (a perpetual task, it seems, but I will pretend that is the only reason you see all the clutter. Roll with me here, please.)
Anyway, the first edition is therefore late, so many of you will not see if until Wednesday. But you will understand a little about how I got off track, and what my priorities are. Sorry in advance for the bad camera work.

Are You Saying "Just Enough" in Your Interviews?

by | Jun 29, 2010 | Career Skills, Coaching, Job Search

boy stacking blocks, just enough balance

Job interviews can be a lot like stacking blocks. Once you have "just enough," it's time to stop.

Lately, I’ve been having some good discussions online, over e-mail, and on the phone with the participants of my 8 Weeks t0 August Career Coaching Program. It’s a small group but we are getting into the swing of things and hopefully having a program like this one, with 1-on-1 coaching, online activities and some dedicated times to have practice interviews, will help the participants find some clarity, focus their searches, and find great jobs by this September.

One of the topics we’re spending time with early on is obstacles. It’s hard to move ahead when you feel stuck, unless you can recognize the obstacles in your path, and clear them.

Since I’m not looking for work right now, I related something that I struggle with as a businessman, because it really isn’t that different from the things I struggled with in my job searches, and it’s this…

Saying just enough to answer the question.

Think about that for a minute.

Just enough.

In a job interview, your answers have to address the question, but beyond that, the issue that most of us struggle with is not coming up with a good answer. It is the “enough.” And more particularly, the “just enough.”

So when do you know when you’ve said enough?

  • Is it when you describe your job and your tasks?
  • Is it when you say something memorable?
  • Or is when you do both of the above, in ways that the interviewer will connect with?

Are your answers “connecting?” If not, where can you find clues on how to connect?

I’d love to hear your thoughts on this, and how you might apply the idea of “just enough” in your interview strategy. Please comment below and share your thoughts on how to say “just enough,” or share some of the obstacles you find yourself up against, and maybe we can help you figure out ways to get over them around them, or to go right through and smash them to pieces.

Higher Ed Career Coach Sean Cook, pictured here in front of Tillman Hall, the "old main" buildilng at Clemson University, his alma mater.

Sean Cook, M.Ed.

Sean Cook is a Life and Career Coach from Athens, GA. He attended Clemson University, where he earned his B.A. in Political Science (with a minor in Administration) and his M.Ed. in Counseling and Guidance Services (Student Affairs in Higher Education concentration.) Before founding Cook Coaching & Consulting Ltd., Sean spent 15 1/2 years working in higher education, mostly in residence life. His interest in coaching was a natural outgrowth of his personal experiences as a job seeker and his professional experiences as an advisor to college students and student organizations, and as a supervisor to students and young professionals from a variety of backgrounds.