Over the past week, I have had numerous conversations with colleagues, marketing experts, government officials, and at least one member of the higher-ed press.
These are a few statements from the higher-ed Jeremiad these conversations produced:
- “American’s faith in higher education is at an all-time low, but then again, their faith in all institutions has hit rock bottom.” [At least they trust us more than the government.]
- “More and more students and their families are questioning the value of a higher education.”
- “The cost of a degree has gotten out of control.”
- “Colleges are stuck in the 19th century and no longer teach students what they need to know.”
- “Students prefer the opportunities that come from a large university over the limitations of a small liberal arts college.”
- “There is no viewpoint diversity on your campuses, and you continue to indoctrinate students with a ‘woke’ agendas.”
- “They hate you.” [Meaning the American people hate college presidents.]
One observer noted that higher education and liberal arts colleges in particular have been on the defensive for too long. It’s time to be proactive and positive. The problem is: good news doesn’t sell. Here is some of that good news, which you will surely not see in your local (or national) paper.
First of all, I don’t think “They hate us.” They hate some of us, and, frankly, some of us have earned their spleen.
One friend noted that public opinion about higher-education institutions is a lot like that of congress. People who hate congress are happy to reëlect their representative :: People who have grave concerns about higher education love their local college and/or alma mater.
The truth is that the return on investment (ROI) of a four-year degree is at an all-time high. Each year, the Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce, using IRS data, calculates the earnings of graduates from 4,600 colleges and universities early on, mid-career, and over a lifetime. They compare those numbers against the American population that didn’t complete a four-year degree, they subtract the average cost of attendance at that school to determine the ROI. They also compare kinds of institutions, and they post individual institution outcomes.
The earnings advantage of a bachelor’s degree (factoring cost of attendance) has never been greater, and liberal-arts colleges outperform all higher-ed sectors in lifetime earnings.
The cost of tuition and fees has not outpaced inflation. Among the many Pennsylvania independent colleges and universities, the out-of-pocket cost has decreased slightly over the past ten years without adjusting for inflation. The sticker price continues to rise, and we absorb the difference.
Susquehanna offers the only undergraduate major in Luxury Brand Management, and our students will corroborate that consumers equate quality with price. To remain competitive from a perception perspective, we need to be priced similarly to our independent peers, but we need to provide aid that makes our cost competitive with our public cross-applicant schools.
It is true that the nation’s total student debt is at an all-time high, but now nearly half of that debt is for graduate school. Undergraduate student borrowing has decreased over the past decade.
More and more, students and their families equate a major with a job. The problem with that perspective is that today’s college graduates will have many jobs and probably more than one career. Graduates of liberal arts colleges are well prepared for the world of work, but they are also prepared to be adaptable and to become leaders in their organizations, which explains why although they trail pre-professional programs in average earnings during the first five years after graduation, they outstrip them over a life-time.
Liberal arts colleges represent only 3% of American college students, yet “a third of all Fortune 500 CEOs have liberal arts degrees,”[1] (That’s an 1,100% advantage!) and still the value of what we do in liberal education is questioned in the media daily.
Diversity of thought has become a recurring topic in the general media. It is raised as a concern for two very different reasons: 1) Individuals espousing positions that have been broadly discredited by scientific evidence and rigorous scholarly review will use the “diversity of thought” argument to leverage giving their stance equal footing in the academy. 2) Some students and faculty have expressed being uncomfortable or feeling pressured for holding and expressing minority opinions.
The latter is a legitimate concern and one that needs consistent attention. Many campuses have fostered environments where those prohibitions are kept in check. A recent study by the Lumina Foundation and Gallup demonstrates that this is generally a false narrative. Among many of the findings, “74% of bachelor’s degree students say their university does an ‘excellent’ or ‘good’ job of promoting free speech, including 73% of Republican students and 75% of Democrat students.”
Not only do we strive to create campuses where students feel free to express their opinions, we don’t tell them what to think. We give them the tools and resources to draw their own opinions.
The authors of, The Still Divided Academy: How Competing Visions of Power, Politics, and Diversity Complicate the Mission of Higher Education, which explores the impact of a college education on the political perspectives of students, found that students typically graduate with a political leaning very similar to when they enrolled. The authors offer a number of possible explanations including intellectual resilience among our students and a professoriate committed to providing a balanced experience in the classroom.
“Does College Turn People into Liberals?” a study published in The Conversation, surveyed over 7,000 students from more than 120 higher-education institutions in their first and second years. Forty-eight percent of the students reported that they viewed liberals more favorably after a year on campus and that 50% viewed conservatives more favorably. The same survey reported that 31% had a more negative view of conservatives, and 30% had a more negative view of liberals.
These are very balanced statistics, but the really important element is that the favorable numbers on both sides are significantly greater. The collegiate experience opens students up to a broader view of the world and the issues that affect us all, and it helps students become more sympathetic to those who hold contrary views.
As for the breadth of opportunity at big schools versus small: students at liberal arts colleges all have hands-on opportunities to develop leadership skills, and their classes are all taught by faculty members with class sizes that encourage customization and direct engagement for every student. STEM students at liberal arts institutions learn to use instrumentation in their labs that is reserved for graduate students at most R-1 institutions, which is one of the reasons that a much higher percentage of liberal arts college undergraduates complete science PhDs than any other higher-ed sector.
So, here is the truth. It’s proactive and positive, and you probably won’t see it in the media:
- American’s faith in higher education should be at an all-time high.
- The value of a higher education has never been greater.
- Undergraduates are borrowing less for college than a decade ago.
- Colleges have kept the actual cost of a degree under control.
- Liberal arts colleges prepare students for successful careers in the 21st century.
- Students will find better opportunities at small liberal arts colleges.
- Our campuses equip students to form their own opinions.
- “They hate you.” [Maybe not…]
[1] Ray, Edward J.: “The Value of a Liberal Arts Education in Today’s Marketplace,” Huffington Post, 24 July 2013.