Welcome back to Higher Ed on the Hill, where we break down the top policies driving higher education policy. On the chopping block today: the decline of traditional postsecondary institutions.
Citing budget shortfalls, an “enrollment cliff,” and declining confidence in higher ed, New York Times Parenting Columnist Jessica Gross penned a piece on how this “decline in trust” is creating a buyer’s market for students.
Her recent column cites a 2018 study by Gallup and the Strada Education Network with findings that suggest the traditional college experience isn’t the be-all and end-all. She writes, “so higher ed needs to get creative – and fast – to stem the tide of school closings and regain the confidence of Americans.”
The long-term impact of this crisis, is only underscored by a newly released survey that shows U.S. high schoolers are beginning to question the “value” of pursuing college degrees, instead placing higher value on job training and courses to receive licenses and professional certificates.
Is higher education in decline? From our perspective, traditional higher education needs a wakeup call – and competition. The Biden Administration is hell-bent on destroying any options that do not fit their preferred model. It’s time for the Administration to stop acting as judge, jury, and executioner, and instead focus on meeting the educational needs of all students and our economy.
Read more about President Biden’s crusade against career colleges here.
What’s New? U.S. High Schoolers See Less ‘Value’ In College Degrees, Survey Shows via Fox 26 News: Per the new survey cited above, both current high school students and non-enrolled high school graduates indicated they feel “on the job training” has the highest value. The value of college degrees fell to the middle of the pack, with only 58% of current high schoolers agreeing with the statement “these days, a good job requires a college degree.”
Higher Education Faces a Historic Reckoning if GOP Wins in November via the Washington Examiner: “After years of mounting tensions between universities and Republicans over concerns about free speech and perceptions that college campuses have become political echo chambers, the dam seemingly broke after the start of the Israel-Hamas war.”
Foxx Sighting on Newsmax: What Is Harvard Hiding? In an interview, House Education Committee Chairwoman Virginia Foxx (R-NC05) asked, “What are they hiding? If they’re not giving us the information that we are requesting, then they obviously must be hiding something. We need to get to the bottom of the antisemitic actions that are occurring on Harvard’s campus and Harvard’s response to those things.”
