Kirjahaku

Higher education has both supporters and detractors, although not in equal numbers. Some would have us believe that our higher education enterprise is on the brink of disaster, that it's falling apart at the seams. Some go so far as to call the system broken beyond repair, suggesting that it be rebuilt from the ground up. Can it be this bad? Drawing on his long experience in higher ed administration, the author examines the sea change that's affected nearly every corner of the higher learning landscape. These corners include the high-and-rising costs of tuition, the crushing levels of student debt, the shamefully low graduation rates in too many schools, the growing "million-dollar clubs" whose members include university presidents and football and basketball coaches, the inadequacies of accreditation, and the growing influence of partisan politics in the conduct of our public universities. That's for starters. With an insider's perspective, the author paints a picture that is up-front and honest, laying bare the depth and extent of specific problems confronting that crucial engine of our economy - higher education. In each case, he spells out what needs a tune-up and what needs something closer to an overhaul. Of course, he offers specific proposals for 'fixing' those problems. They're likely to be controversial, but the author hopes they spark a debate that ultimately leads to productive solutions.

Higher education has both supporters and detractors, although not in equal numbers. Some would have us believe that our higher education enterprise is on the brink of disaster, that it's falling apart at the seams. Some go so far as to call the system broken beyond repair, suggesting that it be rebuilt from the ground up. Can it be this bad? Drawing on his long experience in higher ed administration, the author examines the sea change that's affected nearly every corner of the higher learning landscape. These corners include the high-and-rising costs of tuition, the crushing levels of student debt, the shamefully low graduation rates in too many schools, the growing "million-dollar clubs" whose members include university presidents and football and basketball coaches, the inadequacies of accreditation, and the growing influence of partisan politics in the conduct of our public universities. That's for starters. With an insider's perspective, the author paints a picture that is up-front and honest, laying bare the depth and extent of specific problems confronting that crucial engine of our economy - higher education. In each case, he spells out what needs a tune-up and what needs something closer to an overhaul. Of course, he offers specific proposals for 'fixing' those problems. They're likely to be controversial, but the author hopes they spark a debate that ultimately leads to productive solutions.

No one could have predicted thirty years ago that online learning would become such a key facet of our educational landscape in nearly every corner of the world. Online teaching and learning have evolved rapidly and far more widely than imaginable, accompanied by huge impacts on business, society, and our entire educational enterprise. Drawing on his extensive experience in online teaching at both the graduate and undergraduate level as well as his 25 years in higher ed administration, the author paints a global picture of the evolution of online education. He describes how one country after another has witnessed the astonishing growth of online degrees and "microcredentials" of all kinds. Along the way, he dispels the myths and misperceptions that have grown up around online learning. With incisive analysis built on sold data, the author demonstrates that online programs are no longer regarded as second class but in fact are fully in the mainstream of higher education. Not only that but he predicts that, by 2030, they will become the gold standard by which the more traditional degrees will be judged.

It's no secret that the world of higher education in the U.S. is in trouble. It faces image problems, some of the worst financial pressures ever, political turmoil in at least half the states in our country, and much more. Not all these challenges are of academia's own making, but many are. Too many silos, deep roots in tradition, and confused institutional missions all contribute to the state of affairs. Chapter by chapter the author lays bare what he regards as the most consequential matters confronting our higher education enterprise today. These include everything from enrollment volatility and decline to the impact of a culture war on the DEI movement, dim prospects for improved operational funding, growing partisanship of university trustees and system boards, the impacts of heavy reliance on contingent faculty, increasingly unattractive and non-competitive faculty salaries, and institutional missions that have strayed or enlarged, with unintended consequences. As exhausting as this short list is, it covers only part of the territory. Colleges and universities of all stripes are affected, from community and technical colleges to four-year and graduate colleges and universities - both private and public. While there is no silver bullet at the ready, the author outlines a rough blueprint for the kinds of initiatives and strategies needed to tackle the most consequential challenges we face today. For many a school, survival is truly at stake, but achieving a turnaround is possible only if their leaders have the vision and courage to guide their institutions in the direction of life-changing innovation and renewal.