Okay, I fully admit that I have shamelessly taken the concept
for this blog from Ian Morrison and his 2011 book titled Leading Change in Health Care. I have done so because I see a clear
connection between the state of health care and the state of higher education
in America – both are an “ugly compromise among cost, quality, and access.” Where
health care is challenged in balancing these for the vulnerable and sick, higher
education is challenged in balancing these for the young and those seeking to
make a change in their lives.
The Compromise of Cost
There are many forces driving the cost of delivering higher
education and competition for students is top on the list. Institutions are
building bigger and better facilities, adding more amenities and creating
pleasing environments, all to attract and retain students. When my son and I
were touring campuses a few years ago, our running joke was how long it took
the admissions representative to talk about the world-class climbing wall. But
it’s not all about recruiting students. Institutions are under pressure to
recruit top-notch faculty with cutting-edge research projects and the
accompanying grant dollars that come with them; or those faculty members who bring
some level of prestige to the classroom based on the body of their academic
work. Finally, there has been a significant increase in non-teaching jobs on
campus to support students, faculty and the mission of the institution, sometimes
driven by unfunded federal mandates, but often simply to meet a real or
perceived need.
I was speaking to a local Rotary club recently and was asked
a question about the cost of higher education. Like many parents, he was
concerned about the rising cost of attending college and was looking for some
justification from the “expert” in the room. My answer may have shocked him. I
told him that college simply costs too much. By some estimates, the cost of
attending college has increased by more than 200% since the mid-1980s, even
when accounting for inflation. To ice the cake, this increase is outpacing the
available financial aid causing more students to borrow and graduate with increasing
debt.
The Compromise of
Quality
How often have you heard someone say they need to attend the
best college or university to ensure they have the best opportunity to get a
job? But what defines the best institutions? Are the Ivy League institutions
the best? Undoubtedly, there is a lifelong value in attending one of these
institutions. Does US News and World Report
define the best institutions? Drive along any highway in America and the billboards
certainly seem to support this conclusion. But quality is something that is
dependent on the context. There is no single accepted definition of quality.
Phillip B. Crosby defines quality as “conformance to requirements” while W. Edwards
Deming suggests quality is “meeting customer needs and wants.” Let’s explore
these two definitions in the context of higher education.
There are many requirements placed on institutions of higher
education by the public, by the accrediting bodies, by the government and by
others. Simply conforming to these requirements does not imply a quality
education – it suggests an average education. Excelling in these requirements
is quality and this is a typical way we look at institutional quality. Consider
graduation rates and job placement rates. The average graduation rate among
four-year public colleges in America is 59% (six-year rate). For young adults
(20-24) with a bachelor’s degree, the employment rate is 86%, but it is assumed
that some of these people are under-employed. For institutions to claim to
offer a quality education, excelling in these “requirements” is the standard
for quality. This is accomplished in many ways through the curriculum and the
services provided on campus.
To define quality through the lens of customer needs and wants
is a very different approach. Consider what it would look like to measure
student success through their goals. For some, it would look like graduating from
a four-year college and getting a job. Or, it could be taking a few welding
classes and then finding a good-paying job to support your family. For others,
it may be bypassing college altogether and seeking an alternative career
pathway. For the first student in the above scenarios, we would all classify
that a quality education… but not so much for the other two students. Yet, all
could be quality educational experiences with successful outcomes. Higher
education needs to embrace multiple pathways more effectively.
The Compromise of
Access
Enrollment in college reached a peak in 2010 but has been on
a steady decline of almost 5% since then. There are many supposed reasons for
this, and the improving economy is among them. Traditional aged students can
forego college and go straight to work and post-traditional students are staying
in their jobs instead of seeking new careers. But this is only part of the picture.
The 2016 election brought into light the deep concerns about the opportunity
gap in America and how many people feel left behind or left out. Many of our
institutions of higher education have been party to this concern for the reasons
discussed above. Inequities in economic opportunity and among disenfranchised
populations have not adequately been addressed in higher education and beyond
causing many to label colleges and universities as elitist and ivory tower.
But, this is misleading. While higher education has its
flaws, it is egalitarian by design with opportunities for all. Focusing on diversity
and inclusion are critical aspects of an accessible institution seeking to produce
students who will benefit from such an environment. Increased state and federal
funding are critical, but it is not the panacea we are looking for. More
education on choice is necessary – students need to understand that they do not
have to choose the elite private institution or the large state university…
they can instead start at the local community college to begin their higher education
journey. It is not all about cost when thinking about access. But, we need to
make institutions more inviting and safe places for everyone.
The Bonus
Compromise of Value
The great debate in higher education is centered on the
value of the degree: is it attained for the purpose of learning or to prepare
one for work? In practice, this may not be dichotomous, but it is often portrayed
that way. I like to think that everything we learn in college has value for our
future and that we are not educating students for their first job, but for a
career. This means that there must be a balance and a shared responsibility
among students, institutions and employers for lifelong learning. The value of
higher education is clear: those with a bachelor’s degree earn nearly $1
million more than those with a high school diploma in their lifetime.
Like the Great Compromise of 1787 when small and large states
determined our legislative structure to ensure equity, those of us in higher education
and our stakeholders must understand the nuance of cost, quality, and access
and seek to ensure that we are ever-diligent in our pursuit of value and equity.
I’ll close with the words of William Butler Yeats, “Education is not filling a
pail but the lighting of a fire.”
