Hope in Higher Education

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Hope in Higher Education

Many feel there is no hope for higher education institutions in light of recent closures and widening relevancy, expediency, and outcomes gaps. The debilitating cost of higher education degrees seems to be commensurate with the dysfunctional management systems used to run these institutions. Customer experiences (parents and students) are rough and ragged as they navigate the disconnect between perception and reality when their child’s student experience does not meet expectations and when end-users (employers) do not see the outcomes of the parents’ and students’ investment in time and money align with current needs and positions. This isn’t only a higher education issue but I will just be looking at their perspective in this post.

The relevancy gap is starting to close as colleges and universities form partnerships with organizations but this can be a double-edge-sword if not carefully managed. But for the most part, for now, the benefits are high for it is my hope that expediency gaps can start to close as higher educational institutions learn about better management systems and business processes from the organizations with which they partner. It is also my hope that organizations will work with higher educational institutions to clarify the outcomes language, assessment, and standards that will balance the needs of the individual with the needs of the organization. But my personal hopes do not create hope for higher education institutions. This hope lies in their own ability to cut the crap that has created these gaps. I’ll break it down…

As higher education organizations, we look at what we need to deliver that is new and fresh and also meets consumer needs. We look at what we can build that uses our existing processes, procedures, and infrastructure. We think we’re being frugal and responsible. We don’t, however, look hard enough to see if the pieces of infrastructure we are going to rely upon are as effective as they need to be and if they can contribute value to our new additions. We’re fooling ourselves if we don’t honestly assess each component first. The crap starts here.

What others need and want cannot be accurately ascertained by data and trends alone. If we are not asking the right questions we won’t get the answers we need. We may think that consumers want certain types of offerings and build them, but we often assume away foundational needs that we still don’t provide, or provide well. If our foundation is weak, so will be our new offerings delivery.

(Tip: if you are reluctant to ask a question, you probably need to know the answer!)

Employee satisfaction is more important that cutting edge offerings because people deliver everything to the consumer and can tank or elevate any and every experience. We underestimate this at our own peril.

We must hold onto our organization’s integrity when looking at the partnership route. We don’t want to over specialize and lose sight of our purpose in society. Here is a great example that captures the human side of the equation:

“In today’s job market, vocational and technical skills change constantly. A liberal arts education lays the foundation that allows students to be flexible, to ride the waves, to create their own job descriptions, to find meaningful work that brings all their joys and talents to bear. These four years are not to prepare for a single job…they are preparation for any job, for a lifetime of work, for a lifetime of satisfaction.” —Lorraine Sterritt, President, Saint Michael’s College, Colchester, Vermont, USA

© 2019 Stacie L L Morgan. All rights reserved.