Higher Education's Road to Relevance: Navigating Complexity

Explores the current context, role, and challenges of post-secondary education and presents options for promising pathways forward.

The post-secondary educational system has undergone dramatic changes and experienced immense stress in the past two decades. Once regarded as the logical next step toward career opportunities and financial security, higher education is a subject of growing uncertainty for millions of people across the United States. It is more common than ever to question the return on investment, skyrocketing cost, and student debt burden of going to college. Prospective students, and many employers, increasingly view attending institutions of higher learning as inadequate preparation for entering the 21st century workforce. High-profile scandals―financial impropriety, sexual abuse, restrictions of free speech, among others―have further eroded public trust. In response to these and other challenges, leading voices are demanding strengthened accountability and measurable change.

Higher Education's Road to Relevance illustrates why change is needed in post-secondary education and offers practical solutions to pressing concerns. The authors, internationally recognized experts in college-level teaching and learning innovation, draw heavily from contemporary research to provide an integrative approach for post-secondary faculty, staff, and administrators of all levels. This timely book helps readers identify the need for leadership in developing new networks and ecosystems of learning and workforce development. This valuable book will help readers:

• Understand the forces driving change in higher education
• Develop multiple pathways to create and credential self-directed learners
• Promote access to flexible, cost-effective, and relevant learning
• Adapt structures and pedagogies to address issues and overcome challenges
• Use an inclusive approach that extends to employers, K-12 educators, post-secondary educators, and policy-makers, among others

Higher Education's Road to Relevance is a much-needed resource for college and university administrators, academic researchers, instructors and other faculty, and staff who support and interact with students.

Susan A. Ambrose, D.A., Professor of Education and History, is Senior Vice Chancellor for Educational Innovation at Northeastern University. She is an internationally recognized expert in college-level teaching and learning and has conducted workshops and seminars for faculty and administrators throughout the United States and around the world.

Laura A. Wankel, EdD, is the Senior Advisor for Strategic Initiatives to the Senior Vice Chancellor for Educational Innovation at Northeastern University. She has been an active member in NASPA: Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education at both the regional and national level in a number of leadership positions including Regional Vice President, Executive Committee and Chair of the NASPA Board.