Higher Ed: Tough Times in a World Divided: Sea Changes from Every Direction and What This Means for Our Faculty, Students and Academic Leaders

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.