"The Times They Are A-Changing" - For Higher Education?

This Fall marks a half century of my higher-education experience. I honestly remember my first college class at 8:00 am on the first day of classes in Fall 1973 at a very small state college that I commuted to. The class was Calculus for Scientists (I was a biology major). The reason I have clear recollection is because I walked out of there at 8:50 when the class ended panicked and thinking, “what the blank am I getting myself into?!” Somehow, I managed to pass the course and I never did calculus ever again, but I did get my bachelor’s in biology and after two stints in graduate school, post docs at medical schools, and a faculty career, here I am.

As years passed and my career evolved, I knew I made the right choice. I grew up in an American culture deeply immersed in a space race after the “humiliation” of Sputnik and the nation supported unprecedented growth of science and technology in virtually all fields. Friends and I daydreamed of becoming the next John Glenn or Jacques Cousteau (some may need to Google Jacques!); others aspired to be Paul McCartney, Mick Jagger, or David Crosby. As a graduate student, post doc, and faculty member, I believed it was a privilege to spend my days exploring what made cells “tick” and why and how they react to changes in their environment. I was paid to ask new questions about the world and share what I knew with students in the classroom and laboratory, help them ask their own questions, and pursue answers. I believed universities were special, perhaps sacred, places where facts and truth reigned and contrasting ideas, hypotheses, and opinions were respected, and the scientific method or healthy and constructive debate led to greater understanding. Universities were expected to make contributions to improve society and lives through investment in discovery in all human endeavors. Universities bore the responsibility for educating next generations of deep thinkers and innovative problem solvers because “we” wouldn’t be around forever; students needed to know all we did and how to use knowledge. It felt like academe was entrusted, in part, with the future of the planet and humanity and we appropriately took it seriously. What I observe today is that the passion that drives professional academics has not changed. However, the societal landscape in which higher education exists has.

According to much literature and credible surveys of late, there are in America significant and growing segments of our population who doubt the value and purpose of higher education. This is attributed to multiple factors, not the least of which are the “usual suspects” – politics and economics. As neither a politician nor economist (remember, I barely got through calculus), I’ll let you dive into the leaf pile of literature and analysis framing the debate on why college costs more. What I feel qualified to speak to is what we as professionals should do in this current reality.

First, let’s face reality. Whether true and measurable or not, the negative sentiment about higher education is out there and it is having an impact on higher education. We cannot hide from it, so let’s face it and face it together. Regardless of our position at the university, we should all be partners in action. What can we do about it? We should return to the roots of our choice to become professional academics in the first place. We should objectively question how we as a society got to this place in time. Being skilled at inquiry, we should understand as best we can what the issues are and why. As educators, let’s teach constituencies what higher education is and isn’t with patience and professionalism. Higher education as an institution has much to be proud of and can make an indisputably strong case for relevance. Throughout the year, I see at USU the many accomplishments and contributions faculty and students make. This is never more apparent than at tenure and promotion time when I fill with awe and pride reading faculty dossiers. Faculty passion, success, and dedication to the profession are impressive. I also see USU as a huge and complex university machine that runs remarkably well because of gifted and devoted staff who are responsible for the nuts and bolts that hold the institution together. We all have one thing in common, which is that we want to improve and change lives and the planet – and we do that for real – every day!

We’ve got to do a better job of getting that news out to the public but also to our best ambassadors for our profession – our students. At the same time, we must use our skill, training, and intelligence to address legitimate concerns about higher education expressed both externally and internally to the institution. As human products, universities are imperfect, but we are uniquely positioned to use our ability and talent to solve problems and become better. Academic professionals are, by nature, explorers and should find and provide new and innovative opportunities for learning and discovery that address real, visible, and concerning problems and needs in our present landscape. 

A half century in academe and I’ve never been more certain and optimistic about the value and importance – the necessity – of higher education today. Its foundational principles are enduring, but at the same time, dynamic and adaptable. Every new academic year feels like an exciting fresh start. Let’s embrace these times to change in ways that achieve our mission and use that positive energy to never miss an opportunity to advance understanding of the benefits, importance, and indispensable role of higher education.