It has been nearly 200 years since Thomas Jefferson, founder of one of our nation’s great universities, died. If he were to return to our much-changed country today, one of the few places he would likely recognize would be the college campus. In addition to being our nation’s oldest institutions, colleges and universities have been some of the slowest to change.
Since Jefferson’s time, every other industry has experienced dramatic changes, and the rate of this change significantly accelerated during and since the pandemic. From media to banking, medicine to retail, industries have radically evolved. They’ve had to adapt for long-term sustainability, whether by making choices such as going online, restructuring personnel, or closing a certain number of stores. As much as we may think or wish otherwise, higher education is not immune to these pressures.
Yet, those of us in higher education and our stakeholders often view adaptation as a threat. How can we expect higher education to continue providing the same set of services in the same way it has for generations without adapting to societal changes? While we embrace change in other areas of our lives, we expect higher education to remain largely as it has for centuries. But we do so at our peril.
Higher education has reached a critical juncture. Student demographics, workforce needs, and the perception of a college degree’s value have all evolved. The time has come to embrace our evolution into modern, agile, market-sensitive institutions. Only then can we continue to serve today’s students and remain the force for knowledge and personal transformation that our nation relies upon.
Reframing programmatic changes
This change must begin with open, honest conversations with faculty, students, trustees, and alumni and a transparent review of our programs and curriculum. Too often, decisions to sunset or restructure programs are viewed as failures and occur only when all other options have been exhausted, but these considerations are vital. The idea that institutions must be all things to all people, especially in the face of shrinking funding and enrollment and increasingly negative public opinion, is unrealistic. This refusal to change has not only caused us to struggle financially but has also led to criticisms that higher education is out of touch and irrelevant.
To secure the future of our colleges and universities, we must normalize regular programmatic and curriculum review. Doing so ensures we offer students relevant, engaging programs while leveraging technology and partnerships. Almost universally, decisions like downsizing or program elimination, or even program redesign are framed negatively. Instead, we should focus on what we are gaining—timely and pertinent programs that meet students’ needs and are career-focused, flexible, and diverse.
To be clear, the humanities and other programs that make up the traditional foundations of a higher education degree are still as relevant and necessary as ever–business leaders consistently tell us this. Still, it is imperative that we continually verify that the size, scope, and design of our offerings are meeting student and workforce demands.
Financial responsibility and transparent decision-making
At the same time, we must maximize financial resources and remain responsible stewards of state and federal funds. Institutions must make clear-eyed assessments of their value and identify areas where others may be better positioned to provide particular classes or programs. We need to work with policymakers to incentivize smart decision-making and communicate clearly with students and stakeholders about why changes are necessary. Are we truly serving our students if we provide undersubscribed programs at the expense of in-demand ones?
These are difficult conversations that few in higher education welcome, but they are essential. And these are the conversations we must have to ensure our institutions remain capable of educating and preparing students for an increasingly complex future.
A bold plan delivers results at Elizabeth City State University
Elizabeth City State University (ECSU) demonstrates what’s possible when an institution takes on these difficult conversations. In 2014, facing plummeting enrollment, leadership turnover, and potential closure, ECSU leaders brought together faculty, staff, students, and administrators to craft the Nurturing Student Success from Admittance to Graduation Plan. This coordinated effort overhauled processes, embraced new technologies, and prioritized student success.
By 2020, ECSU had implemented a streamlined curriculum, improved advising, and launched innovative technology solutions to enhance efficiency and the student experience. The results were transformative: dramatic improvements in four-year graduation rates, first-year retention, enrollment, and more.
Today, ECSU is considered a national model. The university was recognized in 2022 as the best HBCU for economic returns in the U.S. by DegreeChoices and as the No. 1 HBCU for helping low-income students achieve economic success by Third Way. The key to this success lies in the collaborative spirit and effective communication among ECSU’s leadership, staff, and faculty, ensuring student success at every level.
Collaboration as a path forward
As ECSU’s example shows us, collaboration across the institution is essential to driving positive change. That spirit of collaboration can have even more power when applied between institutions. In Jefferson’s time or even 20 years ago, failure to offer a program at one university could leave students in that area without any alternatives. No longer. Colleges now collaborate to offer students robust courses, pooling resources and expertise to ensure access. Institutions must focus on programs where they excel and collaborate on areas where demand or expertise is lacking. This transformation extends beyond tweaking old curricula—it requires reimagining how we offer education–through solutions such as experiential, interdisciplinary, and distance learning, and more. We have relied too heavily on anecdotal evidence in higher education for far too long–data about student demand, job market needs, and business trends should drive these decisions.
Leading the necessary transformation to sustain and empower higher education to remain the driving force for knowledge, personal development, and success will require proactive decision-making, strategic collaboration, and transparent communication with all stakeholders. Institutions that make bold moves today will thrive, continuing to provide meaningful, relevant education to future generations. Regional public universities are uniquely positioned to do this work and lead the way in reframing the conversation about the value of college and re-establishing the higher education degree as the unequivocal key to social and economic mobility.
Elizabeth City State University is an AASCU member institution.