In last week’s issue, we highlighted articles comparing high school students’ feelings about college against the skills-based hiring movement. This week, we focus on presidents’ thoughts about that public skepticism and higher education’s future. Additionally, we look at The Chronicle’s 2024 higher education trends and the importance of IT governance in setting strategic direction on your campus.
After reading today’s issue, let us know which 2024 trend you’ll be keeping an eye on in the comments!
EDUCAUSE Quick Poll – Higher Ed IT Governance
The results from the latest EDUCAUSE QuickPoll on higher education IT governance are in! While it finds that most institutions have formal IT governance practices, their approaches and effectiveness differ.
Our Thoughts
EDUCAUSE QuickPolls are awesome at providing broad insights into institutional strategies and thoughts around a central topic. Given the increasing importance of technology to higher education, these QuickPoll results are very timely as they emphasize the significance of positioning IT governance as a strategic function within higher education institutions. This focus is crucial for institutions aiming to navigate the complexities of digital transformation and to leverage technology effectively in supporting their mission and objectives.
Hopefully, IT leaders can use the poll results to garner support from institutional senior leaders for greater autonomy of their IT governance boards, and thereby empower them to make more decisions. Although the poll revealed low student participation with IT governance boards, future-oriented institutions would do well to actively involve student leaders in IT governance decisions given the increased focus on privacy and data usage among student populations.
Transfer Student Progress
from New report shows transfers rising among disadvantaged groups | Inside Higher Ed
A new report from the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center reveals that transfer student populations have risen this year, a hopeful sign for higher education.
Our Thoughts
After years of declines, a notable increase in transfer rates among students, particularly those from historically disadvantaged groups, is exciting news! The rise in transfers, especially students moving from two-year institutions to four-year institutions, suggests growing student mobility and the pursuit of better academic and career opportunities.
This trend underscores the importance of creating more accessible and supportive pathways for transfer students, addressing equity issues, and enhancing the alignment between community colleges and four-year institutions to facilitate smoother transitions and improve academic outcomes. Clean and accurate transfer student data will be a key to successfully improving transfer student pathways and experiences.
2024 Trends from The Chronicle of Higher Education
from The Trends Report 2024 | The Chronicle of Higher Education
The Chronicle highlights trends they are monitoring for 2024 including campus inclusivity, budgets and faculty activism, and the continued transformation of higher education by AI.
Our Thoughts
Trend reports from informed and influential news sources such as The Chronicle are always worth a few minutes as they provide keen insights into what the upcoming year might bring for higher education. These reports are different from prediction style articles in that they simply reflect critical shifts and challenges within the sector instead of attempting to forecast what will come next.
The trends covered in their 2024 report signify fundamental concerns around financial stability, legal influence, diversity and inclusion efforts, and technological advancements. Each of these affect the strategic direction, policy formulation, and operational effectiveness of higher education institutions.
Understanding and addressing these trends is crucial for ensuring the resilience, relevance, and social responsibility of higher education in a rapidly evolving landscape. As an educational technology company, we are most interested in seeing where AI goes in higher education this year and will be following its path closely.
Annual President’s Survey
from Presidents’ survey finds optimism amid uncertainty | Inside Higher Ed
Inside Higher Ed‘s 14th annual survey of College and University Presidents finds that many institutional presidents are confident about their own institution’s future, but less so about higher education in general.
Our Thoughts
By now, you can see how much we value surveys, polls, etc. as they provide tremendous insight into specific topics in higher education. These surveys of presidents are especially insightful as presidents set the direction for their campuses, so their thoughts and feelings about the sector have a significant impact.
The current survey reveals key insights, reflecting a mix of optimism and concern among leaders regarding their institutions and the broader landscape of higher education. Understanding these perspectives is crucial for addressing challenges and leveraging opportunities within the sector.
Specifically, presidents’ somewhat ambivalent attitudes about AI are fascinating, given the number of articles detailing AI’s current and future impacts on higher education. With so many priorities competing for their attention, perhaps this simply indicates that presidents have not had appropriate time to consider AI’s impacts and use on their campuses?
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