Dig.ni.fy Winter Issue - January 2024 | Page 138

facts, stats, and trends surrounding not just competitive pressures within higher education but changing demographics, economic projections, industry demands, and

technological advances would ensure a more “objective” analysis was brought forth. Equally, if faculty and staff are not willing to listen to these experts and/or embrace the change recommended, institutions should replace these individuals with turnaround specialists who can make the necessary changes to ensure the institution continues not just to survive but thrive. The competition for an ever-decreasing pool of applicants is simply too intense, and the risks – particularly, for smaller liberal arts institutions whether public or private – of closing is simply too great.

And the discussion surrounding change is most relevant to smaller liberal arts institutions without large endowments. They have the most to lose; and if interventions are done properly, the most to gain. So, building off what Winston Churchill once said – “Never let a good crisis go to waste” – why not rethink what might be possible? Why not shoot for the stars? It was Machiavelli who said, “the skillful archer, who seeing that the object he would hit is distant, and knowing the range of his bow, takes aim much above the destined mark; not designing that his arrow should strike so high, but that flying high it may alight at the point intended.”54

Reimagining the Liberal Arts College

Given what has been discussed, what might a reimagined liberal arts college be?

It would be an open but safe, secure, and healthy community defined by its physical presence, online reach, and societal relevance. Traditional liberal arts with its emphasis on the development of knowledge and critical thinking skills would be joined with the deep scientific training and exploration using tools – coding, data science, algorithmic applications, machine learning, robotics, and artificial intelligence – required for obtaining a job and being a productive member of society. Faculty would not be defined solely as the keepers of knowledge, but as guides to students who were themselves participating in a journey of discovery. Materials would remain the same, methods would depend upon the subject, and the medium would change given the environment, but the magic granted by learning and doing would remain.

This would, of course, require robust and highly flexible IT infrastructure and systems to support operations and student learning, whether inside the classroom or outside in some nontraditional environment. It is through such infrastructure and systems that the data can be gleaned to inform decisions, support personal interventions, assess and aid student learning, and generate more effective programming and more efficient operations.

Bringing it all together would also realize what has been termed the “virtuous cycle of engagement,” which would go a long way in not only facilitating teaching and learning but solve the retention problems suffered by so many institutions. As applied to higher education, this would be realized across four components:

 

Enrollment - Engage staff and technology to respond quickly and accurately to web enquiries, calls, emails, etc., so to identify and recruit potential students both for increasing enrollment and more importantly for vesting them and their parents in the college experience.

 

Academics - Once on campus, engage students with highly skilled faculty and staff who bring quality instruction and programming to the acquisition of skills and personal growth.

 

Support - Administrators and staff work to improve the value proposition, by engaging technology, business practices, and ongoing professional development to ensure students receive a quality education at an affordable price.

 

Achievement - Engaging surveys and assessments, all community members work to improve outcomes and increase satisfaction, so

Achievement - Engaging surveys and assessments, all community members work to improve outcomes and increase satisfaction, so students and parents support a return to school next year – thereby providing financial stability and sustainability, and the cycle continues.

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