Changes are coming to American higher education, changes which for the most part are being forced upon it from outside the institutions of higher learning. This is a good thing. For far too long colleges and universities have been immune from competitive pressures to reform both teaching and business practices, as the children of baby boom generation parents ensured a steady supply of incoming students who – because of state and federal programs and practice – generated a steady stream of cash supplied by financial aid packages and the like. For example, from 1977 to 2020 (in 2020 inflation-adjusted dollars), state and local government spending on higher education increased from $111 billion to $321 billion (189 percent increase).”1
However, now, with the sons and daughters of the baby boom generation moving beyond college age, colleges and universities are facing a rapid decline – the so-called “cliff” – of incoming students starting in 2025. This cliff means colleges will increasingly compete for fewer and fewer students, with predictions coming that more and more smaller colleges – most specifically, those without large endowments – will merge or close. Consequently, colleges and universities will increasingly have to tighten their belts, look for programming more relevant to today’s societal need, consider more efficient business models, and seek out alternative funding sources.
Additionally, there are larger cultural forces at work that will compound the situation. State and federal laws involving diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) have forced universities to rethink hiring policies, teaching practices, and administrative initiatives. The recent 29 June 2023 Supreme Court cases, Students for Fair Admissions, Inc. (SFFA) v. University of North Carolina and SFFA v. President & Fellows of Harvard College, ruled the use of race as a decision factor in college admissions is a violation of the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment. The ruling effectively ended race conscious admissions. It also prompted many to push for an end to legacy admissions, which itself will further upend traditional practices not to mention funding approaches and resources.
William Torrey
William Paul Wanker
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