“What mega trends do you see unfolding over the course of the next decade, and how should ‘our’ university prepare for the changes ahead?”
The question quoted above was the lead-in for an article in the most recent edition of our oldest daughter’s collegiate magazine.
The article spotlighted a forum held last fall during which the university president had convened a group of business executives, representing alumni, trustees and parents, for the express intent of having a conversation around this particular question.
As with most institutions, her college takes pride in its achievements, and works hard to keep a competitive edge. Almost Ivy in appearance with a blend of well-maintained older brick buildings interspersed with newer architecture on a beautiful landscape in a small Southern town, it provides visitors with a wonderful sense of community, academic priorities, student leadership and growth.
But, as with other privileged and historic enclaves of learning, there is that omnipresent fine edge which university caretakers must keep sharp between the past and the future; keeping mindful that not only do both exist, but that they are vitally important to institutional success, and are interdependent.
Keeping that edge sharp requires leaders who can balance classical tradition, learning fundamentals, and the canon with societal change, the global marketplace and a morphing culture.
Simply, it is determining how best to prepare students for their lives upon graduation.
Thus the above question regarding mega trends.
According to the president’s report, the major themes that resulted from the two-day forum were as follows:
• Pursue internationalization aggressively.
• Have a foundation of knowledge and skills for lifelong learning.
• Present students with ill-structured problems.
• Students must learn from failure.
• Teach entrepreneurship.
• Model civility and values for students to take into the world.
In reading about these themes, three major thoughts came to mind.
The first was that the world facing graduates today is chaotic. Not just chaotic in a political, military or social sense; but chaotic in that geographical, cultural, commercial and technological boundaries are often fluid, and blurred.
Much of the global landscape upon which the working world and business community rests is less structured than in prior decades. It is more dynamic; and as such, not just ideas, but many products, services, and even companies have what could be described as shallow roots.
Such an appreciation requires that graduates have flexibility and the capacity to be nimble and adaptive in order to best be competitive, marketable and successful.
For a student leaving college and starting a career path, this world view requires a duality of undergraduate preparation.
On one hand, students will need to be open-minded and receptive towards alternative and unconventional business approaches, multiple lines of sight with regards to problem solving, and diverse cultural vantage points.
But secondly, they will need to complement the above with maturity, perspicacity and strength of character that improves the bounce back after failure.
The core values and the fundamentals that they have learned will be the currency that will allow them to traverse that ever-changing landscape.
My second thought centered on how all of this reflects added challenges for universities. Besides the obvious goal of ensuring academic achievement, colleges must now also model values, civility and problem-solving skills to be imbued within their student body.
Perhaps in generations past, these concerns would be taught through close parenting and family focus. But within our current American culture, too often the end game of name- college admission or financial security is instead stressed to young people, thus obscuring the need to engage a growth process that will instill those character traits, maturity and skill sets before entering college.
Last was the observation that universities are increasingly dependent upon the real world and commercial successes and failures to guide them.
A century ago, institutions of higher education adhered to a core curriculum, designed to prepare graduates in various fields. Now, those same institutions crave feedback and direction from that real world to ensure that their goals are realistic and meaningful, and that their objectives are relevant and attainable. Insularity is a thing of the past.
In summary, universities need to constantly assess not only the educational preparedness of the students to whom they offer admission, but also the career preparedness of their graduates. The partnership role of the business community in higher education has never been more valued. •
Dr. Michael A. Battey, a partner in Rhode Island Foot Care Inc., lives in East Greenwich. He publishes a column on parenting and family issues in weekly newspapers.
