In Search of Sector Leadership

Whenever I talk with people at UIA campuses and learn about the tremendous work they’re doing on behalf of students, I feel good about the future of higher education. Our campuses get it – they understand the vital role of higher ed in our society, our democracy, and our economy. They know why it’s so important to help more students earn degrees, especially students from families or communities that have been underrepresented in college. They’re working to change the whole mindset of higher ed so that it’s less exclusive and more attainable – more relevant to the lives people want to build and the communities they want to improve.

But these visits also leave me a little mystified. If there’s this much great work going on at colleges across the country, why are so many Americans antagonistic toward higher education? Why do they think we’re out of touch or out of reach? Why are more people doubting whether college is “worth it”?

While we could debate these questions for days, I think a big part of higher ed’s challenge is that many of the leaders our sector features at events and behind microphones aren’t interested in being leaders for all of higher education. They’re much more interested in promoting their own institution’s success. They buy into the zero-sum mindset that higher ed is a declining industry and they need to grab a bigger share of a smaller pie. I understand the pressure they face from boards, alumni, state legislators, and a host of other constituents. But implicit in their narrow focus is the suggestion that they’re doing things the right way while so many others are getting it wrong. This competitive mindset makes it much harder for our whole sector to work together to own where we need to improve and offer a vision for the future that centers higher ed’s role in providing something vital to students and society.

Attention is valuable, and opportunities to amplify important voices are limited, so we need to be very discerning about who we give our microphones to. I’d like to hear more from the kind of leaders we have in the UIA and that we feature on Weekly Wisdom– those demonstrating industry leadership, willing to give away their playbook, regularly host other campuses who want to learn from them, and are willing to talk about the warts and the failures as well as the successes. These are the leaders who will drive higher ed forward, rebuild our trust with Americans, and convince new generations of students that we’re working hard to make college accessible and beneficial to them.

I see real sector leadership – whether at the top of the institution, in the faculty, or in the administrative ranks – every day at the UIA. And I know they exist throughout the country, at public universities, private universities, 4-year colleges, 2-year colleges, online and in person. We need to find more of these student-first leaders who are transforming higher ed in important ways and put more microphones in their hands.

Who have you encountered – inside or outside the UIA – that should have a bigger voice in higher ed conversations?

What platforms can we use – events, podcasts, social media – to bring these leaders to the fore?