Sector

The following factors should be considered with respect to changes in the higher education sector, partner organizations, marketplace competition and resource availability.

Recruiting and retaining best-fit students

Competition for best-fit student and faculty/staff talent will continue.

  • Recognition of the need to recruit and retain students from historically underrepresented populations.

International student recruitment

More aggressive international student recruitment in foreign markets will be necessary.

  • Fewer viable international markets

Higher education's role in creating a more open and fair society is challenegd by the current populist tendency toward rejecting internationalism and globalization.   

"Between 2007–2008 to 2015–2016, the number of international students in the United States increased by 67 percent to reach 1,043,839. At the same time, the economic benefits from the presence of international students on American campuses increased by 111 percent to reach US$32.8 billion. This clearly indicates that the financial contributions of international students have outpaced the
increase in enrollment." Are International Students “Cash Cows”? Rahul Choudaha, International Higher Education, 2017

Public opinion of higher education

Public opinion with respect to the value of higher education will continue to shift and evolve.

"For a Trump voter in an economically depressed area, the relative prosperity of a nearby public university may only serve to underscore broader frustrations with financial disparity and skepticism about the use of taxpayer dollars." A Humbling of Higher Ed, The Chronicle of Higher Education, 11/11/16

"Many people involved describe [leveraging vast amounts of buying power, political clout and research capacity to do permanent good] as a return to a time when higher education saw itself as contributing to the public interest rather than solely training students for careers." More universities and colleges reach out to boost their home communities, The Hechinger Report, 12/22/16

Future institutional funding

The model for institutional funding is evolving.

  • Fewer state/federal funds
  • Increased need for corporate partnerships and philanthropy

Updating facilities

Increased need for state-of-the-art facilities to remain competitive.

"Public higher education is at a tipping point in the United States. It is an essential public good that is suffering from an unprecedented erosion of public support, with potentially devastating consequences for our students and our economy." After years of neglect, public higher education is at a tipping point, The Washington Post, 10/7/2016

Reputational risks of accreditation loss

  • Diminished reputation resulting from program/unit accreditation loss
  • Diminished reputation resulting from athletics cuts/program changes

Marketing and communications competition

  • Realization of the importance of marketing/communications has intensified competition, and increased resource demand (e.g., paid advertising)
  • Focus on operational excellence, institution-wide, will require a significant education and communication component

University libraries

The nature of university libraries, and how they serve campus community, is evolving.