Education Report Card

Abstract

American educational institutions have already weathered some difficult storms in the first two years of this decade. The outlook for 1992 promises continuing challenges. Surviving bad economic times and regaining public trust are two of the major issues confronting U.S. higher education. Accountability is the name of the game, said Connie Stewart, vice president for university relations, Emory University, Atlanta, GA. Budget problems throughout the state and, indeed, the nation, are forcing all of us to place even more emphasis on prioritizing and cost effectiveness. There has been an erosion in the '90s of public confidence in authority figures everywhere, added Gail Raiman, vice president for public affairs, National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities, (NAICU), Washington, DC. For a long time, education was regarded as an ivory tower. Now it is seen as vulnerable, with the same problems as the rest of society. Higher education was the last major American institution to fall from grace, commented Roger Williams, assistant vice president and executive director of university relations, Pennsylvania State University, University Park. had a nice, protected statu until the late 1980s, when a series of unrelated incidents from misreporting the use of government funds to scientific fraud, animal welfare, and so-called tuition price-fixing began to undermine public confidence in higher education. Now we have to begin work on the long road back toward (regaining) public trust. The task of restoring public confidence in a recessionary economy has set a demanding public relations agenda for educational institutions. Morever, their effectiveness in implementing that agenda will have an impact on the health of American education far beyond 1992. Academia's efforts to recoup confidence and solvency will be made under the watchful eye of the media, which has played a significant role in detailing education's woes. Such scrutiny is likely to continue, according to Frank Dobisky, president, Dobisky Associates, a Keene, NH-based public relations consulting firm specializing in higher education. Recently, the have become more aggressive in covering he said. Reporters, especially on the national level, are more sophisticated about how education works and they are covering it from a consumer vantage point, not one of awe. The best way to deal with scrutiny is, as always, honesty. There is no question that education is being held more accountable by students, parents, the public, and the media noted Raiman. People are concerned about what private colleges and universities are doing to keep costs down while trying to maintain quality and accessibility. They want to know how financial aid policies are determined, and what educators are doing to increase diversity on campus. Educational instituions, Raiman added, meet these issues head on. Just as the are being more aggressive in covering education, we must be more aggressive in educating the public opinion leaders. We need to use clear language, not academic jargon. We have to go to these opinion leaders instead of waiting for them to come to us. Reinforce belief value In the state of Maryland, where education has been particularly hard hit by budget cuts, administrators are shaping strategies to assure legislators and the public that dollars invested in education are indeed well-spent. Our major focus in the coming year will be building support among taxpayers for public higher said John Lippincott, director of public relations for the University of Maryland system in Adelphi. must reinforce the belief in the value of higher education and convince people that we are well-managed and spending our money wisely. Academic productivity will be a key component. We have to respond to stories about high-priced faculty members teaching just one course. …