Introduction: Higher Education and the Future of Work

Abstract

From 1965 through 2011, the number of students attending colleges and universities in the United States each year rose steadily from 5 million to 21 million. But since 2011, this number has declined steadily and is now down to around 19 million students per year. While this decline does not seem dramatic, it does suggest a shift in attitudes connected to the value of attending college and whether doing so is worth the financial or opportunity cost. As a result, many US colleges and universities have been rethinking their approach to traditional undergraduate education, trying to refocus their curriculum on “experiential learning” and otherwise trying to better prepare students to secure high-paying jobs upon graduation.While it is easy to understand why colleges and universities might react in this way, it is not clear that this move is correct, either as a way to better secure the financial stability of these institutions or to provide more robust educational opportunities. How you answer this question may connect to your view on the appropriate relationship between students and the university. Are students customers? That is, should the university figure out what they want and then provide it to them? If students are customers, which students are the customers? Is it the students currently attending? The 30- or 40-year-old versions of those students? Alumni? All of the above? Or, instead of customers, should students be seen like patients who visit a doctor's office? If so, how might that affect our approach to education?The following short essays all connect to these questions about the appropriate role and function of higher education and the future of work. They have been written by former and current faculty members, university administrators, and people who have held relevant positions outside of academia. Each essay connects to a number of important considerations that will hopefully provide a starting point for future discussions about the appropriate aim of traditional colleges and universities in responding or catering to real or perceived demands from the labor market, while, at the same time, preparing students to live meaningful and successful lives.