When I began my career in higher education, a college degree was universally viewed as part of the American dream. It was promised as a ticket to a flourishing life, and families would sacrifice almost anything to get their children into a university.
Today, the American view has shifted. As I interact with alumni, community leaders, and prospective families across the country, I hear a growing concern. They still believe in academic rigor and culture, but they are worried that the financial and cultural cost is too high to risk having their beliefs questioned and torn down. They look at the modern landscape on campuses and no longer see a place that will propel their child’s future. Instead, they see an unpredictable and expensive gamble.
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This shift in public perception of higher education was highlighted in a recent poll conducted by Gallup and Lumina.
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The numbers tell a sobering truth that many of us in the academic world have sensed for years. Overall public confidence in higher education has plummeted to just 36%, a massive drop from the 57% confidence mark seen just a decade ago. Even more cause for concern is that 68% of people now say higher education is heading in the wrong direction.
When you look deeper into why the public is turning away, the reasons become more jarring. Among those who have lost confidence in higher education, 41% cite a frustration with perceived political agendas and ideological indoctrination that prevents students from thinking for themselves. Another 37% point directly to a failure to teach relevant workforce skills.
As a university president, I see these numbers as a massive wake-up call that was long overdue for the entire higher education industry. The traditional model of higher education is broken and must adapt if it wants to remain a viable option for students after high school.
Higher education must listen to what this survey has brought forward and adjust its course. Universities have a clear mission, and that mission is not to indoctrinate students with ideologies and political agendas. The job of a university is to educate and prepare students to be teachers, doctors, and business leaders. Classrooms must start becoming places where students learn how to think and converse instead of being told what to think.
True higher learning should expand the minds of students. To successfully adapt, institutions must intentionally protect viewpoint diversity. Higher education must create campus environments where students feel safe to voice unpopular opinions, engage in discourse, and challenge assumptions without the fear of social or academic penalties.
The skills taught in college should be the ones that give students the best chance to become successful. For too long, higher education has prioritized abstract theory over practical application. Universities have isolated academic programs from the realities of the modern economy, leaving too many graduates with mountains to climb and a foggy path toward a career.
To correct this, we must form partnerships with industry leaders to ensure our degree programs teach high-demand skills. Career preparation and real-world experience must be embedded into the educational journey from Day 1. A degree needs to regain and retain its status as a functional, high-value asset in a highly competitive labor market.
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These statistics are not the death of higher education, but they are clear warning signs that provide a clear manual on how to save it. The American people still desire personal growth and professional opportunity that a college degree can provide, but they are demanding an entirely different approach from university leaders.
It is time for colleges and universities to take accountability, transform the classroom, and meet the demands of the real world. Only then will graduation and a bachelor’s degree return to its true form, providing genuine opportunities for students instead of shoving them over a financial and emotional cliff.
Kent Ingle is the president of Southeastern University. He is also the author of several leadership books and the host of the Framework Leadership podcast. Find Kent Ingle on LinkedIn and X or on his website.