I was reading Peter Stokes' article "How colleges can do better at helping students get jobs" in the Chronicle of Higher Education and was struck by a random thought. This post is not a reflection (pun intended) of the quality or purpose of the article, simply the path my mind took while reading it. And an upfront acknowledgement that I am going to anthropomorphize the heck out of higher education in this post (something I always tell students to avoid). ***Also this is not as in-depth or critically examined as something I would normally post - because sometimes you just need to let your brain by creative.
 Photo: Public Domain (Pixabay) | I've been thinking about what higher education was, is, and should be in this ever-changing world. Pardon the simplistic simile, but I've been viewing higher education as being like a mirrored ball. It hangs in the air, above the dance floor, casting light and shadows across the room. The closer you get to it, the more clearly you can see your reflection, but the less fantastic the effect - from far away it is difficult to identify a specific image, but it provides a sort of glittery colorful brilliance. Higher education acts much the same way in society. From far away, you only have the vaguest notion of what you are seeing - but there is still some sense of sparkle to it. A closer look allows you to see that it is far more multi-faceted than you might have first imagined, but if you look closely you will see at least a small piece of yourself staring back. |
Let's bump this comparison to a different level... each mirror on the ball is in a unique place, provides a different perspective, serves a different function, and yet adds to the overall impression. So I started thinking about all of the different aspects of higher ed, how we see them (and how they see us), and how they all fit together to form a grander illusion.
| Should higher education institutions ever wonder where they are going in the future, I would prompt them to take a close look at where they have already been. Some of the past trips might have been super focused, intense, Dad-driven journeys with a specific destination (that you would make on-time even if that meant never taking a potty break). Others might have been scenic and enjoyable, the kind where you stopped and explored along the way. When you think fondly of those first trips it's important to consider that many of those roads may now be in ill-repair or completely abandoned. |  Photo: Public Domain (Pixabay) |
 Photo: Public Domain (Pixabay) | Chances are, higher ed is so geared towards reaching for the future that the focus is on the stretch of road before us we can't even see - or maybe we are playing catch-up to someone who looks like they will make it there first. We are trying to prepare students for jobs that don't yet exist. Considering the fast-paced growth of the world around us, it becomes imperative to be constantly pushing higher education forward into the unknown - attempting to predict what knowledge, skills, and attributes tomorrow's citizens will need. t's no fun to glimpse your reflection in someone else's rear view mirror when you feel you are in a race to reach the next big destination. |
 Photo: Public Domain (Wikipedia) | -----> taking the corporate route <------ instead of retaining individuality (Go Cubbies - first appearance in World Series since 1945) |  Photo: Public Domain (Wikipedia) |
Employers are voicing a concern that college graduates are not adequately prepared to step into the workplace with both domain specific and broadly applicable skills. This begs the question: is the primary purpose of higher education to produce the next workforce or is it a place to promote the value of knowledge and thinking? Corporate partnerships are not a new phenomenon, but there is a piece of me that worries (yes I am voicing an opinion) that the emphasis will be placed on workforce preparation. Might it go so far as to see higher ed institutions align themselves with corporations in an effort to produce students who are specifically trained and endorsed for a certain type of career. I imagine things like the University of Google (not affiliated with the urban dictionary version of UG), Exxon University, or the state Wal-Mart school.
 Photo: Public Domain (Pixabay) | Maybe it's worth stopping to take a little time to understand what we look like to the outside world. We exist in an ever increasingly globalized society. Higher education in the United States has a responsibility to develop itself in light of what the rest of the world wants and needs. Is higher education reflecting it's best qualities and expending the energy to understand how we are seen by our surrounding communities, other institutions, by the general populace, and even in the eyes of the rest of the world? Often what we think (hope) we are doing and what we are perceived as doing are entirely different things. |  Photo: Public Domain (Pixabay) |
 Photo: Public Domain (Pixabay) | No matter what, it's vital for higher education institutions to stop and look at what it is in this given moment. With so many separate pieces, it can be difficult to pull them all together to make a single comprehensive picture. We must take the time to inspect every element of who we are in this moment, identify where the cracks are, investigate why they might be there, and consider how to go about mending them. |
| Who knows? We might uncover some hidden talents within our faculty/administration or discover some flaws that can only be seen as a result of looking at our institution from a new perspective. ***perhaps they will find that quality teaching should be valued as equally as funded research or finally acknowledge that the traditional tenure process does not necessarily promote a positive community of scholarship. |  Copyright: The Roy Export Company Establishment |
 Photo: Public Domain (Pixabay) | Likely, our best options is building up and out from where we are, provided the foundation appears to be strong. It is vital to draw on our existing structure and reinforce the foundations. Once this is accomplished, we can build on those as a way to grow and reach new heights. |
| Yet, others may argue that what we think we see is merely an illusion. We have a set of expectations about what higher education is meant to be, how it should look, and what it should accomplish - with the reality being that there is so much more hidden behind the surface that isn't being adequately reflected in our conversations about higher education. Those individuals may advocate for replacing what is there with something completely new and different. |  Photo: Public Domain (Faxo) |
 Copyright: Mercury Productions | Should all colleges and universities look the same? Same curricula, same culture, same goals? Are we interested in moving higher education towards mere replication of a single "greatest" model? |
A reflection on higher education is so much more than simply seeing what is there. It's a process of knowing who we are, what we want, what we don't want, accepting our flaws, dreaming of our future, seeing the parts of ourselves we choose to ignore or are afraid to face, and attempting to see ourselves through the eyes of others.
 Copyright: Veteran Vision Project |  Copyright: Tom Hussey |
 Copyright: Everett Collection | In the end, the one thing of which I am certain is that I still want to be a part of making positive changes to the field of higher education. I want to join in with faculty who are committed to the fight and willing to work together to create something better. I am not interested in merely being a monkey in someone else's circus. |
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