June, 2005 - As the college-going rate among high school students has increased, so, too, have the expectations that students and their families have for colleges. In this series of statements, liberal arts college presidents discuss how public expectations have changed in the past two decades and how colleges are responding to growing demands.
Christopher B. Nelson
President of St. John's College
(443) 716-4011
There is pressure on colleges to adopt a philosophy which says that the customer is always right and a college exists only to sell what the customer wants rather than help students learn what they ought to want because it is good in itself. We’ve seen a climate in which a consumer mentality governs everything, and the most important outcome of an education is a marketable degree.
Our response is to hold true to our mission. If liberal arts colleges fall prey to the fancies of our age, or fail to resist the challenges to our mission, we risk becoming a part of the indistinguishable mass of schools who do what they’re told -- by their governments, their students, or their marketplace -- rather than what they believe to be right. We should challenge our students to aspire to something more than making a living, that is, to make a life worth living.
Walter M. Bortz III
President of Hampden-Sydney College
(434) 223-6110
wbortz@hsc.edu
The current expectations of parents and students for liberal arts colleges results, in part, from the acceleration of a trend that began with the GI Bill of Rights and the thousands of veterans who attended college following World War II. Prior to World War II, the goal of a liberal arts education was decidedly not occupational. The clergymen, doctors and lawyers who were products of liberal arts colleges received their professional training through advanced study. For undergraduates, there existed a distinction between the liberal arts colleges and more occupation-oriented land grant universities. The desire that began after World War II for undergraduate education to be occupationally oriented has increased to the extent that now parents and students demand to know specifically the career to which the curriculum will lead.
Even very traditional liberal arts colleges, including Hampden-Sydney, have made adjustments in their curricula. However, liberal arts colleges serve their students best by not forgetting that careers and technologies change; basic skills do not. The liberal arts promote thoroughness, intellectual curiosity, logical thinking and clarity of expression. These are the life-long occupational benefits of a liberal arts education, and time will not render them obsolete.
Jake B. Shrum
President of Southwestern University
(512) 863-1770
hillb@southwestern.edu
Today’s technology allows parents to be more intricately involved in
their students’ collegiate experience. Students now call Mom or Dad on
their cell phones or e-mail them, rather than approach faculty or staff.
Institutionally, we find our perspective considered later, if at all,
as families address the challenges that arise during the college years.
Southwestern has responded to these changes by fostering a partnership
with families that embraces the close connections our students have
with their parents, while allowing students to grow and develop. Our
Parent Orientation Program gives families a tool kit to help their
students during the transition to college life. Our Student Life
program offers a wealth of social and leadership experiences for
students. Participation in these student groups and activities promotes
greater engagement and comfort with an array of University staff, while
encouraging students to be independent and to develop confidence in
their own decision-making abilities.
John Strassburger
President of Ursinus College
(610) 409-3000
jstrassburger@ursinus.edu
Various scholars of student learning -- as well as Tom Wolfe in his most recent novel -- have all drawn the same conclusion regarding student expectations: Students come to college ready to be more intellectually challenged than they actually are, once on campus. Students also come to college, perhaps more than ever, expecting college to help them grapple with the central issues of human existence. Too often they are disappointed on this score as well -- a disappointment described so vividly by one Harvard graduate in the February Atlantic Monthly. The core of his complaint, pun intended, was the lack of a set of courses addressing these central issues. Others have had the same criticism of Harvard, and most other colleges with “distribution requirements,” which may be why at least one Harvard faculty member has recommended that Harvard emulate Ursinus and imitate its Common Intellectual Experience, which addresses truly fundamental and challenging questions.
David C. Stinebeck
Interim President of Albright College
(610) 921-7600
dstinebeck@alb.edu
There is no question that students today expect a lot from the campuses they visit and choose. They and their families are more concerned than in the past about getting their money’s worth and more concerned about their comfort level on campus. Something as small as an ATM in the Student Center (or not) can be a deciding factor. That may seem annoying to those of us who lived through a less discriminating time; but I think it is a good reminder that the state of one’s campus, in numerous surveys, is a more pivotal factor for the best students than merit aid. At Albright, we are renovating classrooms, rededicating ourselves to customer service, and committing to a new stadium, fitness/wellness center and science building, not only to improve overall quality but to respond to the typical demands of today’s consumers. It’s a different world.
J. Timothy Cloyd
President of Hendrix College
(501) 450-1462
williamsj@hendrix.edu
The new century that quickly became known as the post 9/11 century created a flurry of change across America that has impacted the kind of higher educational experiences students and parents desire. The students want a broad but pragmatic education that can be customized to their interests and passions and prepares them for a radically changing, rapid-paced world. After an extensive self-evaluation and careful study of trends, including discussions with students and parents, our faculty has reshaped our curriculum to reflect stronger participatory learning experiences. While other colleges and universities offer opportunities for engaged learning, this fall Hendrix will guarantee each student a minimum of three experiential learning opportunities before graduation in areas such as global awareness, creative expression and undergraduate research. We are also providing funding for these projects to ensure that all students, regardless of financial circumstances, have a full opportunity to engage the world in critical, thoughtful and life-changing ways.
Leslie H. Garner Jr.
President of Cornell College
(319) 895-4324
lgarner@cornellcollege.edu
This is an era in which students and their parents are increasingly sophisticated about college. They are more interested in indicators of academic quality as well as modern amenities. In response, we must renew our commitment to the quality of the college experience. Cornell College is offering five new academic initiatives that address many of these needs, including an emphasis on internships, academic support, off-campus study, contact with distinguished alumni and numerous opportunities to bring theory into practice. All of these programs meet the increased desire of our students for a smoother transition from college to graduate school and the world of work. Colleges must also be more rigorous in collecting data on the post-college careers of recent graduates, which families use to measure academic quality. Finally, we must pay attention to physical amenities such as suite-style residence halls, first-rate wellness programs, quality food service and a well-maintained campus.
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