How is the economy affecting continuing education? What does the future hold?
The 2009 Association of Continuing Higher Education Conference (ACHE) kicked off
with an interesting ‘hot-topics’ panel discussion. Facilitated by David
Thornburgh (University of Pennsylvania), the panel included:
- Jim Broomall, University of Delaware
- Doug Lynch, University of Pennsylvania
- Hadass Sheffer, Executive Director, Graduate! Philadelphia
- Ellen Sloss, Neumann University
The panel began with opening thoughts from each panel member. The following is an approximate transcript of the discussion.
Jim Broomall , University of Delaware: At the University of Delaware, we define continuing studies as lifelong learning from degree completion to community programs. It’s really education for development of the person or the community. The second part of our business is continuing education for the professions – career-oriented and career-driven.
The pressure of the economy has forced us to abandon the social notion of the community good in continuing education. Historically, continuing education was designed to offer many people access to education. But in the current economy, we have lost the sense of the common good. It’s a reality and challenge – how do we manage society issues and continual learning versus professional or economic gain?
Ellen Sloss, Neumann University: My interaction with continuing education is really as an observer. We are a small institution. My major interest in CE is investment in faculty for continuing ed. I don’t know how many programs are represented here today that have faculty (full-time) working in continuing education. That concerns me. I’m amazed at how schools are milking programs but not investing in programs by having faculty focused on CE.
Hadass Sheffer, Graduate! Philadelphia: Five and half years ago, a president at a local university pulled me aside and asked me why my company wasn’t investing in Philadelphia. There was a lot of concern over why students weren’t not staying in Philadelphia. It’s not a brain drain because they are leaving; it’s Philadelphians that are not graduating. In our pool, local talent, didn’t have degrees. That’s how Graduate Philadelphia got started. It brings organizations across the spectrum together in a partnership.
We’ve come up with a system for adults who have some credits to bring them back. We have partnered with 15 colleges and universities to support this. All of our colleges have high retention rates for adult learners. There is something about bringing these students together to support them that seems to mobilize them to tap into resources.
The biggest challenge is financial. Credit market is not there right now. The support is there for traditional-aged students, but the structure for continuing education doesn’t create economies of scale.
Going forward, we are not seeing that decline of people dropping out of college, so hopefully we can continue to stem the gap.
Doug Lynch, University of Pennsylvania: I want to try and persuade you that there are enormous opportunities. Put the money aside. Let’s talk about the means first. At more than any time in history, education matters. The single differentiating force is people. We have a people problem and an access problem. I am struck that you are not at the table, Where are we? The community colleges are tied at the hip, but we are not there.
We are viewed as a cash cow bringing in money to subsidize traditional programs. You can solve the problem. The question is how to get a seat at the table.
I’m a continuing education guy. But I believe learning is ubiquitous. If you can reframe the conversation as a incubator to do things differently, the money will follow.
Higher education is a retail business. That’s not a good business to be in. Business-to-business relationships are important as what Hadass is doing. We are the largest exporter in the world. We should leverage this capability by building stronger partnerships.
David Thornburgh, University of Pennsylvania: Where do you see the particular opportunities?
Jim Broomall, University of Delaware: Doug has posed the question, how do you define the role at the institution? Are you a core dweller or on the periphery? We have always enjoyed the periphery. It’s incumbent on us to understand how your skills and values align with the institution. How do you bring value to the institution.
The market-driven impulse really characterizes our institutions today. All units are facing it today. It’s a mistake to go head-on with the community colleges because they have a different mission. I think we need to convey that careers are a lattice not a ladder. We have tried to work with our communities to bring about that lattice approach.
David Thornburgh, University of Pennsylvania: Do you think the economic arguments for CE are made?
Ellen Sloss, Neumann University: Well made, yes. Heard?, no. Continuing education is already equipped to address career skill needs. Many schools have not recognized this. I think it is about culture ... CE is an afterthought and a cash cow.
Doug Lynch, University of Pennsylvania: If you look at the data, you are already a success story. If you look at who’s going to college, it’s the people you are serving. Here is an idea. Healthcare is a learning problem. It’s not being framed that way but that is what it is. How we deliver healthcare has to change. We have to retrain a whole bunch of people on how they do this. Reach out to your medical schools or nursing schools. You are the only people on your campuses doing pedagogical innovation. Everyone is doing like they did it in Plato’s time.
Hadass Sheffer, Graduate! Philadelphia: I think CE divisions should be more focused on credit – that what they are providing students has value. How do we convert that to credits that result in a degree is difficult. I see this as a huge setback to these people.
Doug Lynch, University of Pennsylvania: Think of yourselves as a marketer or an educator? If you are marketer, you are figuring out what will get people to enroll in a tough economy. As an educator, you are thinking about connections within the institution or community.
Jim Broomall, University of Delaware: Where we have had some success, in defining our capabilities in CE to our faculty.
Take off the table money. Ultimately, it’s all about money. But, there is a perception among our faculty that CE is only about money.
David Thornburgh, University of Pennsylvania: It’s interesting when you parse through some of the stimulus funds. Some of the spending is just to stabilize operations. Let’s talk about public or elected officials. The typical legislator has less patience for the soft-focus, knowledge-creation approach. My hunch is that this wave is starting to break. Around budget time, presented with another view that is more market-focused and measurable, that seems like an opportunity. What do the panelists think?
Hadass Sheffer, Graduate Philadelphia!: The focus needs to be on educating politicians. We need to educate that long-term investment are necessary.
Jim Broomall, University of Delaware: We are a nation of doers, not thinkers. I think there are a couple of pressures to bear. Colleges can now produce measurable results with the accountability movement. Yet, I don’t know that this is enough. Secondly, you can make the argument is that great countries have great universities. Thirdly, maybe more crassly is that you can build more schools or more prisons. Education is the only way to balance class mobility. It’s a hard sell at the state office.
Doug Lynch, University of Pennsylvania: I’m going to disagree a bit with some of what is being said. I think people in state capitols Should be up in arms. In higher education, what’s our strategy – good or bad? We continue to increase tuition above rate of inflation. When the state cuts your budget, you raise tuition.
If you look at the 18-24 completion rate, it stinks. I would put this directly on the shoulders of higher education. Higher education has created this crazy system of choice. We have 18-year old students show up with more choice than they need and little guidance. Faculty want to choose to teach the courses they like versus core courses.
Institutions would benefit with conversations with you (CE) to learn to limit choice and be more market responsive.
Hadass Sheffer, Graduate! Philadelphia: I have a lot of respect for faculty, but look at the number of newly-minted PHd's are not getting jobs. There is an element of self-inflection but not enough for what this country needs. We need faculty in different roles than the traditional view. The reality is that too many are falling through system.
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