Higher-education
professionals believe providing “a well-rounded education” is more important
than preparing students for specific careers, while the public at large has the
opposite opinion, according to research presented at the recent National
Association of Independent Colleges and Universities meeting.
That difference
may be causing some families to rethink whether it’s worthwhile to send their
kids to college and could have an impact on future enrollment.
In an Inside Higher Ed blog post discussing
the presentation, writer Michael Stoner noted that schools actually do
incorporate more job-related skills and knowledge in coursework than students and
parents might realize, but they often use statistical data to tout the value of
study programs and research rather than describing the successes of their
alumni and faculty.
“Telling
better stories about what colleges and universities do and how they do it will
help immensely,” Stoner wrote. He also agreed that institutions need to participate
more often in public discussions and debates about the value of higher
education.
An
Education Dive brief also suggested schools should share more information on
the percentage of recent graduates who obtain good jobs in their fields and
identify which industries are most likely to hire grads from their programs.
