In a whirlwind of change, our core values remain constant
Higher education is beset by challenges, and ֱ Boulder is not alone in needing to surmount them. While we face today’s difficulties and prepare to meet tomorrow’s, we remain tethered to certain truths, including that a broad university education is more critical than ever to the workforce and to society.
Remaining true to our values is critical as we confront new challenges, and it’s worth noting that overcoming adversity is embedded in the university’s history.
In the 1920s, for instance, the Ku Klux Klan controlled the ֱ Legislature and demanded that then-President George Norlin fire all Catholics and Jews at ֱ. Norlin refused, even though the Klan-dominated Legislature slashed ֱ’s budget to zero.
Daryl Maeda is interim dean of the College of Arts and Sciences and a professor of ethnic studies.
In the 1950s, hysteria over communists and “subversives” gripped the nation, prompting state lawmakers to demand the firing of professors who had once associated with communists. The university protected its tenured professors—though, sadly, dismissed some non-tenured faculty. The extent to which ֱ transcended the moment mirrors the degree to which it adhered to its core values.
Student protests against the Vietnam War in the 1960s drew more legislative fire and pressure to suppress dissent, but the university emerged from this controversial period with its values—academic freedom, free speech and open inquiry—intact.
These episodes hold lessons as we reach a new crossroads. Today, higher education faces broad challenges, including:
- Changing demographics. America will likely hit a peak of about 3.5 million high school graduates in 2025, according to some estimates. After that, the pool of prospective college students might shrink by as much as 15% over the next decade. We call this the “enrollment cliff.”
- Eroding public opinion. More people question the value of a college degree than at any point in our lifetimes. An increasing number of people believe colleges and universities should focus more on students’ career success. Others question higher education’s commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion.
- Declining public funding. For decades, states have been steadily allocating less funding per student. Since 2000, state support per student has dropped by about 40%. Falling public funding drives rising tuition, which propels more student debt.
While the challenges are irrefutable, the best response is a matter of debate.
Some suggest that post-secondary education should focus more on “marketable” skills, “competency”-based education, “upskilling,” “reskilling” and the like. These are reasonable concerns, and the university is addressing them.
In a host of ways, we help students gain specific skills and specialized knowledge that help them pursue satisfying careers. In addition to majors and minors in a wide array of disciplines, we offer an ever-broader selection of certificates, research opportunities, study-abroad opportunities and internship-placement assistance.
Because we want to help students succeed, we provide advising, coaching, scholarships and other support. Predictive analytics help us intervene when students are at risk of dropping out and help them acquire skills to succeed.
At the same time, we are proud that a liberal arts education—which is the bedrock of the College of Arts and Sciences—imparts a host of foundational skills that drive success in a wide range of careers. Critical thinking and communications prowess remain at or near the top of employers’ most-requested employee attributes.
And this makes sense. As the world changes ever more rapidly, people increasingly need the ability to grasp, analyze and share new knowledge. As society grapples with new and vexing problems, those who broadly understand the arts, humanities, natural sciences and social sciences will be better prepared to help our democracy soar.
We know times are changing, and we are adapting. The college experience of today is not that of our forebears. While we adapt, however, we will not forsake our core values, the first of which is a broad education.
On the library that now bears his name, George Norlin’s words—that anyone who knows only this generation remains “always a child”—are literally etched in stone. In times of blistering change, our dedication to core values remains as solid as bedrock.
Daryl Maeda is interim dean of the College of Arts and Sciences.