UB guest columnist Russell Lowery-Hart discusses how his participation in a weekendlong homelessness simulation helped lead to greater supports and success for students at Amarillo College in Texas, where he has served as president since 2014.
Unless you are among the nation’s exclusive (and expensive) colleges and universities, you need to focus on affordability and curricular innovations, says Scott D. Miller, UB guest columnist and president of Virginia Wesleyan University. Those resistant to change are ignoring market realities that can combine to create the perfect storm—and lead to closure.
UB guest columnists Lori Garrett and Susan Reed say renovations to existing campus facilities will become more common than constructing new buildings and offer considerations for planning these projects.
UB guest columnist Joan Marques says that while many people sign up for short, fast-paced, free courses online, we should not underestimate the value of maintaining formal and informal interactions in a college environment, where the common goal is to achieve upward mobility.
For Generation Z, video is about interaction—and not only the act of staring at a screen. Even though video is becoming a primary source of academic support, using YouTube links and so on, keeping learners engaged is a challenge that’s only expected to grow, says UB guest columnist Noa Oron.
With growing on-campus housing demands, larger living and learning communities are being designed. These larger communities create neighborhoods within the greater campus. UB guest columnists Luis Bernardo and Jessica Pagan Aello say it is vital that the communities have a sense of identity and are easily navigable.
There are about 40 million people who have some college experience but no degree. UB guest columnist Betty Vandenbosch, chancellor of Purdue University Global, says that if we want to solve the skills gap and at the same time benefit these people and their families, they need to finish their education.
When it comes to neurodiverse students, educators must do better, says UB guest columnist Shelly Chandler, who is a licensed mental health counselor and provost of Beacon College in Leesburg, Florida. By embracing research-based practices, rates can soar nationally for students who learn differently.
It is difficult to know what the future holds, but teaching and incorporating the knowledge, skills and abilities needed for the coming decades is critical, says UB guest columnist Roger Thompson, who is vice president for student services and enrollment management at the University of Oregon.
