(The State Journal, January 2012 - by Scott D. Miller)
The arrival of a new calendar
year may inspire less celebration at colleges than elsewhere; our “new year”
traditionally begins in August. Nevertheless, the start of 2012 is an opportune
time to read current trends and, perhaps, to hope for better ones.
This
is my new year’s wish list from Bethany College….
First
on any college president’s list is an improved economic outlook. Despite the best efforts of enrollment
management professionals and availability of privately funded scholarships,
continued financial challenges make it difficult for many families to plan for
college. Add to that the uncertainty surrounding federal student aid, and the
accompanying perception that a four-year undergraduate education may be out of
reach financially.
The good news is
that consumer confidence is edging back up, and that foretells a slightly more optimistic
enrollment outlook for next fall. All things considered, Bethany and many other
private colleges are doing well in maintaining enrollment. But
admissions-sensitive colleges (and that includes most private institutions)
will be wise to remain fiscally conservative as they approach their new budget
years in 2012.
Second on my
list is the availability of discretionary funds for institutional giving. For
college presidents and their advancement officers, gifts are necessary—not
optional. But for consumers, even our loyal alumni and friends, a rollercoaster
stock market and higher prices can drive down current gifts and delay campaign pledge
commitments. Numbers for 2010 giving tell the story: According to the Council
for Aid to Education, America’s colleges and universities raised $28 billion in
2010; however, with adjustment for inflation, giving actually declined 0.6
percent.
If institutions can
benefit from the boost in consumer confidence evident during the recent holiday
season, giving numbers may improve for 2012. Meanwhile, it behooves colleges
and universities to strengthen their cases for funding and to take no donor or
gift for granted.
Third, funding
for programs in international education would be welcome. The integration of
international markets and fast-moving political, economic, and social
developments on all continents compel our students to be more engaged than ever
in the complex issues that will confront them as global citizens. Bethany College
has expanded overseas collaborations, increased on-campus programming for
multinational cultural enrichment, and launched a series of initiatives with
International Relief & Development, an agency in Arlington, VA, headed by
Bethany alumnus and trustee Dr. Arthur B. Keys, Jr.
Educational
institutions must do much more programmatically to make students not only aware
of the world, but proactive in it. Their future careers will benefit from the
ability to process and understand events and trends with global significance.
Fourth on my
list for the new year would be preserving the liberal arts by marketing them
effectively. Central to a president’s job at a liberal arts college is leading the
dialogue about the importance of lifelong, integrated, humanities-enriched
education; safeguarding the teaching and funding of such subjects; inspiring
strategic planning and institutional programs that recognize and preserve the
value of the humanities, and finding innovative ways to communicate their
importance to the general public.
Our nation will
benefit from sound policy-making and responsible stewardship engendered by the
broad perspectives of history and other humanities-based study. Answers to
complex, interrelated economic, political, and environmental issues cannot come
from a single perspective. Subjects in the humanities, with their emphasis on
research, analysis, and communication, invite and permit multiple perspectives
for practical problem-solving for the good of all.
Finally, I wish
for all colleges and universities—large and small, public and private—the
ability to serve our students well amid the myriad social changes and
challenges finding their way to our campus doors. Although higher education offers
much to many, it cannot be all things to everyone. Today’s college students
benefit from technology, counseling, elaborate student centers, new residence
halls, career services, and other campus support systems unavailable to
previous generations. Living and learning on a college campus are not
necessarily easier than they once were, but they are more efficiently
accomplished.
It is still up
to the student to make the most of his or her collegiate experience, and to
take full advantage of the tools of modern education through disciplined study
habits and the maturity that comes from responsible social behavior.
My fellow
college presidents and I would be grateful for positive movement on all of the
above. The last couple of years have been challenging, but our record of
success speaks for itself. When all is said and done, higher education remains
one of the best investments around—giving all of us a reason for optimism at
the beginning of 2012.
# # #
Dr.
Scott D. Miller is President and M.M. Cochran Professor of Leadership Studies
at Bethany College. A graduate of West Virginia Wesleyan College, he has served
as president of three private liberal arts colleges during the past 21 years.
