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Editorial ColumnsWhat a Difference Five Years Can MakePresident Spanier is Chair, Kellogg Commission on the Future of State and Land-Grant Universities.
Graham B. Spanier
In 2000, the nation was recovering from the Y2K scare, the Census was busy counting Americans, and George W. Bush narrowly defeated Al Gore in a hotly contested battle for the presidency. It also was the year that an intense four-year examination of American higher education was wrapping up--leaving in its wake a clarion call for change in our nation's public universities. February 17, 2006 The Kellogg Commission on the Future of State and Land-Grant Universities, convened in 1996, was a collection of university presidents and chancellors from 25 major public universities who took a broad and critical look at our nation's institutions. The work of the commission produced six reports calling for action to revive the student experience, improve student access, strengthen and increase partnerships with the public, address our role in a learning society, and focus on the culture on campus. The final report called for higher education to renew its partnership with society and become more engaged. Now, five years after the commission's final meeting, a new report has been issued analyzing the impact the Kellogg Commission has had on public universities. As chairman of the Commission, I feel fortunate to have collaborated with some of the most forward-thinking individuals in higher education. Commission members didn't blink when asked to cast a critical eye on an enterprise with which most of them have had decades-long relationships. It is not always easy to confront deficiencies, but the Kellogg Commission refused to "sugar coat" the truth. It told the leaders of America's colleges and universities to stop "basking in the reflections of past glories" and urged them to revitalize public higher education's historic commitment to society and to work on regaining public trust. Many of our discussions centered on the loss of public confidence as seen by the sharp decline in revenue and support for our core public purposes. We all recognized the growing general view that higher education was now more a private benefit than a public good. No longer did a majority of people believe that our public universities exist to advance society. That's why a central theme championed by the Kellogg Commission is "engagement," a partnership that brings the resources of our institutions to bear on our communities in a coherent way. According to the Kellogg Commission, engagement must be an integral part of all that we do in public higher education. This message has now permeated public higher education. We have seen countless white papers, editorials, presentations, articles, and new journals on the topic. We have witnessed the creation of task forces, consortiums, and programs to promote engagement. In the ensuing years we have watched as its efforts have become the framework for much of the change that is happening today in American public higher education. Colleges and universities across the country have reassessed their missions, undertaken some reorganization, adopted a more student-centered philosophy, encouraged more interdisciplinary scholarship, partnered with more sectors of society, and more openly expressed their desire to serve the public--not just by educating students, but by responding to the many needs of their communities. Engagement is seen in the efforts of public universities that help revitalize communities, cultivate K-12 partnerships, launch online learning initiatives, or promote workforce and economic development programs within their state. If nothing else, the Kellogg Commission provided a wake up call to higher education and conveyed a message to the public that the fate and fortune of our nation is closely intertwined with public higher education. But has the message really been heard beyond the walls of academe? In some sectors, there has been an increased understanding of public higher education's role beyond educating the traditional-age college student. Numerous economic development reports have recognized the importance of our public institutions in workforce and economic development and some legislative groups and national think tanks have advocated heavier investment in higher education. But despite these accolades, higher education must still confront the issue of accountability and access, made more difficult by rising tuition. While overall state spending for higher education grew at the fastest rate in five years during the current fiscal year, tuition is still on the rise as our public institutions struggle to recover from years of inadequate state funding. As states have shifted the burden for the cost of public education to students and their families, colleges and universities have absorbed much of the criticism. Every university president I know is working to improve the situation, either by lobbying government officials, increasing financial aid packages, creating scholarships, instituting new tuition structures, or developing new revenue streams. Public higher education did not find itself in the situations described by the Kellogg Commission overnight and it obviously cannot now quickly resolve all the challenges it faces. The findings of the Kellogg Commission, however, have sparked needed change. Each institution's response has been different. In the five years since the Commission's final report was issued, public higher education has worked to build a broader understanding of its role in society and has opened the door for cooperation between government and higher education's leaders. The reports of the Commission spawned a national discussion on the state of public higher education and spurred a transformation that will be under way for years to come. ** The report, "Public Higher Education Reform Five Years After the Kellogg Commission on the Future of State and Land-Grant Universities," by John V. Byrne, can be accessed at http://www.nasulgc.org/Kellogg/KCFiveYearReport.pdf |
