Recent decades of conversation among education leaders and policymakers have had common debates about how to prepare high school graduates who are more “college ready,” but a growing number of scholars and advocates have made the case that it is our colleges that are not ready for the students they are meant to serve. Congress last updated the Higher Education Act in 2008, meaning today’s federal higher education policy is based on a nearly 20 year-old understanding of who college students are. As work continues to update the federal government’s guiding law affecting higher education, much work can be done on campuses to reshape how institutions support student success.
In this third and final session of the higher education series, participants shared ways colleges and universities can reimagine their ways of operating to better reflect the realities of students’ lived experiences and needs. The full discussion is posted to YI’s YouTube page, but some of the most important takeaways from our panelists include:
Students recognize higher education’s design flaws. Young Invincibles Young Advocate Oscar Sanchez discussed his pursuit of higher education and the systemic challenges he faced along the way. Oscar’s story is one familiar to millions of students and families across the country: Feelings of tokenization and marginalization while trying to pursue a degree through a system poorly-designed to help them succeed.
Colleges serve their students through outdated structures. Dr. Tia Brown McNair–Vice President for Diversity, Equity, and Student Success at the Association of American Colleges & Universities and co-author of the book, Becoming a Student-Ready College: A New Culture of Leadership for Student Success.— noted the tendency of trying to fit today’s students’ needs into long-standing structures that weren’t set up to meet them. Although recent months have forced a sea change in content delivery for instruction, campus shutdowns and Covid-19 have required long-overdue re-examination of ways colleges and universities are structured in ways that are unaligned with the lived realities of many students.
Other panelists shared just a few ways higher education has much work to do in re-orienting toward models that provide stronger support for diverse needs. Erin Howard, Latinx and Immigrant Outreach and Services Director at Bluegrass Community & Technical College in Lexington, Kentucky, pointed out the need for direct service for students for whom English is not their native language.
Dr. Tiffany Jones, Senior Director of Higher Education Policy at The Education Trust, discussed the effects of involvement with the criminal justice system for many students–disproportionately for students of color.
Many students have to juggle one or more jobs, child care, and their studies. Ms. Howard noted that for these students, their academic responsibilities sometimes run up against their personal obligations. Her reminder encourages faculty and staff to structure courses and services in more flexible ways to enable students to achieve their ultimate academic goals.
Student readiness starts with listening to students. Dr. McNair discussed the necessity of involving students in consequential institutional decision-making as a foundation for creating more student-ready support structures for student success.
Students like Oscar push higher education leaders to provide a more holistic picture of the financial responsibilities students take on when they pursue a degree, just as they push those leaders to better serve students’ holistic needs.
Policymakers need to hear from students to address their needs. Just as student voices are needed to inform what happens on campuses, they are needed in policy advocacy. Aissa Canchola, Legislative Director for Rep. Ayanna Pressley (MA-7), shared what her office had already heard from college students–an especially important population in a congressional district with one of the highest concentrations of colleges in the country. Ms. Canchola connected previous speakers’ discussions on addressing basic needs to the urgent need for mental health support, as millions of students experience disruption in their personal, academic, and professional lives–and for far too many, the loss of someone close to them to Covid-19.
To close out the session, Ms. Canchola reminded viewers congressional offices remain open and need to hear from students. The Covid-19 pandemic has made it impossible to stage large-scale demonstrations, but these offices remain available, and the more they hear from students about their needs and experiences, the better-informed they can be to support policies that support young people during a time of nearly unprecedented challenge.
As higher education leaders and policymakers take action to put in place new policies and programs, Dr. Jones reminded us to take special care in thinking about what to put in their place. Replacing one set of misguided practices and policies with another set that only furthers inequities will only set higher education farther back. Inclusive processes informed by research and putting students at the center can pave a better path forward.