Dive Brief:
- In the Santa Fe New Mexican, New Mexico Highlands University President Sam Minner takes aim in an opinion piece at a handful of higher education reforms he considers bad ideas being floated by the state legislature. Minner encouraged lawmakers to be smart about higher education changes.
- Merging institutions do not produce cost savings or improved student outcomes, Minner warned legislators. He said Georgia, for example, only saved a small amount after undertaking burdensome consolidations, and added that there are more effective ideas for lifting student performance.
- In addition, Minner wrote that breaking up unions would undermine institutions. School success depends on employees working together, and unions help protect cohesion between faculty and staff. Lastly, Minner poked holes in the idea that accelerating the college experience is good success strategy. He wrote that important outcomes can’t be achieved quickly, and that students need time to develop critical thinking skills and reflect on the future.
Dive Insight:
As a university president, Minner’s dislike for accelerating the college experience is eye-opening, highlighting cracks in a game plan that was once thought to be a good practice. The logic: Getting students through college faster can save them money and implies more focused pathways.
But, as the university president suggested, accelerating the college experience might compromise learning and development. Compressing graduation timelines means students might not get the chance to study abroad, or pursue internships or other learning experiences that can prepare young adults to be well-rounded global citizens.
Institutions in a growing number of states are expanding the reach of their dual-enrollment programs. Additionally the Trump administration's infrastructure plan also proposes changes that would steer more federal support to dual-enrollment programs. On the surface, these are positive developments for high school students who would be exposed to college early.
However, higher education leaders should be careful not to promote acceleration strictly in the name of affordability. The real value of completing dual-enrollment courses is that it can maximize that college experience, freeing up time to take on other challenges courses or doing internships that would benefit learners' development.
