Higher education in American is all set for a major change and transition as is evident with the way of functioning of universities and colleges of late. There are various forces affecting these significant changes including the information technology industry, economic restructuring, globalization and demographics. These forces have initiated awareness among people to look closely at adopting new educational concepts, teaching methods and structure of organizations.
Demographic changes that are predominantly affective the higher education scene today include the ethnic identification, dramatic rise in post secondary education demand, change in age demographic especially within US and influx of younger faculty with the older members scheduled to retire shortly.
Ethnic identification is evident from the decreasing white population around the world. This trend is expected to continue. In order for students to function effectively in this environment, it is the duty of universities and colleges to teach students on how to live in a multi cultural, diverse global environment.
Demand for post secondary education is evident with the ever increasing high school graduates enrolling in colleges. In fact, as compared to the year 1996, the size of classes graduating from high school has increased by 20% till 2005. Today, the demand has risen further and there is an acute shortage of faculty. It is vital to increase the number of college and university faculty in order to meet the demands of growth and replacement.
According to statistics released by the National Center for Educational Statistics, an estimated 43% of adults in US, by the year 2010 will be 50 years old and 50% of the college students will be 21. More and more people take part in adult education programs and there is an acute shortage of work force required to keep continuing education viable.
In spite of the economic meltdown, there is a huge demand for higher education from secondary school graduates both in US and other demographic countries. This demand is in response to rise of competition in global economy. As business organizations downsize and restructure their business, the emerging generation want to be fully equipped to be recruited.
This unprecedented demand for higher education has created an intense need for universities and colleges to face reality and improve their infrastructure incorporating IT tools and online learning facilities. Online learning can meet this demand to a certain extent as it eliminates the need for more building construction even as more students can access higher education.
To ensure that students who pass out of the colleges and universities are fully equipped to efficiently integrate themselves in the competitive world, professors must ensure that they are provided access to communicate, use IT tools, analyze process and be adept enough to work with people from different cultural backgrounds. Students must also be trained to be experts in self directed learning on a continuous basis.
Obama’s call for a constructive restructuring and revamp of higher education system in the US brings great cheer to the troubled higher education system. The President’s aim is to bring the country in the forefront leading in college degrees by the year 2020. If all goes well, then maybe we can expect a turnaround shortly.