Panel, Conference Presentation
The Future of Higher Education
Milken InstituteCarol Quinlan, Eduardo Padron, Mitch Daniels, Steve, Ted Mitchell, Jeff, Mike Milken, William Bonvillian, Michael Schrag, Elizabeth Lee, Elizabeth Bell, Mike Downer, Chris Hartz
- Carol Quinlan expects that if blended learning curricula developed with edX improve AP test scores, the materials will be disseminated for free to school districts and teachers.
- The institution expects to continue aggressively recruiting low-income students and developing curricula to serve millions of students, with a specific capacity target of 2,000 students.
- Technology is expected to enhance the reach of small schools and allow for the dissemination of disciplinary knowledge combined with community-based learning and financial literacy to improve student outcomes.
- Carol Quinlan anticipates that nearly 50% of bachelor's degree recipients remain underemployed, necessitating that educators view jobs and education as interconnected rather than separate.
- Eduardo Padron expects that in a few years, the country will recognize two years of free college education as a major economic benefit, noting that most future college students will come from lower socioeconomic backgrounds.
- Florida is expected to have made the most significant investment in creating seamless educational pipelines, with Miami-Dade College drawing over 50% of all graduates in the county.
- Students in Associate Science programs at the institution are expected to earn between $8,000 and $10,000 more in beginning earnings than students with bachelor's degrees, while the institution's own baccalaureates earn significantly more than the system average.
- Mitch Daniels expects that most growth in bachelor's degrees has originated from the highest income families and that the state of Indiana is currently second or third in maintaining higher education spending.
- Mitch Daniels expects that if Indiana had a different Medicaid policy, state spending would not have expanded as rapidly, and that federal entitlement programs will continue to reduce available budget for higher education.
- Mitch Daniels expects that as the economy experiences its weakest recovery, traditional universities will need to adopt alternative paths to credentials or face declining relevance as students and advisors seek new competencies.
- Steve Knapp expects that a single department combining traditional and practice-focused faculty will become increasingly common, and that technology will enable student-specific credentials that make less sense than institution-specific ones.
- Steve Knapp expects that multi-institutional learning is the future, including online programs for students with associate degrees to complete bachelor's degrees primarily online while remaining in rural communities.
- Ted Mitchell expects the Department of Education to broker conversations on integrating sectors seamlessly, noting that accreditation and financial aid officials may not immediately support new innovation models.
- Ted Mitchell expects that new teaching models and assessment methods will allow for the earlier detection of negative student trends compared to traditional models.
- Innovations in higher education are expected to eventually encounter regulatory barriers, highlighting the tension between allowing innovation and protecting students, as illustrated by the collapse of Corinthian College.
- The Department of Education is expected to focus on protecting taxpayer dollars and students, potentially working to reduce regulatory barriers that hinder innovation and promote diverse pathways for career exploration.
- Ted Mitchell expects that bridge programs for recent graduates and non-discipline-specific competencies are emerging, while the vocational training system has largely lapsed, necessitating more communication between sectors.
- There is an expectation that a movement to credential veterans with uncredentialed experiences will grow, alongside the need to better utilize the wealth of liberal arts colleges and create pre-K through college completion partnerships in regions.
- The public is expected to reject a German-style system that determines educational paths early in youth, and most students are expected to change their minds about careers two or three years into college.
- Carol Quinlan expects that technology and differentiation offer opportunities to reimagine the sector's role, with the potential for social impact bonds to quantify costs and demonstrate payoffs for higher education investment.
- Eduardo Padron expects that the American Dream will increasingly require credentials beyond high school, while noting that the public does not support early vocational tracking.