Academic-Capital

Checklist for Change-Making American Higher Education a Sustainable Enterprise by Robert Zemsky moves into the coming changes in higher education and why these are needed. The decline of higher education is seen as a growing problem within the country with national interests. His book moves through a perspective of educational reform and some of the reasons why these reforms are needed. Faculty often resist change. They are traditional in their approach and often actively engaged in their unions. Their perspectives are based on hundreds of years of tradition and their role as researchers. Online education is changing some of these assumptions and faculty can view their role not only as a teacher but also as a researcher whose knowledge makes its way into new and updated courses. The Federalized market has damaged innovation and development in higher education. As most land-grant universities rely heavily on government support and regulation their incentives to change are

Taking Charge by Andrew Kelly and Andrew Lautzenheiser from the Center of Higher Education Reform discusses the need for change at the state level of higher education systems. The report outlines a number of changes that include innovation, cost effectiveness, learning outcomes, assessment, and legislative changes. It indicates that these changes are necessary if the U.S. is going to meet coming labor demands.  The report discusses that 31 states still have budget deficits and they look to higher education to drive growth and innovation. Degree related positions are likely to increase based upon the inherent necessity of the market. By 2018 it is expected that nearly 2/3rds of all jobs will require a secondary degree in 2-year job skills training. The U.S. will also not meet these education needs falling short about 3 million people.  Furthermore, the traditional 18-22 year old that attends a campus is less than a quarter of the population. Most students will be above the a