Advancing the Higher Education Innovation Agenda January 27, 2017 By William D. Hansen Read Time Center for Educat... Education at Work Inside Track Roadtrip Nation Article Career Connection Consumer Voice Navigating Education ... Sixty years ago this October, the Soviet Union’s launch of a tiny satellite called Sputnik shocked the United States out of its complacency over the education levels of its citizens. Our nation responded with an array of innovative new policies and practices to enhance Americans’ skill levels — especially in science, math and engineering — and open the doors of higher education to millions of new students. With economists now reporting that we are nearing “full employment,” and with recent wage gains, our nation again risks becoming complacent about the results it is achieving from its higher education system. Even with these gains, the level of economic angst remains high, fueled in part by the large number of working-age adults who have dropped out of the workforce and concerns about the quality of the new jobs being created. Despite an uptick in the economy, a persistent misalignment of graduates’ skills and competencies with the needs of the workforce threatens our future prosperity. This misalignment results in many graduates’ having too long a glide path to rewarding careers, and leaves many employers challenged to find qualified candidates to fill the jobs they need to grow their businesses. To address this challenge, I believe we need to ignite a new spirit of innovation and creativity in higher education within the academy, abetted by employers and policymakers, and tapping well-tested solutions from private enterprise. . . . Our financial aid programs have successfully promoted near-universal access to higher education. . . . I had the opportunity to share the following examples of innovative new approaches with nearly 600 business, civic and education leaders at this week’s luncheon of the Economic Club of Indiana: Listening to the voice of the consumer in higher education. I believe the experiences that former students had in higher education and the outcomes of those experiences can inform and enhance efforts to improve student success rates. Our partnership with Gallup will share these insights from surveys of 10,000 adults every month. Helping college-bound students and their parents, as well as working adults, make better postsecondary program choices based on outcomes rather than inputs.Groundbreaking resources such as Indiana’s College Return on Investment Reports and Indiana College Value Index allow students to compare college programs based on their cost and student debt levels, employment rates for and earnings of their graduates, and graduates’ satisfaction with their jobs and lives. Equipping students and working adults with resources to explore how they can translate their life passions into careers. Resources such as those offered by Roadtrip Nation allow both students and adults to discover their unique paths through education to their life goals. I am especially proud of the recent production The Next Mission, which follows three veterans of military service as they explore with other vets the transition to civilian life. Building a strong connection between K-12 and postsecondary education. Purdue Polytechnic Indianapolis, which will open this fall, is an exciting effort to improve the connection to college, and ultimately to rewarding STEM careers, for inner-city students. Modernizing the financing of college. Our financial aid programs have successfully promoted near-universal access to higher education. But those programs are less successful in promoting college completion, and our federal student loan program was built for a different era. I suggest that we explore promising alternatives, like income-share agreements, such as Purdue’s Back a Boiler program. Money management and student loan repayment support programs, like those from Student Connections℠, help ensure students have the “fiscal fitness” to complete college and launch their careers without drowning in debt. Supporting all students, but especially low-income and first-generation students, to persist and complete their studies. These students typically arrive on campus without the college survival skills or support networks that their classmates enjoy. An initiative involving the Indiana Commission for Higher Education, Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis, Indiana State University, Ivy Tech Community College and InsideTrack to provide student success coaches to 21st Century Scholars so far has shown promising results in improving retention rates for these low- and moderate-income students. Exposing students to the world of work throughout their years in education. Quality internships, apprenticeships and work experiences, such as that offered by Education at Work, help students earn income and tuition assistance to pay college costs, while also equipping them with “soft skills” that they will need in their careers and connecting them to potential employers. I believe these examples represent the start of a higher education innovation agenda that will produce better outcomes for students and help employers enrich their talent pipelines. I invite you to share and discuss this list with your colleagues. Group 13 Group 11 Group 12 To create a PDF of the webpage, choose in opened window 'Save as PDF' option in 'Destination' select or something like that and click to save or print button. Got it William D. Hansen Learn More In the news from Strada April 8, 2021 Public Viewpoint — Alumni Perspectives: Are Student Loans Worth It? Over the past 15 years, the number of student loan recipients has increased by 51 percent and the debt associated with those loans has more than doubled. More Americans are borrowing more money to go to college Center for Educat... Article Measuring the Val... Pathways with Pur... Career Connection Completion Consumer Voice Navigating Education Value ... February 25, 2021 Public Viewpoint Takeaways: Helping Americans Get Back to Work Expert panelists discuss the value of short-term programs, employer investments, and skills-based hiring Center for Educat... Article Career Connection COVID-19 Employers Equity & Oppo... Navigating Education Nondegree ... May 26, 2020 Pandemic puts education plans in flux as Americans prefer nontraditional sources of continuing education After weeks of uncertainty, precaution, stay-at-home orders, and economic turbulence, Americans are beginning to plan for the next stage of their lives. For many, that means making decisions about whether to pursue education and training. In the eighth week of Strada’s Public Viewpoint survey centered around Americans’ attitudes during the pandemic, we gathered insights about Americans’ plans for their education and training, which groups are most likely to enroll, and who Americans are consulting for advice on their education plans. Center for Educat... Article Adult Learners COVID-19 Navigating Education Nondegree ... May 9, 2019 Intertwining Education and Career Paths Keeps Lifelong Learners Skilled and Employed In partnership with Gallup to interview more than 300,000 Americans between the ages of 18-65 about their expectations and experiences with post-high school education. Center for Educat... Article Career Connection Consumer Voice Value ... February 18, 2019 The Important Role of Minority-Serving Institutions At Strada Education Network®, we’re interested in supporting all students on their education-to-career journey and we are fortunate to have great partners in this work – partners who understand the value of engaging with students wherever they are on that journey and supporting their success. Center for Educat... Article Consumer Voice Employers Equity & Oppo... Value Engagement & ... ... January 31, 2019 Mentors Matter: Students Value Advice and Guidance from Faculty and Employers Career mentoring is more important than ever in helping learners of all ages and stages navigate pathways between education and employment. Everybody needs the support of a mentor, from young adults entering the workforce to adult learners looking to advance professionally. Having a mentor can mean the difference between seeking more education to jumpstart a new career or settling for an at-risk job soon to be automated. Center for Educat... Article Advising Career Connection Employers Navigating Education Engagement & ... ... October 21, 2018 Mentoring Matters This week, recent college graduates affirm a growing body of research: faculty-student relationships matter. At colleges and universities across the nation, professors play an important role as mentors providing both academic and career advice to their students. Center for Educat... Article Advising Career Connection Navigating Education ... September 7, 2018 America’s Employers Place Technical Skills and Work Experience Above College Rankings Important news for all students when it comes to getting a job: what you can do is more important than the ranking of the university you attended. Center for Educat... Article Career Connection Employers ... July 17, 2018 Students Are Consumers. It’s Time to Treat Them That Way. Your opinion matters. Tell us about your shopping experience. No sooner do we pay for coffee or exit an Apple Store, than we are inundated with questionnaires, surveys, or flash polls that solicit our views as consumers. Center for Educat... Article Consumer Voice February 13, 2018 Why Go to College? Student Perspectives on Higher Ed This article by Carol D’Amico originally appeared on RealClear Education. Center for Educat... Article Career Connection Completion Consumer Voice Value ... June 27, 2017 Building On-Ramps to Student Success Postsecondary training is an expensive proposition without a guaranteed payoff. To make matters worse, many students find themselves in the position of making large financial investments and never completing a degree, a near worst-case scenario that often leaves individuals with lots of debt and no credential to earn the wages needed to pay back those borrowed dollars. Center for Educat... Article Consumer Voice Navigating Education ... June 20, 2017 Strengthening CTE Opens More Pathways to Success for Students and Employers This week Congress will vote on a bill to reauthorize federal support for career and technical education (CTE). The Strengthening Career and Technical Education for the 21st Century Act (H.R. 2353) is a bipartisan effort to elevate these programs in our nation’s schools and community colleges and to better align them with in-demand, skilled jobs. Center for Educat... Article Career Connection Employers Nondegree ... June 9, 2017 Do You Regret Your College Choices? Research from Strada Education and Gallup finds 51% of Americans regret higher education decisions. Center for Educat... Article Advising Consumer Voice Navigating Education Value ... June 2, 2017 Empowering the Consumer Voice to Transform Postsecondary Education Strada Education Network is proud to partner with Gallup, the world leader in consumer insights, to launch the Education Consumer Pulse™. Center for Educat... Article Consumer Voice June 1, 2017 Second Thoughts About Higher Education Decisions "Most former college students say they would change either their major, college attended or credential pursued if they could do it all over again, survey finds." Center for Educat... Article Advising Consumer Voice Navigating Education Value ... June 1, 2017 Survey: Second-guessing Often Accompanies Degrees More than half of adults in the U.S. would change at least one aspect of their higher education experience, according to a new survey from Gallup and the Strada Education Network. Common regrets were choice of institution and major or field of study. Comparatively, relatively few regretted their degree type. Center for Educat... Article Advising Consumer Voice Navigating Education Value ... May 22, 2017 Institutions must think broader when utilizing analytics Forcing institutions into data-based accountability around achievement metrics is difficult due to a variety of factors that can make pushing students through a system difficult. Center for Educat... Article Value May 15, 2017 New data shows low-income students equally likely to thrive These students are just as capable of thriving as those from more affluent households, but institutions and policymakers must also consider that they may need more resources. Center for Educat... Article Equity & Oppo... Engagement & ... ... May 12, 2017 3 key questions to consider in building ‘on-ramps’ to higher ed success A panel of thought leaders at ASU+GSV tackled issues ranging from who's to blame for failure to the rising cost of tuition Center for Educat... Article Navigating Education February 16, 2017 The Intersection of Instruction and Outcomes What is the relationship between college instruction and student outcomes? Center for Educat... Article Navigating Education Engagement & ... ... January 27, 2017 Advancing the Higher Education Innovation Agenda Sixty years ago this October, the Soviet Union’s launch of a tiny satellite called Sputnik shocked the United States out of its complacency over the education levels of its citizens. Our nation responded with an array of innovative new policies and practices to enhance Americans’ skill levels — especially in science, math and engineering — and open the doors of higher education to millions of new students. Center for Educat... Education at Work Inside Track Roadtrip Nation Article Career Connection Consumer Voice Navigating Education ... May 20, 2015 Our Team Center for Educat... Article Completion