The State of Flux in Higher Ed
A recent study conducted by the Modern Language Association found that institutions of higher education across the United States eliminated a whopping total of 651 foreign language programs between 2013-16. One might imagine that these closures arrived in the wake of the 2008 financial market collapse, although for myself I do not necessarily see a direct correlation between the Great Recession and the "Great Extinction of Foreign Language Programs." The very same MLA study, for instance, reports that between 2009-2013 there was only one program closure. That is, in the years of greatest budgetary crisis among states and localities, foreign language programs appear to have continued much as they had in years prior: Most likely starved of resources just like every other department on campus, but certainly not under threat of extinction due solely to diminished tax revenues.
This brings me to the foundational premise of this blog. Higher education is not in crisis, it is in the middle of a paradigm shift.
If this is the case, then we must consider the mass closure of foreign language programs as the initial indicator of the new paradigm in higher education, rather than a crisis. The liberal arts model of post-secondary education no longer seems to hold sway, even if its benefits are readily apparent to everyone. It behooves Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) to produce well-rounded citizens who will not only enter the workforce, but also become civically engaged members of society who may in fact demand more resources for their HEIs from the political system. Yet this idea of citizenship forged through liberal arts education also seems to have become prohibitively expensive, especially when the brunt of HEI budgets flow from tuition revenue.
The signs of evident paradox are easy to see. Hampshire College -- a paragon of avant-garde liberal arts education -- is on the verge of closing outright due to low enrollments. Just a few days ago, the president, board chair, and board vice-chair either resigned or were sacked, after they had proposed a merger to keep Hampshire alive. That proposal now thoroughly rejected, all the new president of the College has to do in the next three years is raise $100 million to keep things afloat! Several thousand miles away, the University of Tulsa just announced that it is essentially shuttering most all of their non-STEM departments, consolidating them into a new "University Studies" program to handle general education for Freshman and Sophomores before they advance on to their majors. As I understand it (correct me if I'm wrong), departments are being dissolved and re-organized into inter-disciplinary divisions. This re-structuring appears designed to push undergraduates into a "Professional Super College" (business, health sciences, law), such that other majors will be liquidated, as indeed some already have (philosophy, religion, theater).
We should keep in mind that the developments just described are not causes of the state of flux in higher ed, but rather symptoms of larger institutional, societal, and political shifts. We can see what the effects of paradigm shift are. Our job in the space of this blog is to analyze what the paradigm shift is and why its happening.
This brings me to the foundational premise of this blog. Higher education is not in crisis, it is in the middle of a paradigm shift.
If this is the case, then we must consider the mass closure of foreign language programs as the initial indicator of the new paradigm in higher education, rather than a crisis. The liberal arts model of post-secondary education no longer seems to hold sway, even if its benefits are readily apparent to everyone. It behooves Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) to produce well-rounded citizens who will not only enter the workforce, but also become civically engaged members of society who may in fact demand more resources for their HEIs from the political system. Yet this idea of citizenship forged through liberal arts education also seems to have become prohibitively expensive, especially when the brunt of HEI budgets flow from tuition revenue.
The signs of evident paradox are easy to see. Hampshire College -- a paragon of avant-garde liberal arts education -- is on the verge of closing outright due to low enrollments. Just a few days ago, the president, board chair, and board vice-chair either resigned or were sacked, after they had proposed a merger to keep Hampshire alive. That proposal now thoroughly rejected, all the new president of the College has to do in the next three years is raise $100 million to keep things afloat! Several thousand miles away, the University of Tulsa just announced that it is essentially shuttering most all of their non-STEM departments, consolidating them into a new "University Studies" program to handle general education for Freshman and Sophomores before they advance on to their majors. As I understand it (correct me if I'm wrong), departments are being dissolved and re-organized into inter-disciplinary divisions. This re-structuring appears designed to push undergraduates into a "Professional Super College" (business, health sciences, law), such that other majors will be liquidated, as indeed some already have (philosophy, religion, theater).
We should keep in mind that the developments just described are not causes of the state of flux in higher ed, but rather symptoms of larger institutional, societal, and political shifts. We can see what the effects of paradigm shift are. Our job in the space of this blog is to analyze what the paradigm shift is and why its happening.
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