Abstract
Shifting demographics, rising costs of operations, a changing competitive landscape, reductions in state appropriations, pressures for accountability, and a widespread economic decline characterize the environment in which today’s colleges and universities operate. This article examines some of the current responses to these challenges and outlines opportunities for advancing the mission of higher education in the 21st century. The topics covered include student centeredness, interdisciplinary research, access and affordability, technology, globalizing our universities, and service.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Baum, S., & Ma, J. (2007). Education pays: The benefits of higher education for individuals and society 2007. CollegeBoard trends in higher education series. Washington, DC: CollegeBoard.
Bezilla, M. (1985). Penn State: An illustrated history. University Park and London, England: The Pennsylvania State University Park Press.
Business-Higher Education Forum (2007). An American imperative: Transforming the recruitment, retention, and renewal of our nation’s mathematics and science teaching workforce (p. 4). Washington, DC: BHEF.
Center for World-Class Universities, Shanghai Jiao Tong University (2008). Academic Ranking of World Universities. Retrieved September 1, 2009, from ttp://www.arwu.org/rank2008/en2008.htm
Council of Economic Advisors (2009). Preparing the workers of today for the jobs of tomorrow (p. 2). Washington, DC: Executive Office of the President.
Cronin, J. M., & Horton, H. E. (2009, May 22). Will higher education be the next bubble to burst? The Chronicle of Higher Education, p. A56.
Edmonds, K. (2008). Mapping internationalization on U.S. campuses: 2008 edition. Washington, DC: American Council on Education.
Garguilo, S. (2008, July 27). A bittersweet weekend. Message posted to http://www.personal.psu.edu/users/s/d/sdg5015/blogs/manifest_destiny/
Hart Research Associates (2009). Trends and emerging practices in general education: Based on a survey among members of the association of American colleges and universities (p. 7). Washington, DC: Hart.
Institute of International Education (2007, November 12). Open doors 2007 Report. Published with support from the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, Washington, D.C. Retrieved Sept. 10, 2009 from http://opendoors.iienetwork.org/?p=113284
Institute of International Education (2008, November 17). Open doors 2008 Report. Published with support from the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, Washington, D.C. Retrieved August 5, 2009 from http://opendoors.iienetwork.org
Kellogg Commission on the Future of State and Land-Grant Universities (1997). Returning to our roots: The student experience (pp. v–vi). Washington, DC: National Association of State Universities and Land-Grant Colleges.
Levenson, E. (2009). Hard times on campus. Fortune. Retrieved on August 3, 2009 from http://money.cnn.com/2009/04/10/news/economy/levenson_college.fortune/index.htm
Nagel, D. (2008, September 19). Education IT spending, fueled by telecom, to top $56 billion by 2012, Campus Technology. Retrieved June 24, 2009 from http://campustechnology.com/articles/2008/09/education-it-spending-fueled-by-telecom-to-top-56-billion-by-2012.aspx?sc_lang=en
OECD Factbook (2009). Economic, environmental and social statistics, number of employees in manufacturing in enterprises with less than 20 employees. Retrieved August 3, 2009, from http://titania.sourceoecd.org/vl=3293859/cl=13/nw=1/rpsv/factbook2009/02/04/03/index.htm
Prindible, M. (2008, June 18). Inside these walls, location is meaningless. Message posted to http://mattprindible.com/india/
Raytheon Corporation (2005, October 20). MathMovesU Initial Survey Highlights. KRC Research. Retrieved Sept. 10, 2009 from http://www.raytheon.com/newsroom/rtnwcm/groups/public/documents/content/cms04_019670.pdf
Taylor, M. C. (2009, April 27). End the university as we know it. The New York Times. Retrieved May 1, 2009 from http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/27/opinion/27taylor.html
Vogelgesang, L. J., & Austin, A.W. (2005, April). Post-college civic engagement among graduates, (p. 2). HERI Research Report, Number 2. Los Angeles, CA: Higher Education Research Institute, University of California.
Wayne, L. (2009, May 29). A promise to be ethical in an era of immorality. The New York Times. Retrieved Sept. 10, 2009 from http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/30/business/30oath.html
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Additional information
Some of the material used in this article is excerpted from columns written by the author.
Graham B. Spanier
is the President of The Pennsylvania State University. A national leader in higher education, Dr. Spanier was the recipient of the 2009 TIAA-CREF Theodore M. Hesburgh Award for Leadership Excellence. He serves as chair of the National Security Higher Education Advisory Board, is a member of the National Counterintelligence Working Group, is a member of the Board of Advisors of the Naval Postgraduate School, and serves on the board of Junior Achievement Worldwide. A family sociologist, demographer, and marriage and family therapist, he earned his Ph.D. in sociology from Northwestern University and his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Iowa State University.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Spanier, G.B. Creating Adaptable Universities. Innov High Educ 35, 91–99 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10755-009-9134-z
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10755-009-9134-z