Colleges and universities are facing a host of challenges going into 2023 with the evolving COVID-19 pandemic and outbreak of Monkeypox.
Schools have had to find new ways of delivering instruction and services. They need to demonstrate value, cope with the “great resignation” as employees leave and find inclusive ways to serve students while meeting evolving needs of employers that will hire them. Institutions also have to find new ways of marketing and positioning themselves.
Institutions are also stepping up to the challenge. The 2022/23 Trends in Higher Education report from Hanover Research details five anticipated new and continued priorities for colleges and universities in the coming year. These trends may help shape higher education over the next 12 months and alter the educational landscape in dramatic ways. Higher education institutions can use these insights to inform their plans and plan for a successful year ahead.
Focus academic portfolios on skills for a new era of employment. College degrees aren’t essential to find jobs. Both workers and employers are focusing on specific skill sets to navigate the job market and meet rising demand for candidates in fields such as healthcare, data science, cybersecurity and more. The shift will require colleges and universities to review their existing programming to make sure students gain hard and soft skills they need to succeed in future careers. Institutions will continue to reshape offerings, learning outcomes and tuition structures to include credentials to prepare graduates for a new work era.
Meet students where they are with enrollment strategies. Due to the pandemic, students have shifted their expectations of how colleges and universities should deliver a rich classroom experience, and the expect real-time enrollment, admission and registration communications. At the same time, the pandemic has affected enrollment in institutions nationwide. To stay competitive and accommodate a more diverse student body – and those less bound by time and place – colleges and universities will have to offer increased flexibility in how students apply and qualify for admission, onboard and access enrollment services.
Focus brand value on practicality over prestige. Higher education needs to demonstrate the potential return on investment to students and their families. They need to more clearly articulate their value proposition, backed by data that demonstrates their competitive differentiators.
Support responsive programming and help stabilize budgets with grand funding. In the coming year and beyond, college and university leadership will prioritize their financial security to ward off future economic uncertainties. With fewer tuition dollars coming in, institutions will have to develop and foster a grant-seeking culture to support initiatives across campus.
Set sights on measurable results of diversity, equity and inclusion. Diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI)initiatives are essential for universities and colleges to close opportunity gaps and provide safe places to enhance learning for historically underserved students. Institutions will have to measure and demonstrate tangible results in meeting DEI goals. To meet these objectives, institutions will need to examine their data and develop meaningful ways to measure their progress in closing equity gaps and improving diversity and a sense of belonging on campus.