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At a Glance
The drastic changes unfolding in society have majorly impacted and will continue to impact regional public universities. Job skills that are in high demand shift rapidly as new technologies change the nature of work and where positions are located. It’s become a platitude for college presidents to say they are educating students for jobs that have not yet been invented.
Leaders at these institutions face many challenges. They are attempting to meet lofty degree-attainment goals by focusing on the enrollment of part-time and older students. Teacher shortages, political issues and concerns about racism and sexism are all top of mind. And of course, both the national and regional economies continue to impact universities a decade after the Great Recession.
Regional public colleges and universities have long positioned themselves as the gateway to opportunity for the masses. Therefore, each must balance its responsibility to students against the demands of its employees, the needs of its region, the requirements of its state and the imperatives of the economy and American society.
Surviving and thriving requires both a nuanced understanding of sector-specific strategy and knowledge of the broader context. Specific strategies are addressed in the pages of this report, while considering the larger forces at play, so that leaders are prepared to make important choices to lead their institutions and regions into the future.
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Topics Include
- The pressure regional public institutions face to simultaneously meet the needs of students, employees and their state, while responding to the economy and employers.
- Case studies of institutions dealing with critical issues such as system stress, governance, state coordination, politics and rural and urban divides.
- Structures leaders can put in place to leverage resources, create strong partnerships and bolster student success.
- Best practices and guiding principles from experts to help leaders prepare their institutions for the future.
Table of Contents
Executive Summary
Introduction: The More Things Change…
What Are Regional Public Universities?
The State of the Regional Public
Snapshot: Illinois African American Enrollment
Themes That Will Define Regional Public Universities
Tomorrow’s Regional Public University
Snapshot: Becoming a Hispanic-Serving Institution
Snapshot: Competing for Adult Learners Online
Snapshot: Taking Control of a Local School District
Snapshot: Competing With Flagships for Funding
Risks
Snapshot: Tuition Borders Blur
Snapshot: Conflict Over Mission in North Carolina
Snapshot: Pennsylvania’s State System Tries to Pivot
Best Practices
Conclusion: Will They Stay the Same?
Quoted Sources
Additional Reading
About the Author
About the Author: Rick Seltzer, reporter, covers business and management for Inside Higher Ed. He joined the publication in 2016 after working as a money and general-assignment reporter for The Baltimore Business Journal. Previously, he was a business reporter for The Bloomington Herald-Times, and he covered small business and health care for the Central New York Business Journal. Rick, a native of south central Pennsylvania, started his career as a local beat reporter for The Harrisburg Patriot-News. He graduated from Syracuse University in 2008 after interning at the Patriot-News and The Syracuse Post-Standard.
Number of Pages: 122 (3.6MB PDF)
Date Released: July 8, 2019
ISBN (print edition): 978-1-7327300-2-1
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