Gleanings from Wednesday afternoon’s CASE conference session on public perceptions of higher education, as presented by Eugene L. Anderson, associate director of national initiatives for the American Council on Education. Anderson is the project director for Solutions for Our Future, a nationwide initiative to increase public awareness of higher education’s social benefits, encourage a public dialogue about higher education’s role in society, and strengthen support for public policy.
Anderson began by discussing the results of some public opinion research conducted on behalf of the Soutions for Our Future project. Among the findings:
- The public holds a positive view of the importance of higher education and sees higher ed as critical to the nation’s future.
- But there is a growing concern about the value of a college education for the cost, as well as concerns about the quality of higher education and accountability.
- There is also concern among the public about the values of higher education.
- The public is split in terms of their view of whether students are getting their money’s worth from college, whether colleges and universities share their values, and whether college professors are more ideological than they should be.
- The public values the importance of investing in higher education. Eighty-four percent agree that “investing in higher education today will be critical to solving many of the problems that face our nation in the coming years.”
Focus group findings
Before the public opinion research commenced, the Solutions for Our Future folks spent time with focus groups and found:
- People felt OK about the state of affairs in the nation, but were worried. They were concerned about energy, health care costs, war, terrorism, but not higher education. They also feel threatened by economic globalization.
- They believe math and science is important for improving our standing in the global economy.
- They believe K-12 education is failing in preparing students in math and science.
- They also believe colleges and universities are letting students off the hook by not providing the math and science coursework needed for the global economy.
The overall sentiment was “why worry when you’re the best?”
What higher ed can do
- Go to the Solutions for Our Future website and sign up your college and university.
- Start sharing the same message — that higher education is about solving problems and changing the world — and using the language in your communications efforts.
- Ask for the project’s help in grassroots educational efforts.
- Help the project keep the message fresh. Share your stories at the Solutions website.
Andy writes! 
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