Readers suggested more support for faculty development and for new approaches to broaden how we think about the value of college. ADVERTISEMENT [The Edge Logo]( Did someone forward you this newsletter? [Sign up free]( to receive your own copy. Iâm Goldie Blumenstyk, a senior writer at The Chronicle covering innovation in and around higher ed. This week I report on what you told me higher-ed philanthropies should be be doing with their money. And my colleague Maura Mahoney summarizes some expert advice from a recent virtual forum on how professors can best support students at this stage of the pandemic. Hereâs what you think philanthropies should be funding right now. Never underestimate the appeal of a thought experiment about spending other peopleâs money. Last week I asked you to send me your suggestions about [where higher-ed philanthropiesâ next priorities should be,]( and dozens of you responded. Your answers ranged widely, but I also sensed some very clear themes. Chief among them was a desire for more funding for professional development for faculty members and those entering the profession. Several of you also suggested approaches to elevate the purpose of higher education. And more than a few of you had suggestions related to my call for funders to help develop the role of âeducational navigators.â Hereâs how that â and the rest â shook out. ADVERTISEMENT UPCOMING EVENT [Join us August 2-19]( for a virtual professional development program on overcoming the challenges of the department chair role and creating a strategic vision for individual and departmental growth. [Reserve your spot now](. Space is limited. Faculty development. Many of these suggestions seemed informed by an awareness that instructorsâ responsibilities have evolved: Todayâs students are more diverse than they were decades ago, and the expectations for using high-impact teaching practices, such as service learning and research projects, have moved to the mainstream. Professors are also increasingly being called upon to help students better see the connections between what theyâre learning in the classroom and their future careers. So I was especially struck by comments, like those from Shaylin Jyotishi, a senior policy analyst at New America, who noted the importance of helping faculty members âcurrently navigating innovation, change, and new responsibilities.â Another reader cited the need to help professors become prepared for teaching with tools powered by artificial intelligence. (The writerâs organization has ties to that kind of work, but the self-interest aside, I think thatâs a forward-thinking idea). I was honestly a little surprised that so many folks suggested this next topic because itâs been my impression that lots of colleges have been creating their own teaching and learning centers, and several national organizations are also focused on this mission. But readers still seem to think that professors â and graduate students weighing careers in academe â need more formal and ongoing training in how to teach. âIn most professions,â wrote James Grossman, executive director of the American Historical Association, âpeople are required to participate in continuing education/professional development. Not professors. And, even if they want to, thereâs little support for it.â Projects to value higher ed for more than its career and income returns. The ideas in this vein were especially intriguing to me â and not just suggestions like those from Mary B. Marcy, president emerita of Dominican University of California, whose [interest in civic engagement]( Iâve reported on before. âPhilanthropy could play a major role in helping to think of higher education beyond the ROI,â Marcy said, âby elevating initiatives and research around what helps students become engaged citizens.â Robert Sabal, for example, took that idea further by suggesting âalternative data collectionâ as a means of broadening the conversation around the value of college. âRight now, ROI is all about income after graduation,â wrote Sabal, dean of the School of the Arts at Emerson College. âBut thereâs clearly more to life than simply oneâs income, and thereâs more to life after college than paying off student loans.â Sabal didnât have a firm plan in mind â I guess thatâs where those philanthropic dollars could be useful in funding some experiments â but he did note that models might be found in [some of the work that arts educators have been undertaking](. In his email to me, Sabal included a plea for becoming âa bit more curiousâ about defining the value of higher education. âAnd canât we be more specific than saying, âit helps create informed citizensâ?â he wrote. âThere must be useful data to collect and approaches to develop.â Educational navigators. I was thrilled that so many readers, in emails [and in tweets]( endorsed the need for more philanthropy-funded research on developing such guides (in my vision, theyâd be institutionally independent) to help steer students and would-be students through their decisions about attending college or finding alternative forms of education. Several proposed adding a dose of technology. âWe should be looking to digital navigators or âdigital educational companions,ââ wrote Tom Andriola, vice chancellor for information, technology and data, at the University of California at Irvine, citing chatbots and conversational AI as examples of tools that could enhance the services navigators provide. âThis technology space,â he said, âis becoming more mature by the month and is already impacting other industries in profound ways.â In the same vein, Erin Crisp, chief academic officer at an ed-tech company called Campus Inc., suggested equipping navigators with âa universally understood digital language of rich skill descriptionsâ that could help them map studentsâ skill profiles to a career goal, or to training programs to fill skill gaps. I see the value of deploying technology in these situations, but Iâm also a bit wary of automation playing too big a part in this navigator role. After all, the kinds of decisions the navigators could be assisting with are far more consequential than the consumer choices many of us are now making with the explicit or implicit guidance of an AI robot. So Iâll also be trying to learn more about [the Enterprise Facilitation model,]( used around the world in community development. The approach is typically used to support local entrepreneurs. Bill Lightfoot, a self-described educator and coach who has advised a number of colleges, and who shared the information with me, said he imagined it could be adapted for use by navigators, too. Other ideas for funders to consider: There was no shortage of suggestions. Among them: - Programs in music and the arts, because they âpromote creativity, commitment, community, and more.â Yes, that came from a professor of music history and theory, Sharon Mirchandani, at Rider University, but what a hopeful rationale.
- âThe next Olin College, but with a focus on inclusive STEMâ and 10 times the $500 million Olin received 25 years ago, suggested J.B. Holston, dean of the University of Denverâs school of engineering and computer science. A $5-billion endowment today, he said, âcould create a national-scale university specifically designed to provide STEM higher education to underrepresented groups.â
- Student-information systems that would capture a fuller picture of studentsâ experiences. âCreating a massive data profile (you know, the stuff Meta has been compiling on all of us for years) would probably yield more insights on student behaviorsâ and on what leads students to Dâs, Fâs, or withdrawing, wrote Julie Uranis, a vice president at the University Professional and Continuing Education Association. âJust imagine how wild it might be,â she wrote, âif we learned that students that receive a parking ticket are X times more likely to leave after only one year.â A culture of care, in and beyond the classroom. The facultyâs role in student support has been expanding, but what should it look like this far into the pandemic? How can instructors balance compassion and rigor? What might help them keep from burning out? These questions animated a recent [forum]( â moderated by Katherine Mangan, a Chronicle senior writer, and Sabrina Sanders, director of the Toro re-engagement program at California State University-Dominguez Hills â in our yearlong [series]( on student success, produced with support from the Ascendium Education Group. Here are two takeaways: Build in support, but donât coddle. Design courses in anticipation of studentsâ needs. A core class at Georgia State University, for example, was built âfrom the ground up,â said Michael C. Evans, a senior lecturer, to capture digital data to help students succeed. Incentives can work better than penalties, said Bridgette Hard, director of undergraduate studies in psychology at Duke University, who makes a final exam optional for students who attend a certain percentage of lectures. Laurette Blakey Foster, executive director of the HBCU Faculty Network and director of the Center for Teaching Excellence at Prairie View A&M University, also emphasizes attendance, but cautioned that âstudents donât get a second chance when theyâre out in the work force.â Practice warm referrals. A counseling center can provide language about mental-health services, Evans said, for instructors to add to their syllabi. And faculty members could take that a literal step farther, Foster recommended, by physically walking a student to the appropriate service on campus. âEncourage faculty to knowâ where students can go for help, she said. At Duke, all thatâs needed to âmobilize a broader safety net,â said Hard, is filling out a simple online form. And more-receptive professors can help bring resistant colleagues along, said Gary Moreno, director of the Latino/Latin American Studies Center at Austin Community College. â Maura Mahoney Got a tip youâd like to share or a question youâd like me to answer? Let me know, at goldie@chronicle.com. If you have been forwarded this newsletter and would like to see past issues, [find them here](. To receive your own copy, free, register [here](. If you want to follow me on Twitter, [@GoldieStandard]( is my handle. Goldieâs Weekly Picks RETENTION MATTERS [The Problem Nobodyâs Talking About: The Male-Graduation Gap]( By Kelly Field [STORY IMAGE]( Men have trailed women in degree completion for decades. Why arenât colleges doing anything? SPONSOR CONTENT | Iowa State University [At Iowa State, innovation isnât a buzzword. Itâs a way of life.]( LEADERSHIP [Confirming Faculty Fears, Purdueâs Board Chair Says Trustees Chose President Like a Business]( By Eric Kelderman [STORY IMAGE]( While searches for college leaders have become more secretive in recent years, the university may have set a new precedent for opacity. ENROLLMENT CLIFF [Why Fewer High-School Graduates Are Going Straight to College]( By Brianna Hatch [STORY IMAGE]( Indiana and Tennessee recently reported historic drops in college-going, mirroring a national trend. SPONSOR CONTENT | The University of Arizona [University of Arizona Launches New Era in Space Observation and Student Success]( UArizona space missions and campus innovation break records in astronomy research and student success. ADVERTISEMENT FROM THE CHRONICLE STORE [Building a Faculty That Flourishes]( [Building a Faculty That Flourishes]( Colleges and universities cannot be successful without vibrant and engaged faculties. Now is the time to figure out sustainable ways to recruit, support, and diversify the faculty. [Order your copy today.]( NEWSLETTER FEEDBACK [Please let us know what you thought of today's newsletter in this three-question survey](. This newsletter was sent to {EMAIL}. [Read this newsletter on the web](. [Manage]( your newsletter preferences, [stop receiving]( this email, or [view]( our privacy policy. © 2022 [The Chronicle of Higher Education](
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