Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind came out in 2015. In it, Yuval Noah Harari argues that humanity can only operate in such large numbers because we are connected by the stories we tell each other, a fiction he calls them, that have no basis in science.
These fictions have been positive and negative.
Positive includes human rights, democracy, religious liberty, etc.
The negative include that one race is better than the other, that some people are meant to be lower than others (caste systems or slavery), that men are superior to women, that a deity ordains some political structures (kings, pharaohs) and not others, etc.
Combine these stories, and you come up with a culture—something created out of whole cloth by us to serve us. The things we create typically stratify society, so a few do far better than others.
It reminded me of the song “It’s Only a Paper Moon.” Written in 1932, it went on to become an American standard. My favorite version is by the Nat King Cole Trio.
Say it's only a paper moon
Sailing over a cardboard sea
But it wouldn't be make-believe
If you believed in me
It's a Barnum and Bailey world
Just as phony as it can be
But it wouldn't be make-believe
If you believed in me
All laws, traditions, ideals, and principles are made up. But, if we believe in it, it is considered true.
This brings us to higher education. Colleges and universities are filled with fictions built over generations. We hold our traditions to be true rather than an intellectual creation wrapped in complex policies and procedures.
Things we made up, in no particular order.
The best universities are in the Ivy League and should be emulated.
People that work at community colleges should not be taken seriously.
The highest value in higher education is institutional autonomy.
The highest value for faculty is academic freedom.
The most important people on campus are PhDs with tenure.
The least important people are adjunct faculty.
Individuals with PhDs from “better” institutions will make better faculty than individuals with PhDs from “lesser” institutions.
Search committees.
Departments.
Disciplines.
Colleges.
Faculty rank.
Researchers are more valuable than instructors.
Research pays its way.
The number of citations is equal to the quality and importance of the research.
Tenure is about academic freedom, not job protection.
There are no bad tenured faculty on our campus (that we admit publicly).
Reputation with peers is more important than service to the community.
A high ranking/reputation is always good for undergraduates.
Science is more valuable than the humanities.
Faculty should run, or at the very least have significant input, on all aspects of a college or university.
The public should have little to no input on what higher education does.
There is such a thing as the “academe.”
Scholars have a stronger duty to their academic discipline than to the institution that employs them.
A college should look a certain way.
Division 1 sports have something to do with higher education.
Campuses should close over the summer.
Classes should not be taught after five or on weekends.
Service to the community shouldn’t count for promotion and tenure.
Online education is inferior.
Commencement should look like an Anglican church service.
Cooperation with other institutions is not possible.
Change must be slow.
Adult learners are not our responsibility.
Sharing degree programs among campuses is too hard.
That it’s okay for faculty to be so difficult/rude with one another.
Today’s PhD students have to go through the same hell that previous generations did.
You don’t need to provide teaching training or require continuing education for faculty on the latest research on effective instruction.
The more degrees staff have, the better they will be at their job.
A college president should have a PhD.
Transfer credits from some institutions shouldn’t count.
Work and military training/experience don’t count.
The list could go on.
Some traditions, values, and opinions are important and should be kept. Many should be modified, and others thrown out.
Remember: we made it all up.
That means we can make up something new.
We must not be beholden to bad habits or outdated thinking. Few things should be considered sacrosanct.
I Like it The Way It Is, Why Change?
There are two reasons to challenge our old thinking and increase the pace of change in higher education.
The first is self-interest. The number of traditional-age college students is shrinking, competition from nonacademic players and national online universities is increasing, public trust is declining, and state support will likely not return to pre-2008 levels.
That’s not a great mix.
Most institutions will choose to double down on what they know. It’s the easiest approach and feels the most comfortable, but will lead to more campus closings, mergers, shrinking colleges, and layoffs.
It won’t be pretty.
The second reason to change is that we desperately need you to.
To keep our democracy stable and meet workforce demands and civic needs, it is imperative to increase access and persistence for first-generation students, students of color, and working adults; lower the cost of college; and eliminate unnecessary hurdles for applicants and transfer students.
If you were creating a higher education system from scratch today, it wouldn’t look like the one we have now.
How do we keep what is best of our past while quickly adapting to current and future needs?
Step one, acknowledge we made it all up in the first place.
Good article. There is progress being made- just wonder how we might measure it