What is Happening to Higher Education?

— Jane Applegate Belzer

Just about every week I read articles in the contemporary press about some campus that is experiencing stress. Recently it was reported that Cornell University had reached a settlement with the Federal Government to pay $300 million dollars in exchange for returning to this university millions in research grants that had been halted by the Federal administration. Another surprise was a letter sent to every post-secondary institution in the country from the Secretary of Education asking that by the end of 2026 universities state commitments to seven areas including free speech, foreign influence, artificial intelligence and academic rigor, and such statements must be posted on their respective websites. Here in Florida, New College was newsworthy because an audit revealed that they spend five times per student than the University of Florida for much lower results. And, to complicate matters in Sarasota even more, the state legislature has transferred the USF Sarasota Campus to New College! Why is higher education in the spotlight? What is the source of these conflicts? Have we ever experienced such intrusion in the academic world by the government before?

As background, higher education in this country began in the 1600’s with small, religious colleges like Harvard that prepared men for the ministry and for civic leadership. In the 19th century, westward expansion, women’s colleges and historically Black colleges broadened access and included more secular studies. The Morrill Act created land grant universities which focused on agriculture and engineering. By the late 1800’s the German model of the research university introduced graduate study. The mid-20th century brought mass enrollment through the G.I. Bill. Campuses large and small, public and private, flourished. Today there are approximately 5,900 postsecondary institutions that are eligible for federal funding. Of those, about 4,000 are degree-granting colleges and universities. About 20 million students are currently enrolled in some form of postsecondary education.

I have had nearly seventy years of experience in American public education as a student, a teacher, a graduate student, a policy analyst, a professor and a university administrator. I have been affiliated with five large public universities in three different states. My parents, both educators, stressed the importance of becoming well- educated. Education to them meant developing basic skills and being able to think for oneself. It meant being able to find one’s place as a contributing member of society. It meant exploring different points of view, and different cultural stances. To be well educated was an essential value. And higher education has given me all of that and more.

Government and political intrusion in higher education has occurred during my lifetime in different ways. In the 1950’s we experienced the McCarthy Era where universities were targeted as a place for communism to flourish. As a result, conformity was demanded. Faculty and students faced top-down repression by the state. To dissent was dangerous. In Florida we had The Johns Committee from 1956-1965 to investigate communism and target homosexuals using intimidation, interrogations and public shaming. The 1960’s and 1970’s brought campus unrest over the Vietnam War. Campuses like The Ohio State University were literally on fire, and students at Kent State were shot by National Guard troops. Students spoke out and fought back. Those were my undergraduate experiences. The 1980’s brought more Federal money to higher education and more standards and controls. As a young professor I was beginning to feel the pressure to conform to state mandates. A major focus on accreditation at state and federal levels required much documentation and accountability. Were students getting what they needed to enter the workforce and be successful? No longer were questions focusing on the basics of a Liberal Arts curriculum. Now education was being tied to future income. What were university students doing to contribute to the national economy?

As my career advanced through the ranks of the professoriate, I was called upon to do more to illustrate the relevance of an advanced education. When I became a university administrator I quickly learned that public accountability mattered and the numbers mattered even more. How many students a college had was somewhat reflected in budget allocations. It mattered how many students graduated and how long it took students to finish degrees once they started. It mattered how many full-time and part-time faculty were employed and how many students were working on advanced degrees. It also mattered how many graduates found employment and where. It REALLY mattered how many grants and contracts were awarded and how much external money was earned. The statistical metrics went on and on and not only dictated budget but also buffered the status of the institution. Issues of quality were rarely considered until time for an accreditation review. It was metrics that mattered—and still do. It was income that mattered. It was expenditures that mattered. Even our own OLLI is caught up in that mindset.  And it is the political influence mentioned earlier that shapes the questions asked and data produced.

I must confess that this short essay has been challenging to write. So much of what I valued in my own educational life seems to have disappeared. Where are today’s college students encouraged to think critically? To ask questions? To voice opinions grounded in relevant literature? Today’s campus experience is so much different than it was in the 1960’s. The pressures are different and the questions about what matters most are different. Higher education in our country and in our community is once again experiencing conflict and stress as daily confrontations ranging from admissions standards to research funding to academic freedom and free speech are called up for scrutiny. The values embedded in higher learning have largely been set aside as universities grapple with requests and mandates coming from state and federal governments. No longer are we concerned about Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI). In fact, now syllabi for courses are electronically screened to assure that words like those no longer appear in course materials. And changes in technology and A.I. will be guiding much of what is to be learned. I cannot predict what will happen. I only know that I am very glad to have been educated when higher education mattered.

I bet you are, too.

Higher Education at a Crossroads

As campuses fill up, the traditional four-year degree is facing a profound identity crisis. Beyond the looming weight of tuition debt and campus closures, universities are grappling with a chill on international talent, the disruption of AI on student workflows, and a shifting job market. Are colleges evolving fast enough to survive this new calculus?

Read the full Axios newsletter to explore how students, schools, and trade programs are navigating these changes.

Jane Applegate Belzer, retired professor and Dean of USF’s College of Education, joined OLLI in 2012. She has taken OLLI classes in literature, art, history, lifestyles, nature and technology. Jane is a member of the Food Glorious Food and Talking Movies SIGs. In the past she teamed up with Ara Rogers to teach A Course is Born: From Concept to Classroom, an OLLI course for prospective instructors