"Higher" Education?

I'm watching the ABC News expose on the recruitment practices of for-profit schools like the University of Phoenix. As someone who has worked on the admissions front, and now on the communications front, for traditional universities, stories like this always intrigue me. Yes, it's true that many students are easily swayed by recruitment tactics, and it is completely against my beliefs to treat higher education as a "sales pitch." It makes me angry that what was once an opportunity to learn is now commoditized, and that traditional institutes of higher learning need to compete with places who aren't out to instill a sense of appreciation for all there is to learn out there, and are instead out to make a buck.

But here's the thing. Students have changed. The culture has changed. I talk to students and prospective students all week long and I can count on one hand the number who ask about the quality of education, the course content, the faculty qualifications. Those on the academic side of the university strive to create programs that are relevant, reflective of current research and will inspire students to be more than they were when they first walked through the door. But what do these prospective students want to know, more often than not? "What job can I get with this degree?" "Can you give me statistics on how many graduates of this program get jobs right away?" It's no longer education for the sake of becoming educated, but a more results-oriented world. Higher education is nothing more than a means to an end, and the growth of this attitude is killing the liberal arts disciplines in particular.

College is NOT job training. But the majority of the population views it as such, so of course they are wooed by the for-profit schools, citing statistics that those with a degree will earn a million dollars more over their lifetimes than those without a degree. I wonder what this data looks like now, with college degrees in everything and anything so ubiquitous that the value of the education itself is reflected only in the end, not the means. In this Machiavellian world, it is easy for a student to be wooed by the basic idea of the for-profit schools: you give us money, we'll give you some classes, we'll give you a degree. Students don't have the opportunity to put thought into studying subjects they love, because they are pushed into degree programs that will give "results."

Much like you don't need an English degree to be a great writer, you don't need a business degree to run a successful business. But instead of getting real advising from academics and administrators who have seen and experienced enough to know that a student needs to study their passion, the boom of education as an industry has forced schools to churn students through programs that give them the quickest and easiest degree. Don't want to write papers? Here's a program for you. Good luck the first time you have to put together a report and don't have the first idea of where to start. The idea that all that is needed is a degree cheapens the degree itself. It's not about the piece of paper, it's about the learning that leads to the degree.

The real problem of the for-profit schools is that they bend too quickly to market demands. Of course people are going to say that they don't want to work too hard to earn their degree, that they want academic credit for "life experience"- yielding to these demands has created a monster, and traditional academic institutions are forced to compete with the "have it your way" education that is produced. People looking to earn a degree are a vulnerable population, and by acquiescing to "audience demand" these prospective students feel empowered... but they lose the value of learning to think and write for themselves, of letting themselves be educated because they are letting themselves be "taught."

So now the general public is starting to realize that a degree is not a guarantee of any job or position. They are lashing out at those schools that painted the picture that a piece of paper alone will open doors. Yet, these schools were only giving students the answer they wanted to hear. And believe me, students will keep calling and asking what job they can get with X degree to 100 different places until they find the answer they want. It's good business to offer a response to consumer needs, right? Those for-profit schools got so popular because they gave the answers students wanted to hear, but the real problem with education was that these students were asking the wrong question in the first place.

Camp?

I spent today at something called "Brand Camp," sponsored by Jack Morton's Boston Office. Jack Morton isn't exactly an ad agency in the traditional sense; it's a Brand Experience Agency and Brand Camp is their way of spreading their agency ideals to recent grads. While I'm just out of grad school, it has been over 13 years since I finished undergrad... which placed me at about 13 years older than the average Brand Camper. But let me tell you- it was an incredible day. I have spent a lot of time lately thinking about where my career is heading. I don't really fit in within the world of higher education (although there is a chance that could be moving in a positive direction for me right now), I don't necessarily see myself in a traditional ad agency setting either. I have met with several people related to client-side marketing, and enjoyed it, but it wasn't until today that I discovered that a company exists that could tie together so many of my interests and skills. We talked today about how consumers experience a brand from so many touch points, and in order to really impact a consumer's experience, there needs to be buy in at every level, including employees. And there it was - my training experience at Disney, my HR experience, my Communications experience, my geeky love for data & analytics and my Advertising degree all rolled up into one. How cool is that? I never really realized that this sort of thing exists... but man, I felt a sense of excitement I haven't had in a LONG time. I love this kind of stuff!

One of my favorite things about today was that there was a great sell on the Liberal Arts degree. Jack Morton's managing director talked about his History degree, and how they love that there is a diversity of backgrounds within their agency. After YEARS of telling people that an undergraduate major is not important, as long as you learn to write well and think well... it was simply gratifying.

So we'll see what happens after today, but it was great to spend 8 hours thinking about things in a different way, and reminding myself that maybe a place (outside of Walt Disney World) where I feel real passion for the work does exist.