3/6 History of Higher Education

Though Higher Education as a system has its roots in personal enrichment, Higher Education in the U.S. had a strong public-focused base. Should Higher Education in the U.S. focus more on personal growth or aiding the public good?

Higher Education prepares prospective professors more for the research side of academia while the teaching side is often neglected, leaving professors to be drawn to research universities and favoring research over instruction. This process aids in mission creep and can lead to under-prepared students, creating poor efficacy within the Higher Education system and, consequently, in the job market and society as a whole. If neglecting the teaching side of professorship has such negative consequences, why neglect it?

3/13 History of CUNY

City College ended up falling prey to under-prepared students once it started open admissions, leading to a plethora of remedial classes and college dropouts. Are we trying to fix the problem from the wrong end? How can we help restructure K-12 in order to create students that are prepared for Higher Education and, later, life?

How can the Higher Education system measure academic potential in a student?

How did veterans factor into City College’s academic profile and revolutionary student body in the 1960s?

3/20 Governance

Many Presidents of Higher Education institutions are often looking for ways to leave their impact on their school in order to gain a list of accomplishments in order to find a higher salary in a more prestigious institution. If mission creep affects presidents, how might their actions affect the educational experience of the students?

If mission creep is leading to various institutional, administrative, and financial burdens, why don’t Higher Education institutions reevaluate their missions to be more niche and stratify the landscape rather than trying desperately to seek to be “the next Harvard?”

If a President is the face and chief fundraiser of a college/university, would it actually pay off for a president to embody the mission of their institution?