The College Professor

“Education is an ornament in prosperity and a refuge in adversity” – Aristotle

As a fitting introduction to the dynamics of higher education, it is duly noted that tougher economic times often dictate the need to reflect upon purpose and as well as pocketbook. To the student, this may result in enrollment in fewer classes, assuming increased work hours to offset tuition costs, switching to a more marketable major, or dropping out for a semester or two (or longer). To the faculty, it means reevaluating textbook expenses, increasing use of external advisory groups to update knowledge of employment opportunities for graduates, utilizing technology as a potential cost saver, and anticipating an ever-decreasing enrollment of the “typical” college student to be replaced by no-nonsense adult learners with family and job responsibilities.

We faculty are presented with the simultaneous challenges of student retention, standardized course evaluation methods, outcomes assessments, and evolving academic technologies, just to name a few. How the current economic state of the country will impact these challenges to higher education over the long term remains to be seen. In the meantime, we can continue to accomplish what we have always done best: to instill in our students the essential tools for lifelong learning regardless of today’s directional swing of the Dow Jones Industrial Average.

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