Live from AACRAO-SEM
Jeff Selingo, the author of Who Gets In and Why: A Year Inside College Admissions, opened the AACRAO SEM Conference in Miami, FL, with a look at what inspired his recent book, the current state of higher ed, and what the path forward may look like for higher ed institutions struggling to remain relevant in the post-pandemic reality.
Recounting his inspiration for Who Gets In and Why: A Year Inside College Admissions, Jeff made a comparison to Fast Food Nation and how a similar story was ripe to be told from the perspective of higher-education admissions.
Jeff compared the summer of 1995, noted as the beginning of the end for the newspaper publishing industry, as a similar moment to today's current state of affairs in higher education. The pandemic drove changes in higher-ed that, in many ways, diminished the public trust and made it difficult for institutions to differentiate themselves from competitors.
Test-Optional
Speaking on test-optional policies, Jeff posited that these policies intensified the lack of transparency and trust in the admissions process. With the admissions process already under a cloud of mystery for most students and parents, going test-optional only intensifies the anxiety students face going through the admissions process.
When looking at submissions from various students from myriad backgrounds, the data shows that students from every zip code submitted test scores to test-optional institutions, but that students from wealthier zip codes submitted scores more often than those from students of less-wealthy zip codes.
Jeff encouraged higher education professionals and institutions to make a choice. Either increase transparency in the admissions process and release admissions data or go fully test blind.
Four Challenges facing Universities
Looking at the challenges higher ed institutions face in the coming year's Jeff broke them down into four categories.
- Demographics
- Aspirations of Gen-Z
- Future of Work
- Value
A running thread through all the challenges presented by Jeff is the need for universities to show ROI, adapt to changing demands, and ensure that the value institutions offer is defined, translatable, and transferrable.
Conclusion
Jeff concluded his plenary address by noting that skillsets and demands have changed dramatically across markets and that higher education institutions have an opportunity to adapt their methodology and offerings. He also noted that someone will fill the need, but that the question is whether it will be existing higher ed institutions, or someone else.
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