In today's higher education landscape, there are numerous conflicting pressures that influence how the mix of academic programs institutions choose to offer will evolve. This article describes: (1) The need to understand better how institutions' program arrays are evolving over time in the face of a variety of student, workforce, competitive,…

This article is an examination of intersecting outcomes of deteriorating student mental health, disrupted socialization skills, declining preparatory academic performance, and the impact of traumatic domestic and global events on a diverse and digitally immersed Generation Z. The underlying and enduring organizational structure common to almost…

Changing student demographics, COVID-19 ramifications, and political pressures all underscore the need for organizational change sooner rather than later. While higher education has successfully resolved a number of challenges, it continues to be stymied by areas where needed change has not materialized. Even after repeated efforts, these changes…

Higher education is in a moment of systemic crisis; the next 20 years will bring significant change, but the nature of that change is still up for grabs. Higher education also contains wellsprings of creativity and innovation in support of engaged, equitable, holistic learning, but these are siloed and piecemeal. Positive, systemic change is…

In this article, the author discusses the mechanisms of isomorphism through three examples of organizational actions for diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in doctoral education: (1) eliminating Graduate Record Examination (GRE) requirements; (2) adopting bridge programs; and (3) reforming doctoral qualifying exams. Although these actions were…

Researchers have developed the concept of organizational stupidity to explain why some organizations lack the ability or willingness to create and use knowledge resources. Indicators of organizational stupidity include a lack of reflexivity, failure to provide justifications for decisions and actions, and avoidance of substantive reasoning. The…

Based on working with the Boyer 2030 Commission and strategizing around its focus on the equity/excellence imperative, the author argues that the main impediments for change in U.S. research universities are phenomenological in nature; that is, having to do with the way systems of meaning are structured and experienced. The author argues that U.S.…

Florida's developmental education reform has benefitted most students directly impacted by the reform and has helped to reduce existing achievement gaps by race/ethnicity, English Language Learner status, and academic preparation in short-term outcomes like college course-taking and credit accumulation. Even though the reform was not specifically…

Much has been written of late regarding the effects on higher education of the shifting demographics in the United States. Many writers seem to focus on colleges that are closing because the shrinking number of 18- to 24-year-olds means declining enrollments. The authors of this article would like to focus on some positive actions and strategies…

The COVID pandemic created significant problems for higher education worldwide, including new and exacerbated challenges related to international higher education. In this article, the authors focus on: (1) the implications for onsite and online education; (2) international student mobility and internationalization at home; (3) the impact of…

Effective, inclusive, equitable, and evidence-based teaching is widely recognized as a crucial part of higher education change efforts with direct implications for student success and belonging, particularly at the undergraduate level where coursework plays a large role. It is also essential that faculty enact effective curriculum design and…

Hispanic-serving institution (HSI) is a federal designation for institutions of higher education that meet a threshold of enrolling 25 percent or more of Hispanic/Latinx undergraduate students as well as thresholds for Pell-eligible students and per capita expenditures. Using a conceptual "servingness" framework (Garcia et al., 2019, p.…

While research has generated abundant insight into effective professional learning methods, the field continues to suffer from a lack of systemic approaches. In response, a group of national professional learning leaders recently developed a framework that links proven professional learning methods to the strategic priorities of higher education…

In this article, the authors discuss how a system change framework was developed to change the way a school system worked for students. Decades of reports documented inequitable placement into and completion of remedial mathematics in the University of Wisconsin System (UW System). Incoming "undecided" students often enrolled in college…

Despite decades of conversations about student engagement, student success is rarely measured in terms of the capabilities of students to learn with, from, and for others--what Clifton Conrad and Todd Lundberg define as collaborative learning. From their perspective, positioning individual learning as the cornerstone of a college education falls…