ABSTRACT
TRENDS IN HIGHER EDUCATION In 2000, Arthur Levine wrote an editorial for Th e Chronicle of Higher Education titled “Th e Future of Colleges: 9 Inevitable Changes” (2000b). He discussed the ways that “shift ing demographics, new technologies, the entrance of commercial organizations into higher education, the changing relationships between colleges and the federal and state governments, and the move from an industrial to an information society” (p. B10) were changing the nature of higher education in the United States. He foretold the rise of free online course off erings through groups such as MITx and the Khan Academy. In essence, education is evolving with the rise of technology that has made the acquisition of knowledge as easy as reaching for a smart phone. Levine’s nine trends included the following:
• Higher-education [sic] providers will become even more numerous and more diverse …
• Th ree basic types of colleges and universities are emerging … “brick universities,” or traditional residential institutions; “click universities,” or new, usually commercial virtual universities … and “brick and click” universities, a combination of the fi rst two …
• Higher education is becoming more individualized; students, not institutions, will set the educational agenda …
• Th e focus of higher education is shift ing from teaching to learning … • Th e traditional functions of higher education (i.e., teaching, research, and service)
could become unbundled … • Faculty members will become increasingly independent of colleges and universi-
ties … • Degrees will wither in importance … • Every person will have an educational passport … • Dollars will follow the students more than the educators. (2000b, pp. B10-B11)
While Levine’s list outlines many challenges within higher education, absent from his list are the profound changes occurring internationally. Levine concluded his editorial with a statement expressing his fear that either because of complacency or the slow speed of higher education decision-making processes, the opportunity to shape tomorrow will be missed.
