The press

Who are today’s college students? How has the role of higher education changed? Why, with more students than ever attending college, do employers find graduates underprepared for the workplace? How about civic responsibility and global understanding? What barriers stand in the way of doing better? What should college students actually be learning?

These are some of the questions that the report from the Greater Expectations National Panel attempts to answer. Starting with an analysis of the current situation, the report concludes with recommendations, many of which could use press attention to engender public dialogue.

This Web version of the report offers the option of either reading the entire report (simply go to "Enter the Report") or scanning selected sections. While we recommend starting at the beginning and following the entire argument, the sections listed below may be of greatest interest to the media. Finally, return to the bottom of this page for suggestions about what you can do next (link also at the end of the report).

The central issues that build a case for change include:

• Who now attends college
• Why college education is essential in today’s world
• Pressures on higher education
• Pressures on secondary education
• Various expectations of college
• Barriers to student readiness for college
• Barriers to high quality college learning
• Exclusive definitions of quality
• The hope for change

The National Panel’s vision of the New Academy:

• The important outcomes of college study
• The kind of education that develops skills, knowledge, and a sense of responsibility
• A practical liberal education
• Campus examples of good practice (see stories throughout Chapter 4)
• Organizing principles of a 21st-century college education
• Summary of the New Academy

Recommendations and action steps:

• Recommendations
• Action step to change public perception of quality

What can you do next?

• Report on the good news stories at innovative colleges and universities committed to better student learning.
• Look for stories at a wide range of colleges and universities that represent various types, missions, and locations.
• Report data carefully to avoid overgeneralizations and acknowledge the diversity of students in college along with their complex patterns of attendance, especially in articles that assess quality and status.
• Publicize the important questions about quality learning that prospective students and their parents should ask when selecting a college.