Agenda for Higher Education: Retrospect and Prospect.

Overview & Synopsis

An agenda for the future of higher education that is especially appropriate for state- and institutional-level action is presented. One initiative that is important to the future of the country that can also be promoted at the federal level is improvement of the research capacity of U.S. universities. The following views are presented: the most important actions in American higher education are going to come from the states; states that have not already done so should take a careful look at their funding formulas for higher education; the quality of governance of higher education is deteriorating; teacher education needs to be vastly improved; the quality of higher education generally needs more attention; raising the rate of high school graduation should be a number one priority; attention should be directed to advancing education and opportunities for women and minorities, particularly minorities; liberal education is necessary to students, as individuals who are being prepared to live their lives in totality and not just to make a living; and private liberal arts colleges deserve to be preserved. Projections concerning research universities in the Southern Regional Education Board region are included. The wisdom of funding formulas that are based on enrollment is also questioned. (SW)