Tag Archives: higher ed

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What If Higher Ed Worked Like Disney World

We recently took our kids to Disney World.  They had a great time meeting Mickey, riding every ride, and watching parades.  Although I’ve been to Disney several times before, there is always so much going on that you feel like a first timer each time.  During our visit, I thought about the parallels to higher education.  Specifically, I wondered what it would be like if higher ed worked like Disney World.

Credit: My wife for making two beautiful kids.

There is a joke one could make about the cost of Disney World and higher education.  Yet, I truly believe there are some lessons for colleges and universities in how Disney World operates.  At a time when many want to question how and what we do in higher ed, we should think about borrowing great ideas from other industries that help us fulfill our key missions of teaching, research, and service.

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Hey For-Profit Higher Education, This is Why Good People Hate You

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau this week sued for-profit Corinthian Colleges for predatory loan practices and illegal collection strategies. The lawsuit accuses Corinthian of a variety of illegal and misleading actions against its students. As longtime readers will know, I’m a big fan of the West Wing television show and the Corinthian case reminds me of a quote from the show, “This is why good people hate us.” A Republican member of Congress is trying a surprise line of questioning to embarrass a witness and “win” the hearings. The quote is from the majority counsel who is disgusted by the strategy. To me, the allegations against Corinthian are precisely why good people hate for-profit higher education.

The for-profit sector has made strides in reaching students—particularly adult students—that traditional colleges can’t or won’t serve.

Yet, the continued excesses and misleading actions of bad actors in the sector undermine the potential positive role that for-profits could play in improving college access and attainment.

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9/11 and Higher Ed: What We Can’t Forget

I worry we have forgotten some of the important lessons of September 11th for higher education.

Like much of the nation, I can’t help but think back to that clear day in September, 2001.  I remember hearing someone on the train who had a cell phone talking about a plane hitting a building.  I think I noticed her because cell phones were still a novelty.  The idea of a plane hitting a building on purpose never occurred to me.  I had only been in Philadelphia for a few weeks starting graduate school.

By the time I got to the office, we all rushed down to the dean’s conference room to watch the news.  It was horrifying and shocking.  I had never been to New York City so I didn’t have a full appreciation for the magnitude of the moment unlike so many of my colleagues at the sight of the towers coming down.  The rest of the day is a blur of images.  Trying to get home, but told to leave 30th Street Station because there was a fear of a bomb.  Going back to sit by myself watching the news on a classroom computer.  Walking to the house and noticing a fighter jet overhead.  Even years later it is amazing the details of a single day that you remember.

As with the rest of the country, higher education was impacted by September 11th.

Photo credit: Scott Hudson