In the Book of Genesis 41, Pharaoh dreamed of “seven cows, sleek and fat, and they grazed among the reeds.” Then seven other cows “that were ugly and gaunt, ate up the seven fat, sleek cows.”
The next night, Pharaoh dreamed of “this heads of grain swallowed up” seven healthy heads of grain.
According to the Bible, Pharaoh called upon Joseph to interpret his dream. Joseph replied “I cannot do it . . . but God will give Pharaoh the answer he desires.” Joseph informed Pharaoh that the seven good cows and stalks of grain represented prosperous years for Egypt, “but seven years of famine will follow them. Then all of the abundance in Egypt will be forgotten, and the famine will ravage the land.”
God’s message to Pharaoh was clear. During the “fat” years, exercise due diligence in preparing for the inevitable cycle of lean years.
The closure of Alderson-Broaddus University should be treated as a canary in a coal mine. The staple of many colleges and universities, four-year degrees, have been in decline. From 2011 to 2022, enrollment dropped 12.3 percent nationwide according to Bestcolleges.com. Much of the drop has come from male students, whose attendance dipped to 41 percent in a time when many colleges saw increased attention paid to concepts such as “toxic masculinity.”
If an institution (not that this necessarily was part of the problem at AB, but is nationwide) tells young men they are inherently bad in classrooms and social settings, why on earth would they be excited to go to college?
In the 2022 -23 academic years, according to the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center, overall undergraduate enrollment dropped 0.2 percent and those pursuing four-year degrees dropped by 1.4. Community and technical colleges are seeing gradual gains in enrollment, however.
Some issues that have affected colleges, such as the increased negative attention to race and gender issues, were preventable, as has been increased spending on “diversity, equity, and inclusion” programs and offices on many campuses. The impact of government shutdowns due to the pandemic, however, was not.
Another issue for traditional higher education is that the trades offer better opportunities for larger numbers of young adults to cash in on higher salaries, advancement, and entrepreneurship. For students who start their studies in high school or join the military, skills training can be free or even put paychecks into pockets.
AB’s struggles and closure have helped to mask the fact that the flagship university of the state, West Virginia University, has seen significant enrollment and budget issues emerging. These problems are not uncommon, afflicting traditional higher education institutions across the country.
West Virginia needs its entire system of higher education institutions to look at students and instructors as their first priority. Too many distractions have left faculty and the student classroom experience too close to the end of the line when it comes to improving higher education and making it relevant to the changing job market.
What higher education in the Mountain State and across America needs is common sense leadership that gets back to the meaning of what colleges and universities, especially land grant schools, should do to carry out their core missions. Land grant schools, such as West Virginia University and West Virginia State University were created by, as Senator Justin Morrell of Vermont, explained, an “Act Donating public lands to the several States and [Territories] which may provide colleges for the benefit of agriculture and the Mechanic arts”
Higher education nationwide needs leadership to return them to a Promised Land of better educational outcomes, more reasonable tuition rates, streamlined bureaucracy, focus on priorities, better preparation for work opportunities within the states they serve, and a lot less fluff, including, where it occurs, spending on athletic programs that takes funds from academic core functions.
Additionally, stop taking advantage of the fact that students receive too easy credit through student loans. Then, step up and do their part to solve the student debt issue that they themselves contributed to creating.
Finally, colleges and universities need leaders who take a sensible viewpoint when preparing for the future, both for prosperous and lean years.
“And now let Pharoah look for a discerning and wise man and put him in charge of the land of Egypt.”
