The Politics of Higher Education
When I worked in higher education, I used to get so frustrated. I used to say change took place at the pace of “molasses in winter,” when discussing shifts to anything in college. Describing it as frustration is probably putting it mildly. As a Millenial, I charged my work world from day one. They said I was driven, motivated, and admired my creativity. It was not until shortly after I started working that my eyes were open to the bureaucratic system that is firmly grounded (still) in a Boomer-era way-of-life. I’m not poo-pooing Boomers. I will say though that I’m not a fan of university systems that do not provide a stage for Millenials to talk about the changes necessary to bring institutions into the 21st century. That job was soul-crushing.
My soul was crushed for how much I worked my ass off to help the students I worked with who decided to succeed in life. Crushed by how poorly I got paid for a job that required a Master’s degree, and yet was told with words that I was indispensable. It was like being in an abusive relationship. I did not want to leave even though I knew better, it was fear of the breaking up and the uncertainty beyond that that kept me going back every day. My soul was crushed by the systems in place that required me to ask for permission. A series of approvals that would go up four to five levels of supervisors, before the answer was ever returned to me months later. My soul was crushed by image of higher learning that transformed into a mirage of a business that only cared about money coming in (read: retention). My time in higher education was nothing short of a love-hate relationship.
For families enrolling their kid in college, you need to understand the bureaucracy. You need to understand the politics. You need to know ahead of time that although you want to demand to have a refund, or that someone reach out to your kid who you know is struggling, the call-to-action beyond your request takes time. There are systems in place. There are people that need to place their stamp of approval on all things, before anything can get done. But now with COVID-19, I just wonder how this may be turning everything on its head.
Whereas it used to take decades to change things that may have only taken a week with the proper effort, now we are witnessing the complete unraveling of decades of work as colleges are adjusting to changes made almost daily. I do not envy anyone working in higher education right now. I can only imagine the chaos. Maybe if some of the soon-to-retire Administrators bring Millenials to the table and ask their input on how we make colleges still inviting in the fall, some schools may not be faced with foreclosure. Yes, foreclosure.
Higher education has always been the kind of system that vehemently requires endless amounts of permission. If you are of the mindset to ask for forgiveness, you can expect that you will not be long for the higher education world. You will be reprimanded and replaced before you can blink. I don’t like having my hand slapped, which is the one of many reasons I left working in higher education. Might I add: having my hand slapped for specifically want to help retain staff, and subsequently build rapport with students. At the end of the day, your kid is just a dollar sign in higher education. They’re a statitistic. At least this was how it was pre-COVID19. One can only hope that colleges and universities are pivoting by inverting their leadership to include the younger professionals who can creatively brainstorm through how to navigate this crisis.
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