Page 172 - Crisis in Higher Education

7

Becoming Student-Centered:

The Right Way

Five decades ago, universities had not embraced the notion of being stu-
dent friendly. Dormitories were best described as basic and cramped, food
service was poor, registering for classes was an 8-hour ordeal, recreation
centers were not available, and student services were inadequate and often
unfriendly. Newly admitted students knew, or at least thought they knew,
that universities had flunkout courses, which would separate the wheat
from the chaff. The following story went around college campuses at the
time, although there is no evidence that it actually happened. A university
president began his (at the time nearly all university presidents were men)
opening remarks at first-year student orientation. He said, “Look at the
person to your immediate left and the person to your immediate right.
Only one of you will graduate.” Universities were not welcoming places.
As enrollment continued to grow for reasons discussed in Chapter 1,
there seemed to be an endless supply of applicants. But, in the first half
of the 1980s, the number of high school graduates began to decline as the
last of the baby boomers graduated and children from the leading edge of
the baby boomers, or the boomers’ echo, were in elementary and middle
school. As a result, universities faced a shortage in their primary feed-
stock: fresh-faced high school graduates. After decades of growth, which
covered up overspending and poor management, many universities had to
figure out how to attract more students, cut cost, or do both. Elite univer-
sities only had to reach a bit deeper into their applicant pool to maintain
enrollment, but universities with less stature faced declines.
In response, universities adopted student-centered learning, which is the
use of varying pedagogies, modified assignments, and different academic
support strategies to address the distinct learning needs, interests, and

143