Curry School of Education

The Curry School is proud to have contributed to the successful careers of a number of men and women at the helm of other colleges and universities. Their leadership is helping to ensure that adult students — regardless of their age, location, or life circumstances – have access to the high quality education they need. The eight featured alumni graciously agreed to speak with Curry magazine on a number of higher education issues. Highlights of their responses are included here. Read their full responses.

Evolving Student Needs

“As costs to the family have risen, students are more concerned about the value of their education, and as the job market has become more challenging, students have become more interested in internships and alumni contacts to improve their competitiveness in the market.”
—Linwood Rose

“There is a greater expectation from students that programs be relevant to societal and global issues and that services be environmentally responsible.”
—Clorisa Phillips

“Many students simply want a degree without all of the trimmings. This is especially true for older adults.”
—Barry Dorsey

“Customer service is very important to students, and they expect their campus to provide greater ease in gaining access to services—‘one stop shopping.’”
—Ben Hancock

“Students have become increasingly pragmatic and career oriented….Unless they are planning to attend graduate school immediately upon completing undergraduate study, students are interested in products and services that will help them bridge the gap between college and the workplace and prepare them for long-term career advancement.”
—George Miller

Higher Ed Challenges

“The large issue of seamless transfer (a student moving, for example, from a community college to a four-year institution without having to take a large number of additional courses) is a major problem in Virginia and many states.”
—Barry Dorsey

“Meeting the needs of an increasingly diverse student body in ways that assure that success for students is inclusive.”
—Beth Stroble

“Access and affordability are the most critical challenges facing higher education….During the second half of the 20th century, our economy was fueled by an expansion in higher education that strengthened prosperity and widened the doors of access to more Americans. Our comparative advantage in higher education is slipping. There is a great need for us to continue or renew the social compact that links governmental, institutional, and family investment in higher education for the common good as well as for the benefit of individuals. ”
—Jay Lemons

“Higher education will continue to face the challenge of educating more students, with fewer resources, and with greater accountability to the public than ever before.…Educators will need to embrace uncertainty and change, and invest limited resources in people and programs that foster innovation and that help solve the growing educational needs of society.”
—John Downey

“Funding is always a critical issue, and we will continue to see calls for greater operational efficiencies. …We are all hopeful that public policy leaders will recognize the essential need to invest in higher education and thus moderate the need for double-digit tuition increases, but clearly we are witnessing a shift from state funding to support the public good to student or parent funding.”
—Linwood Rose

Improving Higher Ed

“Part of what we must do is to continue to provide an exceptional learning environment that challenges our students, maintain the culture of academic success that permeates our campus, help students achieve their degrees in four years, and launch them into the next legs of their journeys through graduate school or professional employment.”
—Jay Lemons

“We need to redouble our efforts at helping students see the linkages between their education and their future; between the course work they engage in and their innate passion for the work they will do for the rest of their lives.”
—John Downey

“With the shrinking time relevance of information and the globalization of nearly every aspect of human activity, it is increasingly important that higher education is intentional in helping students develop the ability to reason and self-direct their learning.”
—George Miller

Innovations

“We are partnering with local school districts, the chamber of commerce, local government, foundations, and the business community to provide programs and services that improve younger students’ aspiration and readiness for college, academically and financially.”
—Beth Stroble

“Fostering stronger ties between community organizations is the best method for addressing the call for more degrees in the economy. With limited resources, education providers at all levels need to reduce the duplication of programs and services and foster connections that result in seamless transitions across levels of educational  advancement.”
—John Downey

“Universities need to become more creative and entrepreneurial in identifying additional sources of revenue, and one opportunity is to increase the collaboration with external partners. At Methodist we are in the process of increasing our outreach to community members, businesses, and other interested parties to generate new, mutually beneficial ideas.”
—Ben Hancock

“Virginia Intermont has developed a successful Evening and Weekend College program for adult students who wish to complete their degrees.”
—Clorisa Phillips

Preparing Kids for College

“Start saving early. Investigate all potential sources of financial aid. Help your child to find the right college ‘fit’ for whatever the student might be interested in. The best fit is not always the most expensive institution.”
—Barry Dorsey

“Be inventive and aggressive. Even if your child does not qualify for federal financial aid, there are many merit scholarship programs offered by civic organizations and the like. You and your child should seek these out and not rely on overburdened guidance counselors to send them your way.”
—Clorisa Phillips

“I would encourage parents to work with their children at an early age to explore various categories of career options…. The earlier that our children are exposed to a wide range of career pathways and understand the linkages between career choice and education, the stronger the assurance for parents that the investment made in higher education will be beneficial.”
—John Downey

“It is important for parents to be prepared to ask their children to help fund their college expenses through work and loans. I will never forget signing promissory notes as an 18-year-old freshman student at Nebraska Wesleyan University. It helped me to realize that I had ‘skin in the game.’ I can assure you that it helped me focus on being successful in my studies and that included going to class on some beautiful Friday afternoons when it would have been easy to be distracted by other activities. Those college loans helped me attend a private liberal arts college. That was among the most profound, powerful and positive experiences of my life and worth every penny and sacrifice.”
—Jay Lemons