SmithGroup’s Post

In her role as President of the NHCUC, Debby Scire created opportunities to convene campus and state leaders to address educational needs, policy, and strategy. The NHCUC was featured in a recent story this fall from Business NH Magazine about how New Hampshire's higher education institutions have been working together to adapt to student population shifts and address workforce needs across the state. Read the full story, Facing Challenging Demographics, to learn how collaboration among higher education leaders is helping shape a more resilient and future-ready workforce for New Hampshire. https://lnkd.in/djVd7gCw

DegreeSight's CEO, David Cook had the pleasure of sitting down with Dr. Nathan Grawe to talk about the sustainability of higher education. A professor of economics at Carleton College, Dr. Grawe is the author of "Demographics and the Demand for Higher Education" and "The Agile College." Check out their interview below to learn about antifragile systems, enrollment trends, and transfer students and their behavioral psychology! https://lnkd.in/gvCB6nkF

🏫 Higher education is at a crossroads. With declining enrollments and growing demand for flexible, personalized education, institutions must innovate to remain relevant. Digital transformation isn’t just a buzzword—it’s the key to delivering on modern learner expectations. 🎙️ In our latest episode, we explore how colleges and universities can create lifelong learning models that adapt to diverse demographics and evolving career landscapes. Featuring Angie Kamath of New York University 🎧 Listen now: https://lnkd.in/gdRu6DvB #HigherEdInnovation #LifelongLearning #DigitalTransformation

A new report offers a more precise look at the long-discussed "enrollment cliff." I am reminded of the timely dissertation my friend, Carrie Phillips, Ed.D., published a few years ago on how to prepare for what is now here. Here is a simple way to look at it: High school graduates nationally are expected to reach an all-time high of 3.9 million in spring 2025, after which point the numbers will decline steadily to 3.4 million in 2041. Whether or not it's a "cliff," it's going to feel like one to enrollment management professionals. #highered #enrollment #demographics

In our newest blog post, we highlight our first four reports from 2024. We explored crucial topics, including postsecondary education's holistic benefits, employment realities in rural America, the changing demographics at selective and open-access institutions, and whether the middle-skills credentials awarded by providers align with the needs of local labor markets. You can find it here: https://lnkd.in/egjz9J9X

Crazy stat: The number of high school graduates will steadily decline through 2041 These demographic shifts are quickly reshaping higher education. In many regions, adult learners could soon comprise nearly half of all enrollments. Learn what institutions can do to refine recruitment strategies and boost retention in this new reality

This balanced article offers some opportunities for avoiding the worse effects of the demographic cliff, but it would require coordination between public and private sectors, government, and a change in the current perception of higher education. What are the possibilities of this occurring? #demographics #highereducation #universityrecruitment #collegeadmissions

What Would It Take For Local Communities To Rethink Prosperity? There certainly are things which require a more regional, national, or even global coordination. However, doesn't local action often lay the groundwork for broader collaborations? A localized iterative collaboration to problem solve should be personally intuitive. In a world of declining populations, what would the impact be of small, localized communities banning together and building strategies that revitalize the only economy they truly can influence? What if global problems are reframed as local opportunities, rallying people to collaborate and innovate? How could towns and neighborhoods focus on greater self-sufficiency? How might shared goals like revitalizing main streets or forming and supporting local businesses foster community-driven solutions? What new innovations might emerge? Can local challenges be handled autonomously? How might this encourage new industries, remote work hubs, or resource-sharing systems to emerge? By focusing on our unique strengths and needs, can communities prove that resilience and creativity flourish when solutions are born close to home? Curious how these realities will spark local innovation and renewed local economic models that are less and less dependent on national or global supply chains. It just seems local resiliency is critical.

“To create an effective plan for student success, higher education leaders must understand the influences on today’s learners and their environment.” Really great read as we look to the evolution of higher education. I believe that we must be not only strategic, but also in tune with the REAL needs of students, not just the needs we perceive to be true. As leaders & administrators we can implicitly apply our own biases that influence the solutions we design; such mechanisms may bring results, but often lack long term sustainability because the needs are always evolving sometimes against the grains of the demands of industry. Bring and keep your target audience at the table of strategy and decision making to help your education systems remain nimble to the ever changing architecture of education. #changemanagement #highereducation #impact #sustainability #students #studentaffairs #leadership #organizations

Does your college punch above its weight? We can reliably predict what graduation rates and earnings should be based on incoming student demographics and other factors. Check out the interactive charts in our latest report to see how well your college performs against expectations... #highereducation #highered #collegesanduniversities #collegeoutcomes #education #educationpolicy #educationreform #bainandcompany https://lnkd.in/ekTjaaPH?