The Solutions Initiative
Transforming Lives, Transforming Society
One Student, One Idea at a Time
The Goal: Sustain Postsecondary
Capacity to Serve Community and
National Interests
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Sustaining economic growth
Increasing real wages
Addressing workforce needs
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Reducing international skills gaps
Sustaining technological advancements
Serving communities
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The Challenge for Higher
Education
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Need to increase -- not just
maintain --access, affordability
and success
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Long-term structural budget
challenges at State and Federal
levels
•
Public perceptions about higher
education as a public priority
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Listening to the Public
• Focus groups to test public
perceptions, language, and
messages about…
-perceptions of higher education
-notions of the public good
-what warrants public support
-what will motivate people to support higher
education as a public policy priority
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Public Perceptions of Higher
Education
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Strong positive view of importance
•
Perceived primarily in terms
of “colleges” and credentialing
Viewed as private economic good - not
equated with broad array of social,
economic, service benefits
Concern about rising costs,
productivity, accountability
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•
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Remote from public engagement
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Criteria for public support
Public
Need
Basic necessity
for a decent life
Public
benefit
Everybody is
Better off if more
People have it
Personal
relevance
New age
This affects
my daily life
Accountable and
Efficient
politics
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Public skepticism for higher
education
on all four dimensions
Public
Need
Not as pressing
as other issues
Public
benefits
Colleges benefit the
People who go to
them
Personal
Relevance
This isn’t about me
New era
Politics
Public skepticism
- Esp tuition/value
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Connecting to the public
• Testing messages that are credible,
and connect
•
Deficit language not believed
•
“Crisis” language a turn-off
•
International comparisons seen
as self-serving
•
Connection to future, solutions
for society, credible and positive
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Solutions for America
Expanding the conversation…
FROM
TO INCLUDE
An individual responsibility
For the privileged few
Not accountable
Politically correct
Expensive
Expendable
A public investment
Benefits all of society
Publicly responsive
Intellectually open
Affordable
An investment in the
future
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Project Messages
• The payoff to society from
higher education
• Building for the future
• The investment at risk
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Target Audiences
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•
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The voting public
Parents of college-age students
Alumni
Business leaders
Community-based organizations
Opinion leaders
Public policy makers
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Layers of Campaign
• National
• State
• Campus
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Metrics of Success
• Increase in importance of issue with influential
opinion leaders
• Change in language (editorial pages, speeches,
talk shows) about public purposes and social
investment
• Successful engagement of public discussion (op
ed pieces; radio talk shows; TV spots)
• Improved statewide collaborative capacity within
higher education
• Successful engagement of business leaders at
state and national levels
• Improve public policy climate for higher
education, including strengthened commitment to
funding for institutions and for student aid
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How can SHEEOs help
• Help us keep this on message: public
purposes, serving the future, improving
performance
• Work with institutions to engage campaign at
state level • Data about state-level performance
• Audience analysis
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For more information
The Solutions Project
C/o American Council on Education
One Dupont Circle
Washington, DC 20036
202/939-9426
OR…..Stanley O. Ikenberry
[email protected]
Jane V. Wellman
[email protected]
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