2019 Perceptions and Priorities
NACUBO is uniquely positioned to lead conversations about the current state of higher education—and to help bridge the seemingly disconnected discussions policymakers and the general public are having about student loan debt, college costs, and free college with the strategic conversations administrators and trustees are having about revenue demands, business models, and what it takes to deliver on educational demands.
This year, NACUBO is sharing our 2019 Perceptions and Priorities.
Our goal is to both drive and improve the national conversation around higher education, supporting our observations with research on the current state of affairs for students and institutions.
Download the Slide Decks
NACUBO has created three slide decks to accompany our 2019 Perceptions and Priorities statement. Each corresponds to a priority highlighted in the piece and can be used in presentations and on social media. A handful of slides illustrate the same concept in different ways, allowing members to tailor their presentations to their audiences.
The slides are available exclusively to members. Endnotes are also available.
Slide Deck 1: Household Income is Not Keeping Pace with the Cost of College Access
Slide Deck 2: Providing Quality Higher Education Requires Significant Investment
Slide Deck 3: Higher Education Provides a Lifetime of Value
Note: On July 8, 2019, NACUBO updated slide deck #3 to correct a transcription error on slide #14.
Our 2019 statement is premised on the following:
Higher education dividends are strong but complex challenges lie ahead:
- Household income is not keeping pace with the costs of college access;
- Providing quality higher education requires significant investment; and
- Higher education provides opportunity for upward mobility and a lifetime of value.
As we prepare to correct, improve, and sustain the higher education sector, we call on NACUBO members, policymakers, and others to consider the following broad priorities:
- Equity and affordability must be a demonstrated core value.
- Innovation and effectiveness should not throttle quality or do harm.
- Higher education must be regarded as an outstanding investment.
“We call on institutions to reflect not just on their revenue models, but on the broader impact their budgetary decisions have on measures of equity and affordability. We call on business officers to ensure they are keeping students in mind in their efforts to establish new revenue streams and cost savings, and to be transparent in ways that educate stakeholders. We call on policymakers to continue to invest in higher education, robustly, and to be smart when crafting accountability measures—enhancing institutions’ ability to deliver quality rather than holding them back with needless red tape.”
2019 Perceptions and Priorities, NACUBO
