Giving Compass' Take:

• The author relays reasons from the 2018 New York Times Higher Ed Leaders Forum around how the integrity of higher education institutions is challenged by it's own elitism and the inability to make higher education accessible for everyone. 

• Why education reform would need to happen in order to help shape more positive views and promises of higher education. 

• Read about why the future of higher education is social impact. 

When it comes to the current fabric of the U.S. higher education system, "it's quite apparent that there are a host of people who feel left out," said Ruth Simmons, president of Prairie View A&M University, at the 2018 New York Times Higher Ed Leaders Forum speaking about the inequitable cradle to career pipeline.

So, how can the integrity of the industry survive? Leaders at the New York Times forum provided several ideas.

Take back the narrative around why institutions exist.  The focus on brand only exacerbates an industry-wide resistance to accountability and measurement that fails to acknowledge the societal necessity of institutions like the community college, said Margaret Spellings, president of the University of North Carolina System, during the discussion. That's bad for our nation, she said, because these schools can innovate to help the industry survive and make education available to all students.

Present education as a public good, not a false promise.  There needs to explanation of the true outputs of higher education, without misrepresentation of what going to college actually yields. This transparency shows investors what they are putting their money into and builds trust in the system over the long run.

"We say we are offering opportunity to students who come from the edges of society; we shouldn't be lying about those things," said Simmons. "And anything we can do to open up what we're doing and expose the way we do it is essential."
Read the full article about getting rid of elitism by Shalina Chatlani at Educationdive