Higher Education’s Critical Role in Increasing Opportunity in America

Board members who want to be great stewards of the institutions they are entrusted to lead — today and into the future — must ensure two things: that they truly understand what the numbers say about their institution’s contributions to restoring opportunity in America and that they have capable leadership teams in place committed to aggressively expanding that contribution over time. In the end, it is a matter of leadership at every level.

THE UNITED STATES: TWO POWERFUL STORIES

As Americans, we tell each other — and the world — two very powerful stories about who we are as a nation. The first is that we are the land of opportunity. That, whether your parents were born in a village in México or in the hollers of West Virginia, you can become anything you want to be if you work hard enough.

The second is a story of constant, intergenerational advancement. That, through saving and hard work, each generation of American parents can secure a better education — and a better future — for their children.

These stories are powerful. They are pervasive. And they are fast slipping away.

This is an excerpt from the piece, “Higher Education’s Critical Role in Increasing Opportunity in America: What Boards Should Know and 10 Questions They Should Ask,” published in the January/February 2016 issue of Trusteeship Magazine. Continue reading here.

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