When speaking with colleagues from various program areas across campus (and within Peabody Hall), and we introduce ourselves as being part of the Higher Education Program, we often receive the following question: “What is higher education?” Oddly enough, even among higher education scholars there is no singular agreed-upon definition of our academic field. Briefly, we will offer a couple of perspectives.
Broadly speaking, higher education represents the study of post-secondary educational institutions. This includes scholarship on institutional structures, organizational cultures, and administrative functions. A great deal of scholarly work is focused on stakeholders within institutions of higher learning, from students to faculty to presidents to parents.
The perspective shared above leaves many areas out. For example, a great deal of scholarship is undertaken in which higher education scholars explore the entire educational pipeline, from Pre-K to graduate school. This type of work often falls within a higher education policy bucket. The large policy bucket is also filled with policy issues, including curriculum issues, access, and financial aid.
There is no simple answer to “What is higher education?” Our field is one that is incredibly diverse, and in many ways, highly interdisciplinary. Our scholarly explorations of post-secondary education often involve inquiry that is as unique as each institution that we study. Feel free to stop us some time and ask us “What is higher education?” Just be prepared with some time blocked on your calendar.
No comments:
Post a Comment