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The old order of higher education is unraveling before our eyes. Demographic shifts, workforce demands, mounting skepticism about the value of a college degree, and the effects of overturning affirmative action are exposing cracks in academia’s once-unshakable foundation, and institutions that cling to outdated practices risk being left behind.
National Association of Scholars president Peter Wood observes that the looming demographic cliff is forcing academia to reckon with decades of uncritical expansion and misplaced priorities. As the student pool shrinks, the myth of college as the only path to success crumbles. K-12 schools, long overdue for reform, will face mounting pressure to improve preparation while underperforming colleges confront their irrelevance.
This shift opens doors to apprenticeships and certifications, which benefit students and employers alike. Employers increasingly doubt the abilities of college graduates, and a survey by Intelligent.com lays it bare: 60 percent of employers fired 2024 grads within months for poor motivation, lack of initiative, and inadequate skills.
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(I’ve long noted education’s disconnection from the workforce. Despite 90 percent of higher-ed professionals claiming to produce job-ready grads, surveys show widespread dissatisfaction. As of August 2023, less than half of recent graduates believe their degrees signal the right skills to employers. Only 14 percent of students are satisfied with career center support. Employers cite deficits in communication, problem-solving, and critical thinking, with just 11 percent of business leaders confident in graduates’ readiness.)
So employers are increasingly bypassing college graduates in favor of those undergoing vocational training, mirroring trends in states such as Maryland, Utah, and Pennsylvania, which eliminated degree requirements for many jobs in recent years.
This sentiment among employers—and would-be students—is matched with legislative efforts seeking to double down on addressing workforce needs.
In Congress, new House Committee on Education and the Workforce Chair, Tim Walberg, is poised to prioritize workforce readiness, including expanding apprenticeships and extending Pell Grants to short-term training programs. (He and his predecessor, Virginia Foxx, also promise to focus on college affordability as well as aim to combat rising anti-Semitism on college and university campuses).
Some academic institutions, like Wright State University, are jumping on the bandwagon, evaluating its academic courses and programs to test for workforce alignment. While I don’t believe four-year institutions should become workforce training centers—higher education should cultivate intellectual freedom, truth-seeking, and virtuous citizenship—aligning education with workforce needs is, at the very least, pragmatic, if not overdue.
Predictably, so-called elite institutions remain blind to their shortcomings, doubling down on social justice commitments to boost enrollment.
The University of Pennsylvania, MIT, and Carnegie Mellon have raised income thresholds for free or discounted tuition to $200,000. These efforts, framed as altruistic responses to the FAFSA debacle and the Supreme Court’s affirmative action ruling, are anything but selfless.
As Peter Wood argues in his latest piece, universities prioritize the appearance of public service over genuine efforts to aid underprivileged students. Asking full-paying families to subsidize others raises fairness concerns, and many low-income students might benefit more from alternative career paths.
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A more cynical take?
The Supreme Court’s ruling against the use of affirmative action in admissions is accelerating the race to zero tuition. Unable to lower standards for minorities, Harvard Law School saw black enrollment drop to 19 first-year students this fall—the lowest since the 1960s.
The media predictably blames racism, claiming the ruling has a chilling effect on applications. But other elite law schools saw less dramatic declines, and black enrollment across all accredited law schools has increased “from 2,969 to 3,060.”
The old order is collapsing, and higher education must adapt.
As employers shift their focus away from degrees and toward skills, students and families are reevaluating the promise of a college diploma. Lawmakers are demanding affordability and accountability, and demographic realities are forcing universities to confront decades of complacency. Whether academia can rise to the occasion or cling to its crumbling foundations remains to be seen. What’s certain is this: the status quo is no longer an option.
Image by Seika — Adobe Stock — Asset ID#: 977301042 & Edited by Jared Gould
