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The Solutions Initiative Transforming Lives, Transforming Society One Student, One Idea at a Time

The Solutions Initiative Transforming Lives, Transforming Society One Student, One Idea at a Time. The Goal: Sustain Postsecondary Capacity to Serve Community and National Interests. Sustaining economic growth. Increasing real wages. Addressing workforce needs.

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The Solutions Initiative Transforming Lives, Transforming Society One Student, One Idea at a Time

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  1. The Solutions InitiativeTransforming Lives, Transforming SocietyOne Student, One Idea at a Time

  2. The Goal: Sustain Postsecondary Capacity to Serve Community and National Interests • Sustaining economic growth • Increasing real wages • Addressing workforce needs • Reducing international skills gaps • Sustaining technological advancements • Serving communities

  3. The Challenge for Higher Education • Need to increase -- not just maintain --access, affordability and success • Long-term structural budget challenges at State and Federal levels • Public perceptions about higher education as a public priority

  4. Listening to the Public • Focus groups to test public perceptions, language, and messages about… • -perceptions of higher education • -notions of the public good -what warrants public support • -what will motivate people to support higher education as a public policy priority

  5. Public Perceptions of Higher Education • Strong positive view of importance • Perceived primarily in terms of “colleges” and credentialing • Viewed as private economic good - not equated with broad array of social, economic, service benefits • Concern about rising costs, productivity, accountability • Remote from public engagement

  6. Public Need New age politics Basic necessity for a decent life This affects my daily life Everybody is Better off if more People have it Criteria for public support Personal relevance Public benefit Accountable and Efficient

  7. Public Need Colleges benefit the People who go to them Public skepticism for higher education on all four dimensions Personal Relevance Public benefits New era Politics This isn’t about me Not as pressing as other issues Public skepticism - Esp tuition/value

  8. Connecting to the public • Testing messages that are credible, and connect • Deficit language not believed • “Crisis” language a turn-off • International comparisons seen as self-serving • Connection to future, solutions for society, credible and positive

  9. Solutions for AmericaExpanding the conversation… FROM An individual responsibility For the privileged few Not accountable Politically correct Expensive Expendable TO INCLUDE A public investment Benefits all of society Publicly responsive Intellectually open Affordable An investment in the future

  10. Project Messages • The payoff to society from higher education • Building for the future • The investment at risk

  11. Target Audiences • The voting public • Parents of college-age students • Alumni • Business leaders • Community-based organizations • Opinion leaders • Public policy makers

  12. Layers of Campaign • National • State • Campus

  13. Metrics of Success • Increase in importance of issue with influential opinion leaders • Change in language (editorial pages, speeches, talk shows) about public purposes and social investment • Successful engagement of public discussion (op ed pieces; radio talk shows; TV spots) • Improved statewide collaborative capacity within higher education • Successful engagement of business leaders at state and national levels • Improve public policy climate for higher education, including strengthened commitment to funding for institutions and for student aid

  14. How can SHEEOs help • Help us keep this on message: public purposes, serving the future, improving performance • Work with institutions to engage campaign at state level - • Data about state-level performance • Audience analysis

  15. For more information The Solutions Project C/o American Council on Education One Dupont Circle Washington, DC 20036 202/939-9426 OR…..Stanley O. Ikenberry Stanike@uiuc.edu Jane V. Wellman Jane_Wellman@ace.nche.edu

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