Checking the Pulse and Temperature of Higher Education

Background:

What does it mean for a nation to have a healthy, sustainable higher education system? What issues matter? Is it cost, access, equity, funding, value of a degree, quality of education, level of research, exchange of ideas of the world’s brightest minds, some of the above, all of the above, or something else altogether?

A system of higher education is an important element in a nation’s efforts to further educate its citizens beyond required primary and secondary education, and therefore has value both as an industry itself and as a source of trained and educated citizens for the nation’s economy. As we look around the world from Germany to the United States to Japan to Australia, we see a variety of national approaches to higher education, with each of these nations not only educating their own students, but also drawing large numbers of international students every year. Each of these national systems of higher education has its strengths and weaknesses, and in the wake of adjustments required during the current pandemic, nations have had the opportunity to reflect on what is working and what could be even better. However, change is often difficult. The institutional changes required to advance any system require policies implemented over an extended period of time in order to reach a more healthy and sustainable system.