# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
January is the time when we say good-bye to the previous 12 months and look ahead to the next ones. It's clear that 2016 was an especially turbulent year for higher education. What's on tap for 2017?

Here are a few of the most serious trending issues that are likely to affect colleges and universities.

Sliding enrollments. College and university enrollment in America continued to decline in 2016, according to the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center. Not all institutions have been affected equally: four-year public and elite private institutions continue to grow, while small colleges are under strain, intensifying the gap between haves and have-nots. The University of California, Berkeley, for example, tipped over the 100,000 mark for applications this fall, and Yale University announced a multiyear effort to enroll more students from its sizable pool. But more than four in 10 private colleges and almost three in 10 public ones missed their goals for enrollment and tuition revenue in 2016.

While demographic trends vary by region, in general the student population is becoming more diverse, fueled by increases in numbers of Hispanic and Asian students. Many colleges also have relied upon international students to diversify their campuses and plug the enrollment hole, but concerns over Trump administration rhetoric about immigration may depress international applications, as has already occurred in British universities in the wake of the U.K.'s vote to leave the European Union.

Concerns about cost and access. The free-college effort is likely dead at the federal level, but that doesn't mean concerns about cost will abate. Bipartisan pressure will continue to force colleges and universities to rein in tuition increases and justify endowment spending, as well as compel selective institutions to increase enrollment of low-income students. States and cities also have the opportunity to adopt the narrative about free; New York Governor Andrew Cuomo was first out of the gate in 2017, and others are likely to follow.

Celebrity authors and scholars as well as politicians have led such efforts. Malcolm Gladwell launched a podcast series in 2016 decrying the high cost of college and poor access for low-income students. Sara Goldrick-Rab at Temple University and Inside Higher Ed columnist Wick Sloan, among others, have led campaigns to highlight the challenges of college students who are homeless or food insecure -- more than 20 percent, according to a national report.

Colleges and universities are responding. Thirty campuses have joined an effort funded by Bloomberg Philanthropies called the American Talent Initiative, while more than 90 institutions participate in the Coalition for Access, Affordability and Success. Both efforts aim to reduce barriers and increase the number of lower-income students who apply to and enroll in selective colleges. Campuses also are launching food banks, shelter programs and emergency assistance funds for students who have short-term challenges with food or housing.

Questions about value. A growing chorus of business and civic leaders is questioning the value of college. One of the most vocal proponents of the skip-college narrative, Peter Thiel, has a newly influential role as a member of the Trump transition team. The presidential election pointed up a stark gap in opportunity and perception between college graduates and those with a college degree, leading to headlines about the " humbling of higher education" and college graduates who are " out of touch."

Colleges are renewing their efforts to demonstrate value, not only in employment and earnings benefits to graduates but also in their role as an economic engine for regional economies. A growing number of campuses, both large and small, have embarked on new efforts to engage with their local communities. And research institutions such as the University of Pennsylvania and Carnegie Mellon University have large, sustained innovation initiatives to spur new business development and commercialize faculty and student discoveries.

A focus on careers and job placement. Although related to the discussion about value, the growing concern about employment and job placement is so powerful that it deserves its own entry. Students and parents increasingly expect their college or university to be a partner in helping them to map out a successful career path. The 2016 Gallup-Purdue study found a gap between student expectations and college performance in career placement, with only one in six college graduates saying their campus career office was helpful.

Colleges and universities of all types and sizes -- from research-intensive institutions to small liberal arts colleges -- are revamping career services and redefining their role in student career planning. Examples of new programs include engaging first-year students in the career office from day one, alumni career mentoring initiatives and targeted efforts to provide career support for low-income and first-generation college students.

Declining state support. Although not a new trend, the impact of declining state support for higher education has generated a new level of concern. Starving the Beast, a documentary about ideological shifts in state government and the resulting impact on public universities, was released in 2016 and sparked public discussion and numerous opinion pieces.

In December, the University of Virginia's Miller Center issued recommendations on how to sustain public higher education. The center assembled a team of college administrators, business executives and former public officials, including former governors of Delaware and Florida. Their list of solutions includes federal block grants designed to pressure states into supporting public colleges adequately, as well as funding incentives tied to graduation rates.

Collisions over campus climate. Creating a welcoming climate for women and minorities is a long-running issue for college campuses, but things reached a boiling point after the 2016 presidential election. White nationalist groups have seized the opportunity to spread hate messages on campuses across the country. Trump rhetoric about immigration and Muslims has left many students feeling vulnerable, leading to pressure for campuses to declare themselves "sanctuaries" for undocumented students.

Immigration policy under a Trump administration is uncertain, as is the position of the Education Department's Office for Civil Rights -- and in particular the enforcement of Title IX. Regardless of federal policy, activism around Title IX and sexual misconduct is likely to continue, and campuses are expected to sharpen their focus on programs, policies and support systems to combat sexual assault and harassment.

The dialogue about campus climate has increasingly included overcoming a racist past. Some institutions -- Georgetown University has been a leader -- have owned up to a history of slavery and made significant changes such as renaming buildings or programs. Other campuses have dedicated new or existing spaces in honor of African-American leaders. Whether proactively, such as the University of Michigan, or responding to a crisis, such as the University of Missouri, a number of colleges and universities have launched comprehensive plans focused on diversity and inclusion.

The defense of academic freedom and free speech. The University of Chicago brought free speech back into the spotlight this fall with the welcome letter its college dean sent to incoming students. Exactly what constitutes free speech in a university, and does it conflict with trigger warnings and attempts to create safe spaces for vulnerable groups such as members of racial minorities or survivors of sexual assault? Although all colleges defend free speech and play an important role in educating students about it, the precise boundaries vary from one campus to another.

One thing is certain: it's easier to argue for free speech when you're the one speaking. After the presidential election, some students who voted for Trump felt attacked and said they needed safe space, too. A "professor watch list" has been launched to shame faculty members conservatives think are pushing liberal ideas in the classroom. And the Trump transition team recently sent questionnaires throughout the Department of Energy to identify work done on climate change, raising alarm bells in the academy. Climate scientists are now organizing to defend their research and academic freedom.
So, What to Do?
The tensions are mounting and so are the stakes. Since head in the sand is not an effective strategy, we'd like to offer a few guideposts for higher education institutions that are navigating today's uncertain terrain.

Be self-critical. Colleges and universities can assess and acknowledge areas for improvement and confront them with constructive game plans. Proactive leadership begins with self-evaluation and plans for change.

Make sure college is worth it. It is not enough to decry the devaluing of a liberal education. Our scan shows just how deep public skepticism about the cost and value of college runs, and higher education must find substantial ways both to lower student costs and increase the return on their investment. Career assistance, better information about job placement, opportunities for internships and increases in scholarship support all have to be on each institution's docket.

Bridge the divide with new communications methods and fresh perspective. If it is us versus them, we cannot make progress. From continued defunding of public higher ed to sensationalized campus rhetoric, polarized stances are inhibiting shared understanding. Can we set aside blame and labels and work instead to listen more carefully toward finding some common ground? That will entail an authentic, two-way dialogue and new ways of describing and demonstrating value in today's world, not just the usual universityspeak.

Find innovative new collaborators and partnerships. The coming year won't be one of business as usual. New partnerships and opportunities, more innovation, and perhaps the occasional odd bedfellow can help illuminate new opportunities and advance mutual goals.

Get out ahead. The colleges and universities that best weather challenging storms are those that best anticipate and confront issues early and honestly.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Upcoming trends in 2017 that colleges should prepare for (essay)

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
January is the time when we say good-bye to the previous 12 months and look ahead to the next ones. It's clear that 2016 was an especially turbulent year for higher education. What's on tap for 2017? Here are a few of the most serious trending issues that are likely to affect colleges and universities.

# data[].attributes.headline
The Development of Marketable Skills Within Our Students

# data[].attributes.subject
The Development of Marketable Skills Within Our Students

# data[].attributes.body
This Gallop-Purdue survey conducted in 2016 stated that very few students found their career services departments to be helpful on their campus. Is it because these students may not fully understand the role that these departments play on campus? Or are Universities not developing students with skills that they need for the marketplace?

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Story Highlights

About half of college grads visited their career services office

Recent grads are more likely to report using career services

16% report their career services office was very helpful

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- While 52% of U.S. college graduates report visiting the career services office at least once during their undergraduate experience, they are equally likely to say their experience was "not at all helpful" (16%) as they are to say it was "very helpful" (16%). Overall, just under eight in 10 graduates who visited a career services offices say it was very helpful, "helpful" or "somewhat helpful."

The findings are among those released Tuesday in the Gallup-Purdue Index Report 2016, based on more than 11,000 interviews with U.S. adults aged 18 and older with at least a bachelor's degree, conducted Aug. 22-Oct. 11, 2016. The study was conducted as part of the third year of the Gallup-Purdue Index -- a nationally representative survey that has interviewed 70,000 different college graduates over three years.
Recent Grads More Likely to Use Career Services
Recent college graduates are more likely than those who graduated earlier to report visiting their school's career services office. Sixty-one percent of graduates who received their degree since 2009 say they visited the career services office at least once during their undergraduate experience, while 32% report they did not and 7% were unsure.

Part of the reason for this gap in recent versus earlier graduates' reports is that a larger percentage of earlier graduates may be unable to recall their experience with the career services office. However, it could also stem from real changes in college students' interactions with career services over time and the fact that colleges' career services' offerings have evolved dramatically in past decades.

Although recent graduates are more likely than graduates who earned their degree years earlier to recall having visited their career services office, those in various groups who visited the career services office similarly recollect the program's effectiveness. About two in five graduates who received their degree in each decade between 1980 and 2016 say that the career services office was very helpful or helpful to them.

In most graduation groups, those who visited their career services office were about equally likely to rate it as not at all helpful as to rate it very helpful. However, graduates from the 1950s and 1960s were much more likely to report a very positive experience than a very negative one.
Quality of Career Services Is Crucial
Graduates who visited their career services office are not much more likely than those who did not to believe their university prepared them well for life outside of college, to say their education was worth the cost and to recommend their university to others. However, graduates who recall having a high-quality experience with their career services office are markedly more likely to rate their college experience positively. For example, graduates who rated their experiences with career services as very helpful are 5.8 times more likely to strongly agree that their university prepared them for post-collegiate life, nearly 3.0 times more likely to "strongly agree" that their education was worth, and 3.4 times more likely to recommend their alma mater.
Implications
Americans with a bachelor's degree can expect to earn about $1 million more than those with a high school diploma over the course of their careers. However, the unemployment rate for college graduates in the U.S. aged 25 and older is now nearly double what it was in 2000, compared with an overall employment rate that is only one percentage point higher in 2016 than it was in 2000. As a result, schools must adopt new programs and policies to better prepare their graduates for a changing and competitive job market.

Career services offices often provide this support, which can include stimulating student interest in disciplines they had previously not considered, helping students select a major field of study, helping students secure employment while enrolled in college, and preparing students for finding a job upon graduation through mock interviews and resume workshops.

Getting students in the door of their school's career services office is only half the battle colleges face. The other half is making sure the experience is as meaningful as possible. The quality of the interactions students have with their career services office has a significantly greater relationship with the likelihood that students report having felt prepared for life after graduation than whether they simply visit at all.
Survey Methods
Results for this Gallup-Purdue Index study are based on web interviews conducted Aug. 22-Oct. 11, 2016, with a random sample of 11,483 respondents with a bachelor's degree or higher, aged 18 and older, with internet access, living in all 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia. For results based on the total sample of bachelor's degree or higher, the margin of sampling error is ±1.3 percentage points at the 95% confidence level.

The Gallup-Purdue Index sample was recruited via the Gallup Daily tracking survey. The Gallup Daily tracking survey sample includes national adults with a minimum quota of 60% cellphone respondents and 40% landline respondents, with additional minimum quotas by time zone within region. Landline and cellular telephone numbers are selected using RDD methods. Landline respondents are chosen at random within each household on the basis of which member had the next birthday. Gallup Daily tracking respondents with a college degree who agreed to future contact were invited to take the Gallup-Purdue Index survey online. Gallup-Purdue Index interviews are conducted via the web, in English only.

Learn more about how the Gallup-Purdue Index works.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
One in Six U.S. Grads Say Career Services Was Very Helpful

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Story Highlights About half of college grads visited their career services office Recent grads are more likely to report using career services 16% report their career services office was very helpful WASHINGTON, D.C. -- While 52% of U.S.

# data[].attributes.headline
Student Competencies that are Learned in College.

# data[].attributes.subject
Student Competencies that are Learned in College.

# data[].attributes.body
People skills, problem-solving, oral communication, leadership, and written communication skills are all necessary for our students to master in order to gain meaningful employment.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
The job market for recent college graduates is improving, according to a new survey by CareerBuilder. Sixty-five percent of employers report that they plan to hire new grads this year, up 8% from last year.

Not only should it be easier for newly-minted degree holders to land a job, but they can also expect higher salaries than in the past. One-third of employers say that they plan to pay more this year than in 2014, with 25% offering salaries of $50,000 or more. Overall, hiring for the class of 2014-2015 should be up by 16%, according to a survey of 5,700 employers by Michigan State University.

But all is not rosy for today's young workers. While many companies have open positions and are eager to hire, they report having trouble finding qualified candidates to fill those positions. Twenty-one percent of employers surveyed by CareerBuilder said they didn't feel that colleges were doing enough to prepare students for the working world.

The problem isn't that new grads don't have the right degrees or technical know-how. Only 10% of employers said there weren't enough graduates with the appropriate degrees and just 13% said students lacked computer or technical skills. But employers are troubled by graduates' lack of soft skills. Many report that college grads are lacking in people skills and have trouble solving problems and thinking creatively.

New degree holders often fail to make a positive impression from the get-go, with employers surveyed by Michigan State reporting problems with "lackluster resumes and slipshod cover letters." Recruiters report that many interviewees are unmotivated and unfocused, and that they have unrealistic expectations when it comes to salaries.

The lesson for young grads? Having a college degree and technical skills isn't enough to land their first job. They also need these five other skills, according to employers who responded to the CareerBuilder survey.
1. People skills
Being able to appropriately communicate and interact with other people sounds simple, but it's something a lot of young workers struggle with, say employers and educators. Fifty-two percent of companies that responded to the Career Builder survey said recent grads lacked interpersonal skills.
MORE: Your employer is not your friend, and young people know it
Young people looking for their first job shouldn't underestimate how far strong people skills can take them. Good interpersonal skills can make even a candidate with a less-marketable degree an appealing hire, said Lee Burdett Williams, the dean of students at Wheaton College in Massachusetts, in an essay for Inside Higher Ed, while a lack of people skills may doom a college graduate to unemployment. "Liberal arts plus decent interpersonal skills - the ability to converse, to make eye contact, to speak in complete sentences, to recognize one's responsibility, to listen to another perspective - equal fairly decent job prospects," she wrote.
2. Problem-solving skills
"We need to be certain our students know how to give a good firm handshake, look someone in the eye and introduce themselves. We need to reinforce the importance of deadlines. We need to address (dare I say it?) personal hygiene and appropriate dress," she added.
MORE: Should you get a job in college? 3. Oral communication skills
Forty-six percent of employers said that recent college graduates have poor problem-solving skills. Tests of students' skills suggest they're right. When researchers at the Council for Aid to Education recently tested the problem-solving and critical thinking abilities of college seniors at more than 150 schools across the U.S., they found that although the majority demonstrated adequate skills in this area, 40% were deficient.

"This is a generation that has been 'syllabused' through their lives," Marie Artim, vice president of talent acquisition for Enterprise, told The Washington Post. "Decisions were made for them, so we're less likely to find someone who can pull the trigger and make a decision."
MORE: The 5 worst things to do in a job interview
Oral communication is another area where employers say that recent graduates need help. Forty-one percent of employers say the young people they're looking to hire lack this skill. Given that this generation has grown up in a world where digital communication is the norm, it's not surprising that some may struggle with more traditional ways of sharing information.
4. Leadership skills
Struggles with verbal communication for young graduates go beyond not being able to give a polished presentation or answer the phone (the latter is a task that many of them would prefer to avoid). Recent graduates may also not understand how to adjust their speaking style in different situations. A style that is perceived as too casual or laid back can be a big turnoff to employers, especially those in more conservative industries.

"Students can be a little too open and too friendly and that makes recruiters concerned about how they will handle things when they work with clients," Michael Meredith, an assistant professor at the Kenan-Flager Business School at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, told the BBC.

Many graduates may not realize that their oral communication skills are a turnoff to potential employers because they tend to rate their abilities highly in this area. Sixty-two percent of students surveyed by the American Association of Colleges and Universities said they were well prepared in the area of oral communication. Just 28% of employers felt the same way.
5. Written communication skills
Sixty-three percent of millennials want to lead in the workplace, according to The Hartford's 2013 Millennial Leadership Survey. But this is another area where they seem to be falling short, say employers. Forty percent of companies looking to hire new graduates say that this group needs better leadership skills.

Generational differences in leadership styles may be one reason employers are giving recent graduates low marks in this area. Millennials are less interested in traditional, hierarchical leaderships structures (less than one-third are aiming for C-level positions) and are instead looking to lead in ways that allow them to have a direct impact on their company, according to the Global Workforce Leadership Study.

"They define (leadership) not by title, status, or hierarchy," Emily He, chief marketing officer of office solutions company Saba, which sponsored the study, told the Boston Globe. "They look for a direct linkage between what they're contributing and the direct result of the company."

Being able to write clearly and professionally is an essential workplace skill that many young people don't have. While 65% of recent graduates are confident in their writing skills, according to the American Association of Colleges and Universities survey, employers are less sanguine, with only 27% of them reporting that recent college graduates have the written communication skills needed to succeed in the workplace. In the CareerBuilder survey, 38% of employers said that recent grads need better written communication skills.

"Incorrect grammar, spelling and language usage can make a very bad impression. Using an informal style - relying on abbreviations, not using punctuation and failing to capitalize - does not come across as professional," wrote Joyce E.A. Russell, the director of the Executive Coaching and Leadership Development Program at the University of Maryland's Robert H. Smith School of Business, in The Washington Post.

The Cheat Sheet is a USA TODAY content partner offering financial news and commentary. Its content is produced independently of USA TODAY.

Read or Share this story: http://usat.ly/1I44I64

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
5 skills college grads need to get a job

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The job market for recent college graduates is improving, according to a new survey by CareerBuilder. Sixty-five percent of employers report that they plan to hire new grads this year, up 8% from last year. Not only should it be easier for newly-minted degree holders to land a job, but they can also expect higher salaries than in the past.

# data[].attributes.body
This plan, designed by the THECB, highlights that all students graduating from college by 2030 develop outlined marketable skills that make them more employable to companies, especially within Texas.

# data[].attributes.headline
Are College Students Graduating With the Skills That They Need?

# data[].attributes.subject
Are College Students Graduating With the Skills That They Need?

# data[].attributes.body
Managers and employers are constantly looking for students with public speaking, critical thinking, and quick decision making skills. Are we doing enough as institutions to best prepare our students?

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
As college graduates burst out of the gates of their respective alma maters, polished and confident in their abilities, few are probably thinking ahead to a possible speed bump that sits in their paths. That stubborn obstacle would be the disconnect between the jobs they eventually secure and the skills they've learned thus far.

The gap has always existed. Young people coming out of school cannot all be expected to immediately possess the hard skills organizations require. Some will, of course, but most won't. To get a better grasp on what exactly new entrants to the workforce are missing, online benefits and compensation information company, PayScale, surveyed 63,924 managers and 14,167 recent graduates earlier this year. The results they turned up are pointed.

PayScale's report - taken from data acquired as part of the organization's larger employee compensation survey - shows that certain soft and hard skills tend to be missing from young graduates.

Among 'hard skills' - unambiguous proficiencies useful on the job - managers said new grads were most lacking in writing proficiency. In fact, 44% of managers surveyed said as much. Also, 39% of managers found their recently matriculated hires to be lacking in public speaking skills and 36% claimed they needed to bone up on their data analysis talents-that includes knowledge of programs like Excel, Tableau, Python, R, etc.

Among soft skills, managers were even more united in their opinions of where they see a dearth. According to PayScale's survey, 60% of managers claim the new graduates they see taking jobs within their organizations do not have the critical thinking and problem solving skills they feel are necessary for the job. Additionally, 56% of managers said recent grads do not pay attention to detail and 46% said the young workers would do well to hone their communication skills. Some 44% of managers reported a lack of leadership qualities and 36% reported lower-than-needed interpersonal and teamwork skills.

That managers feel the latest additions to their organizations need to develop some further skills may not be entirely surprising. On the other side of the table, though, recent graduates seem to feel - for the most part - that they are going into their new gigs reasonably prepared.

According to PayScale's survey, 25% of recent grads felt they were "extremely prepared" for their new jobs while only 8% of managers agreed. 62% of recent grads felt they were "mostly prepared," while only 42% of managers concurred. When asked whether they were "well prepared," 87% of recent grads said they were, but only 50% of managers seemed to feel that way.

The gap between the skills college grads have and what they need to succeed at their new careers is very real. Luckily the chasm can be bridged by some added instruction and earned experience.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
These Are The Skills Bosses Say New College Grads Do Not Have

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
As college graduates burst out of the gates of their respective alma maters, polished and confident in their abilities, few are probably thinking ahead to a possible speed bump that sits in their paths. That stubborn obstacle would be the disconnect between the jobs they eventually secure and the skills [...]