As a university president, I am all too familiar with the headlines and stories that paint a grim future for higher education. The demise of traditional four-year universities. An end to their relevance in a rapidly evolving world. The crumbling of higher education as we know it. In early August, Higher Ed Dive even reported that two-thirds of adult survey respondents said they see colleges as “stuck in the past” and not serving the needs of today’s students.

Despite the out-of-touch, ivory-tower cliche, institutions of higher education are keenly aware of the very real — and very significant — challenges we are facing, nationally and locally.

For example, the average student is doing a lot more research to determine if the college they choose to attend — or if going to college at all — is worth the investment. And for a growing list of schools, this has led to declining enrollment figures, a trend only exacerbated by the pandemic. Fewer students — and thus fewer tuition dollars — and declining funding from cash-strapped states have put many public universities in precarious positions.

Yet despite the negative headlines and speculation about the end of higher education as we know it, the reality is this might be the most exciting time to be working in higher education. For institutions willing to expand upon traditional academic thinking, there is an opportunity to forge an entirely new college experience that doesn’t just survive but thrives.

The college years are supposed to be a time when young men and women are exposed to new experiences, new ways of thinking and new people. They’re discovering who they are and who they can be. They’re laying the foundation not only for what they want to do in life but who they want to be.

Of course, for the families who pay thousands of dollars for a four-year college degree, they expect a return on their investment that goes beyond a great experience. As educators, it is our duty and responsibility to provide students with the tools and experience they need to succeed in the next phases of their lives, too.

But the ROI of a four-year college degree lies beyond a job offer. We change the trajectory of people’s lives. Studies show that college-educated people tend to be healthier and live longer than their non-college peers, they are less likely to be unemployed and their marriages are less likely to end in divorce. Perhaps most importantly, they are more likely to report being happy with their lives. College also helps students to imagine careers and life paths they might otherwise have been blind to.

As administrators and teachers, we must be passionate about opening these doors, relentlessly pushing students to pursue whatever their possibilities may be.

Even with these overwhelming benefits, some students considering college still struggle deciding if it is right for them. As a result, four-year colleges and universities are evolving the college experience to fit students’ needs.

For example, at a time when there is a growing demand for critical safety management positions — but a shortage of qualified talent that is only expected to worsen with retirements in the years ahead — Slippery Rock University has created and cultivated corporate sponsorships with local companies to ensure our safety management program is preparing graduates to move into good-paying roles as safety managers across a range of growth industries. That includes construction, oil and gas, health care, and industrial and insurance organizations. Our corporate partners provide our program with resources and training equipment, not to mention best practices and curricula that align with the specific needs of the workforce so our faculty can best train our students for successful careers.

Four-year schools must also move more quickly to develop new academic programs that align with surging, in-demand careers. To that end, Slippery Rock University in July launched its College of Health Professions. This will increase the visibility of our health-related programs — and the appeal of our students — to employers. Upon graduating, students will be prepared to step right into jobs that are in high demand and pay well — and are critical to society.

Four-year colleges offer something distinctly different from trade schools, apprenticeships or community colleges. They are where young people evolve into self-assured, smarter and more capable individuals poised to take on and change the world. Higher education is about so much more than a means to an end. The biggest benefits await those who view college as an integral step in a lifetime of learning. The true return on investment of a four-year college degree is the foundation you’ve established for everything you do in life afterward.

William Behre has served as Slippery Rock University’s 17th president since 2018.

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