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Much has been written of late regarding the effects on higher education of the shifting demographics in the United States. Many writers seem to focus on colleges that are closing because the shrinking number of 18- to 24-year-olds means declining enrollments. The authors of this article would like to focus on some positive actions and strategies taking place in states and on campuses that serve unique student populations whose numbers are projected to change: historically black colleges and universities (HBCU) and Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSI). First, the authors will look at two states that have already taken action in response to watching their college and university enrollments decline with little hope of seeing those numbers turn around without real changes to the way higher education is organized and operates in their states. In Connecticut, the changes focused on its community colleges. In Vermont, the focus was on its regional universities. In the second part of this article, the authors will say more about how minority-serving institutions are responding to the predicted changes in the proportion of students from different racial/ethnic categories.

At the start of the third decade of the 21st century, the United States is entering a period of unprecedented demographic shifts affecting higher education. Not only are many states already seeing fewer high-school graduates, with more facing this trend as the decade progresses, but in all but a few regions overall population growth will level and then decline. In response to these trends and exacerbated by limited or declining state support, public higher education systems and their constituent institutions are implementing various ways to improve efficiency, reduce costs, and ultimately enhance the quality and availability of educational services. In doing so, these efforts often have the effect of limiting or eliminating entirely the autonomy of individual institutions by aggregating both functions and authority. A parallel trend, with similar effect, is the increasing reliance on external providers for services once considered core to the institutions.

When colleges and universities quickly moved their classes online last March, many faculty members gave students the option of pass/fail (P/F) grading. Usually P/F implies a student must reach the minimum passing grade of D to be awarded a P. This brings up the question of what passing a course with a D means. How much of the course material did the student actually master? Will they be prepared for future classes in the same discipline? Was the passing level the decision of a single faculty member or did a department agree on what all students must master in that particular course to assure continuity in progress through the discipline? Typically, this is a single faculty member's decision. But is that really in the best interest of students? A better practice for students' academic development is to have all faculty members who act as instructors of a specific course and who understand how the course fits into the larger curriculum agree on the minimum level of mastery required to pass the course. They should also agree on how to assess their students. There are lessons from competency-based education (CBE) programs and institutions regarding the management and meaning of pass/no pass "grading" that can be of value to students. These include the need for clear, explicit definitions of skills and knowledge and valid and reliable assessments developed collectively by faculty and used for timely feedback.

With very few exceptions colleges and universities of all types--2-year and 4-year, public and private-- are feeling the fiscal pinch. They are caught in the vise of rising expectations and constrained revenues. Public institutions are operating in an environment in which state-level policy-makers press for increasing numbers of graduates, especially in certain high priority fields. Students in all institutions are seeking more "relevant" academic programs (those that lead to good jobs), class schedules compatible with their work schedules, amenities that enhance their on campus experience, and competitive student aid packages. Employers are seeking graduates who can not only learn on the job but don't require training to do so in the first place--graduates come to the job with the specific skills needed to be immediate contributors. There are centuries of inertia behind the way most institutions of higher education function. There are equally long traditions about shared governance and involvement in decisions that directly affect the academic heart of the institution. This doesn't mean change is impossible, but it does mean that change must be well considered. It must result in approaches to instruction that are not only economically viable but educationally sound. The ability to assess alternatives before commitments to a particular approach are made can reduce some of the difficulties associated with change. This is especially true if these alternatives can be investigated openly and the consequences for fiscal viability made quickly apparent. The model briefly described in this article allows this type of exploration to occur.

Western Governors University (WGU) was created as a proof of concept. The Governors wanted to prove that something different could work and could be accredited by the same agencies that certify mainstream higher education institutions. Just as charter schools were designed to try things that the public schools could not, it was hoped that other institutions could learn from the success of new models like WGU. WGU now enrolls over 100,000 students in all 50 states and has graduated over 100,000. Over 70% of its students come from underserved populations. It serves almost exclusively students who have some college experience but have not completed a program of study, an audience that colleges in every state are struggling to reach. Their focus on workforce needs has resulted in 87% of graduates being employed in their fields of study. WGU graduates are almost twice as likely as graduates from other U.S. universities to be thriving on all their elements of well-being (purpose, social, financial, community, and physical). The total annual tuition is about $6,000 a year and has not been raised in eight years. The Governors' vision works. Even though WGU works, no one should underestimate how hard innovation and change are for higher education. Admittedly, it is easier to innovate by creating a new enterprise than by changing existing institutions, but change is not only inevitable, it is absolutely necessary. In a world where the old higher education model is becoming less sustainable, universities and colleges will be forced to look at new models. That means state policies and practices, accrediting requirements, federal regulations, development of academic and student support staff, and higher education leadership will have to support innovation driven by emerging learning science and technological advances.

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Competency-based education (CBE) refers to online and hybrid courses and programs that offer credit or degrees based on evidence of student learning, or competencies, rather than on the amount of time spent in a course. Students work at their own pace, receive personalized academic support, and demonstrate mastery as they progress through their degree programs. Although multiple colleges and universities have launched various forms of CBE over the past two years, Western Governors University (WGU) has demonstrated CBE's feasibility since its inception in 1997. Over 55,000 students enroll in its degree programs currently. WGU has been working with a group of community colleges that have developed their own versions of CBE programs, mostly with their own resources but also supported by grants from the US Department of Labor and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. The group spans five states: (1) Indiana: Ivy Tech and the Fort Wayne and Lafayette Districts; (2) Florida: Broward College and Valencia College; (3) Ohio: Sinclair Community College; (4) Texas: Austin Community College and Lone Star College; and (5) Washington: Bellevue College, Columbia Basin College, Edmonds Community College, and Spokane Falls Community College. It is too early to know the results of the programs, but so far all of the colleges are moving forward with CBE expansion beyond the pilot phase, and two states are developing statewide CBE programs. Considering CBE's continued traction in higher education, the authors asked presidents and academic vice presidents at some of the colleges about the implications of CBE for college leadership. They found that developing CBE programs presents college leaders with opportunities and challenges in a number of areas. The college leaders report that developing CBE programs offers opportunities to personalize the educational experience for students. They also say that doing so presents challenges and highlights the barriers to individualized educational delivery embedded in existing systems (e.g., in programs, curricula, enrollment processes, and instructional and learner supports). College leaders also say that CBE offers opportunities to develop partnerships with local business and to work with faculty in cultivating a vision for change in higher education.

The 2013 US college/university policy agenda, "Making College Affordable: A Better Agenda for the Middle Class," highlighted the role of developing technologies, institutional curriculum-design processes, and new delivery methods as keys to providing quality, affordable postsecondary education. Competency-based education (CBE) is given as a specific example of one such approach. This article describes work conducted by Western Governors University (WGU) over the last year to share its CBE model with 11 community colleges across the US. Successful models demonstrate that CBE can fit into existing campus structures, if certain principles are followed: (1) the degree reflects robust and valid competencies; (2) students are able to learn at a variable pace and are supported in their learning; (3) effective learning resources are available any time and are reusable; and (4) assessments are secure and reliable. These principles, detailed in the article, can help guide higher education leaders as they develop their own CBE programs.

When MIT first announced the OpenCourseWare (OCW) project in the spring of 2001, many people hoped similar projects would proliferate, allowing instructors in less-developed countries to access timely materials to support their teaching--materials that would otherwise never be available to them. This is happening, as part of a quickly spreading, more general zeitgeist. Worldwide movements like open source software exemplify this concept. Many issues remain to be explored, but a number of serendipitous events in the past few years have resulted in an unprecedented sharing of academic resources over the Internet. This article traces the world interest in OCW, describes the development of a project called Connexions, and cites the various OCW projects across the world.

There are many different formats being used for distance learning and each has implications for institutional and public policies. With almost 90% of U.S. public colleges and universities offering distance learning courses, it is important for all members of the academy to be aware of these implications as they consider their own involvement in e-learning activities. The areas covered in this paper include: shifting formats for distance learning that enable new pedagogical approaches, budget changes, state policy influences, new approaches to intellectual property issues, open educational resources, and international trade in higher education services.

Examines the current state of technological access to campus resources in light of tighter community college budgets across the country. Focuses on the objective measurement of technology costs that can be used efficiently in this new era of accountability. Describes the Technology Costing Methodology (TCM), which is available for downloading. (NB)

Discusses trends in e-learning, such as: its use has crossed a threshold level which has brought it to the serious attention of policy makers, institutional planners are beginning to use the Web to restructure campus services, and there is growing interest in finding a way to share online academic materials. (EV)

Describes the development and function of Western Governors University, a virtual university, and its implications for the role of the community college. Recommends that community colleges continue to develop the capacity to provide electronic instruction. Suggests that partnerships between virtual universities and community colleges will be beneficial to both. (JDI)

Argues that consumers of electronic higher education services need to be better informed in to become the quality-control agents in the massive shifts in the way higher education services are being provided. Notes that changes in institutional structures will affect traditional scheduling, recordkeeping, and quality-control systems. Discusses quality assurance program at Western Governors University. (CH)

As campuses and multicampus systems develop integrated systems for information networking in and among institutions, states must be concerned with their coordination and explore large-scale integration, stimulating cooperation among institutions and systems and use of telecommunications. Arizona, Indiana, Oregon, Colorado, and Wisconsin are examples. (MSE)

Not all materials created by faculty should be freely shared. When an institution has a profitable course being offered electronically, the creator of those materials and the institution want to protect them. However, most materials created for students will never be profitably marketed. Creative Commons offers faculty members who have concerns about how their materials might be used if just posted to the Web an opportunity to share materials with their colleagues. A comic strip that shows how one can share educational materials without losing rights through the Creative Commons license is presented. A list of educational users of Creative Commons is also presented.

Summarizes current developments in online higher education and how they are revolutionizing the way people learn. Highlights include the global economy and the Internet; the changing relationship between businesses and universities; education as a commodity; and quality indicators, including guidelines for the accreditation of distance learning programs. (LRW)