Recent studies indicate that 55% of students age 12-18 who plan to pursue higher education feel challenged in a positive way at school, compared to students who do not plan to attend college at only 41%. This 14% difference demonstrates how Gen Z kids not bound for university are less likely to be excited to learn and creates a ripple effect impacting children of all ages. What’s concerning is that students say they feel much less engaged in school than they did just last year. We know that increased higher education fosters economic mobility through productivity and creativity, and investing time and money into the future generations of America is essential to keeping the country strong.
Professionals like Kimone Brown, an educational consultant and academic leader, are working tirelessly to bridge the gap between disenfranchised high schoolers and thriving college students by creatively marketing the advantages of higher education and helping the youth of America maximize their potential. Strategies like student engagement to build trust and faculty advising so all students have the opportunity to connect with someone who can help answer questions and guide them toward their goals.
“Universities have to position themselves as being partners in the supporting students’ identities and personalities in order to drive engagement,” Kimone says. “Having a student engagement roadmap for each academic year is something I’ve recommended to universities for both online and physical spaces. This roadmap is filled with activities aimed at building student trust and foster healthy relationships with the student body.” Emotion-based approaches like this have the ability to make students feel safe, in turn free to be their best selves at school, and simply create cohesion across the board.
One of the most common deterrents for students considering college is, of course, tuition. Many young people are not willing to finance their education with hefty student loans that may take many years to pay off and potentially harm credit scores in the meantime. Additionally, younger generations are no longer viewing a degree as essential to career success, which, according to Kimone, is partially due to an increase in non-traditional yet lucrative career paths such as being a content creator on social media. However, this is not always as simple and attainable as it appears.
“My work has addressed this issue by showcasing the fact that traditional career paths are still the most viable in terms of hedging against volatilities within the labor market,” Kimone explains. “Traditional career paths that require a university education have stable wages and are contractual. Meanwhile, non-traditional career paths that often do not require a degree tend not to have fixed wages and are highly susceptible to external shocks and market changes.”
With a possible impending TikTok ban, many content creators are scrambling to find alternative sources of income or new platforms, but the potential loss of followers will be brutal. Kimone refers to university education as “an insurance policy,” something you can rely on in any job market or economy.
Kimone Brown hopes to see American universities cementing their status globally as vibrant hubs where students can develop and share entrepreneurial ideas. Her work in reversing declining university enrollment means nurturing the next generation of entrepreneurs, In order to progress as a society, we must work together to reimagine education and everything the younger generations can become.
Spencer Hulse is the Editorial Director at Grit Daily. He is responsible for overseeing other editors and writers, day-to-day operations, and covering breaking news.