Innovative Leadership in Higher Education | Origin: LS104R
This is a general discussion forum for the following learning topic:
Your Leadership Legacy --> Innovative Leadership in Higher Education
Post what you've learned about this topic and how you intend to apply it. Feel free to post questions and comments too.
This module brought the leadership series full circle for me by placing it squarely inside the world I work in every day. Professor Bowen's research named what many of us in higher education already feel in our bones — that completion, not access, is the defining challenge of our industry. Students are getting through the door, but too many never make it to the finish line, and the ones most at risk are those from modest and middle-income circumstances.
The research on financial aid was especially powerful. Low-income students are deeply price-sensitive to completion — not just enrollment — while high-income students show no correlation at all. That forces a hard question about where institutional resources go. Merit aid without a need-based lens does not move the needle for the students whose completion is most at stake. The concept of undermatching was also eye-opening — qualified students are being lost at the application stage, not because they can't do the work, but because they lack the information and support to see the door in front of them. That is a leadership failure, not a student failure. And the statistic that 40.4 million Americans have started college without finishing a credential makes clear this is a national economic problem, not just an institutional metric.
What this module crystallized for me is that leadership in higher education is not just about running a school — it is about shaping the national future, one student at a time. In my role at the Amherst Early College Center, I have the privilege of working in a model that directly addresses these barriers. Dual enrollment attacks price sensitivity, combats undermatching, and builds momentum toward completion before traditional barriers take hold. Going forward, I want to think more systemically, advocate for need-based support over merit-only approaches, and plan my leadership legacy around completion and contribution. Every student who walks across the stage because someone took the time to lead them well is a piece of that legacy — and that is work worth doing.
With Benevolence, Shannon
This is highly outdated in a post covid world with the current political climate
My leadership legacy begins now, right where I am. Even small contributions compound over time to create a large impact.
The students most in need are those in mid to low income.
What do you want your obituary to say? Who is going to stand up and discuss all of these ideas that you never brought to the table. Focus one the end :)
A shared vision with leaders and audience can influence internal and external challenges. By modeling great behavior in leadership, this can help the team to reciprocate the same.
Career Colleges through their leaders should put more effort in helping those students that have the merits to enter in a system where they are qualified for, providing the right information to them so they can make the right decission.
Comment on Frank White's post: I learned about undermatching and its impact on graduation rates. I plan to share this with the admissions team so they can critically review applicants and better assess their potential for success from the outset
I have learned that the industry changes on a dailey basis
I learned that it is important to overcome mismatch and get the right students into the right schools, but that isn't helpful if they don't complete their education and graduate.
There is a significant opportunity to inform our communities of what our career colleges and universities offer and the success rates of our students in high-demand, high-skilled careers that fit the needs of our local markets. Partnering with our companies and facilities and creating a pipeline for student graduates.
Comment on Bethany Friedlander's post: Which is?
Different factors lead to the obstacles in which students struggle to complete their education. It is critical that institutions identify how students enter higher education, whether they struggle with entry, and what that means on the back end once they start classes, etc. Are there correlations, and what are they?
Once the institution understands the student population, it is important to have support and steps to help guide the student to a successful outcome. Of course, the responsibility is on the student but the institution plays a role in the student's success.
Identifying the biggest obstacle is half of the problem and it does appear that the biggest obstacle may be those from a lower income situation starting school and finishing it. Knowing how to support and reach those students should be able to make a big difference. Including programs that teach a skill may bridge that gap a bit as well.
It was interesting to read about how the challenge is not with students entering higher education, but with them finishing their education. I think that there needs to be more transparency with the resources that are available to assist students in reaching their goals.
We talk about the financial impact on education all the time and fail to realize that there are other challenges that affect education. I learnt the challenges facing education completion is the problem with crossing the finish line.
Leadership legacy is a duty of educators
