President Gast's Letter to the Community September 4, 2013 Dear Alumni and Friends, President Obama has recently

made several high-profile speeches on higher education that focus on affordability and student outcomes. He has proposed three major reforms: a new ratings system for colleges to measure value and opportunity for students; new means of encouraging colleges to innovate in ways that keep tuition down; and steps to make it easier for students to manage the debt they accumulate in paying for college. These are important issues, and it is healthy for us as a society to have a public dialogue about them. University leaders need to play an active role in that discussion, and I want to share some of my thoughts with you. As a starting point, broad prescriptions for reform must take into account the diversity of our institutions of higher education. There are thousands of institutions in the United States, sharing fundamental missions and goals yet serving different student bodies. For many, the pinnacle of higher education is that of highly-regarded research universities such as Lehigh. But our system of higher education includes community colleges, large and small state institutions, small private colleges, and schools providing specific technical and professional training. And there are a variety of models by which their operations are financed. Our goal should be to assure that the environment for each student to thrive and emerge most productive is within reach for that student. This includes strong support for institutions that do their jobs well. I agree that we need to think in new ways about what defines a valuable education. And we need to develop a new set of metrics to measure it. Most rankings today focus on the incoming class of students, their grades, test scores, and acceptance rates. Thats got it backwards. Its not what students bring to the university; its what they leave with thats important. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan will be hosting a series of forums around the country on what those metrics should be and I hope to contribute to that process. Research universities should measure what our graduates become and what they contribute to society. Possible metrics that should be considered include the number of startup companies and organizations founded by undergraduate students as a fraction of the total student body; the success in job and career one, five, and ten years after graduation; or contributions to society through service, philanthropy, and leadership after graduation. In designing a ratings system, we also need to think carefully about unintended consequences. For example, it has been proposed that the Federal government use graduation rates as a metric in distributing Pell grants. This could drive some schools, including those we depend upon to educate large numbers of students, to be hyper-selective in admissions, thereby cutting off opportunities for students who could succeed or, perhaps worse, to relax their standards for graduation. Neither would involve high expectations of students, and neither would serve the nation well. The standardized exit exam recently introduced is one way to measure students after their university experience. Yet how quickly does that generate prep courses, test-prep books, and a focus on the exam rather than on learning? Will this produce the thinkers and leaders we need?

One reason higher education in the United States is so revered is the way it so successfully integrates research with teaching. The combination breeds people who see difficult problems not as barriers but as opportunities to learn and advance. We attract a diversity of students and faculty who work together, choosing to grapple with the most difficult questions. We preserve for our faculty and for our students the freedom to test new ideas and to open new areas of inquiry. Out of the mix astounding things, and astounding people, emerge. We write, and revise, the textbooks. We attain the next level of understanding, enable the next new capability, and develop people who carry both into their lives. In a world where new jobs will be the result of new invention rather than more of what has already been, we need these people. While President Obamas calls for reform are new for the national leadership, we are constantly thinking about the value of a Lehigh education. We are assessing how our students learn, incorporating technology into those learning experiences, and providing greater opportunities for international experiences and open-ended problem solving. We are focused on providing a rich student experience, through which students develop a full spectrum of capabilities. Ninety-nine percent of our students engage in an extracurricular activity, and 73 percent take part in leadership workshops. Nearly 40 percent of Lehigh students will have an international experience before they graduate. They are involved in research and they are becoming entrepreneurs in record numbers. Increasingly, Lehigh students are opting for interdisciplinary degree programs and more than 300 students are pursuing double majors. All of these experiences position Lehigh students to be leaders. We are focused on placing our students: Ninety seven percent of them are in a job or graduate school, or other activity of their choosing six months after graduation. We are focused on transforming their lives. We are focused on developing our students into the leaders our country desperately needs. The ability of our graduates to provide leadership throughout their lives is the measure of the universitys success. President Obamas call for a fresh look at US higher education is timely. Accountability and affordability are important. We need to examine whether we are providing the best and most cost-effective education we can. We need to assess the outcomes for our students and for our society. We look forward to being part of this important discussion. Sincerely, Alice

Talking Points: Reforming Higher Education

Reviewed and approved and in accordance with an op-ed currently under review at The Philadelphia Inquirer. (9-27-2013) Summary of Issue: The Obama Administration, responding to pressure created by a national student-debt crisis and ongoing public debate about the cost and value of higher education, has made several high profile public announcements that focus on affordability and student outcomes. This has resulted in the Administrations call for 3 major reforms that are generally geared toward value and cost but are short on detail. The three major reforms are: 1. a new ratings system for colleges to measure value and opportunity for students 2. a new means of encouraging colleges to innovate in ways that keep tuition down 3. steps to make it easier for students to manage the debt they accumulate This is a Call to Action for institutions of higher education University leaders need to play an active role in the discussion of reforming higher education It is healthy for society to have a public dialogue about an institution that its citizens rely on While the Presidents call for reform is new for the national leadership, Lehigh administration is constantly thinking about the value of the education we provide. We assess how our students learn, incorporate new technology into learning, and provide greater opportunities for international experiences and open-ended problem solving. Higher education is not just responding to government and public pressure. As Americas great leveler, great innovator and economic engine, higher education is a constantly evolving, multi-faceted cooperative of private and public institutions working for the public good. Cost, value, and impact are always a focus. Now is the time, within a wired and global world, for higher education to communicate its value and refocus its energies on meeting societys modern requirements. Why does higher education need reform? Accountability and affordability are important. We need to examine whether we are providing the best and most cost-effective education we can. We need to assess the outcomes for our students and for our society. We look forward to being part of this important discussion. While these calls for reform are general, our need to consistently innovate here at Lehigh are specific to our institutionthats our focus How Does Lehigh Feel Higher Ed Should Reform? We need to think in new ways about what defines a valuable education. We need to develop a new set of metrics to measure that value and success. Our goal should be to assure an environment where each student can thrive and be their most productive. We should provide strong support for institutions that do their jobs well.

What Should We Avoid Doing? Making broad prescriptions for reform without accounting for the diversity of nations institutions of higher education: thousands of institutions in the United States sharing fundamental missions and goals yet serving different student bodies o Community colleges, large and small state institutions, small private colleges, and schools providing specific technical and professional training all require a different reform approach These different institutions are all financed by different models and our efforts to assist with college costs should be tailored toward a variety of institutions Most rankings today focus on the incoming class of students, their grades, test scores, and acceptance rates. Thats backwards. We need to measure what they leave with. In designing a ratings system, we need to think carefully about unintended consequences. o E.g.) the federal government proposes using graduation rates as a metric in distributing Pell grants. This could drive some schools, including those we depend upon to educate large numbers of students, to be hyper-selective in admissions, thereby cutting off opportunities for students who could succeed or, perhaps worse, to relax their standards for graduation. Neither would involve high expectations of students, and neither would serve the nation well. o The standardized exit exam recently introduced is one way to measure students after their university experience. Yet how quickly does that generate prep courses, test-prep books, and a focus on the exam rather than on learning? o Tailoring our metrics to produce high test scores, but not produce the thinkers and leaders we need What ways would Lehigh measure success? Research universities, like Lehigh, should measure what our graduates become and what they contribute to society. Possible metrics: o the number of startup companies and organizations founded by undergraduate students as a fraction of the total student body o the success in job and career one, five, and ten years after graduation o contributions to society through service, philanthropy, and leadership after graduation. o The ability of our graduates to provide leadership throughout their lives Our Call to Action at Lehigh Secretary of Education Arne Duncan will be hosting a series of forums around the country on what those metrics should be and I hope to contribute to that process. We are focused on providing a rich student experience, through which students develop a full spectrum of capabilities. To continue to foster students who actively lead, who take part in extracurricular activities, who Study Abroad, or undertake research even at the undergrad level, who start their own business, or try for a double major To improve, but to remain focused on developing our students into the leaders our country desperately needs.

What We Must Preserve One reason higher education in the U.S. is so revered is its integration of research with teaching. The combination breeds people who see difficult problems not as barriers but as opportunities to learn and advance. Diversity of students and faculty. Out of the mix astounding things, and astounding people, emerge. The freedom to test new ideas and to open new areas of inquiry, which allows us to attain the next level of understanding, enable the next new capability, and develop people who carry both into their lives. In a world where new jobs will be the result of new invention rather than more of what has already been, we need these people and this type of higher education environment. To preserve the current and traditional successes of our students: o Ninety-nine percent of our students engage in an extracurricular activity o 73 percent take part in leadership workshops o Nearly 40 percent of Lehigh students will have an international experience before they graduate o They are involved in research and they are becoming entrepreneurs in record numbers. o Increasingly, Lehigh students are opting for interdisciplinary degree programs and more than 300 students are pursuing double majors. o Ninety seven percent of them are in a job or graduate school, or other activity of their choosing six months after graduation.