“Open education resources is one change… Over the last 10 years we’ve probably saved students north of $10 million in textbook costs.”
“What changed for SLCC was the pace with which we accepted innovation.”
“The forced changes showed us how quickly innovation could really change the dynamic around us.”
“During the pandemic the differences of economic ability or financial security have become more prevalent.”
“Part of a community college mission is being more nimble for what businesses need right then.”
“If a new company comes into Utah and needs training in a particular factory manufacturing skill, SLCC has the flexibility and ethic of being able to work with that business, shape the curriculum, shape the training and deliver it.”
Summary
- Community Colleges are better equipped to cater quickly to the changed scenario post-pandemic and deliver manpower requirements of businesses.
- The community college model gives more students from more diverse economic backgrounds access to higher education.
- SLCC has developed the capability to change its curriculum to suit immediate business needs and deliver trained manpower quickly.
- The pandemic has highlighted the differences of economic ability or financial security of students from different strata.
- Open education resources can help and save millions of dollars for students.
- The need of the hour is to create accessible and affordable education which can be applied to immediate and practical business needs.
- The pandemic has got all the doctors, scientists and technologists around the world working together, and so working towards a common curriculum in education would definitely help future leaders.
I am pleased to mention that the ‘India of the Future’ series is being organized in association with the Indo-American Chamber of Commerce, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana state chapter in India. To kick off this new series we have chosen the topic of easier access to global higher education and the way forward.
Our guest today is extraordinarily well-qualified to speak on this topic. Since 2014, Dr Deneece Huftalin has served as the 8th President of Salt Lake Community College (SLCC) in the state of Utah. In total, she has served SLCC students, faculty and staff for nearly three decades. When I asked her what she thought were the biggest trends in education, she replied, “I think it is this idea of giving folks an opportunity wherever they are in society to open up their minds.”
What changes could be expected in this area due to the global pandemic, I quizzed her. “What changed for SLCC certainly was the pace with which we accepted innovation. The forced changes showed us how quickly innovation could really change the dynamic around us. That was a really great lesson that we all learned.”
What attracted her to community colleges, and why SLCC specifically? “In the American higher education system universities focus on research rather than undergraduate education. While the focus of community colleges, I realized, was on teaching. The classes were small and the access that students had was very very different. The tuition was so low that almost any student who wanted to get an education was able to afford it. Over the years that opportunity has become more and more important to me as I’ve seen that, especially during the pandemic, the differences of economic ability or financial security have become so prevalent. It has just laid bare some of the inequities. For me it was really important to be at an institution that was very accessible and very affordable and that just kind of stuck with me and we’ve tried to make that even more so while I’ve been at the institution.”
Since she had served this college for over 30 years, could she describe some of the most important changes that she had seen during that time? “Open education resources is one change that comes to mind… Over the last 10 years we’ve probably saved students north of $10 million in textbook costs. I’m also proud of the business partnerships that we have created. Part of a community college mission is being more nimble for what businesses need right then. So if a new company comes into Utah and needs training in a particular factory manufacturing skill, SLCC has the flexibility and ethic of being able to work with that business, shape the curriculum, shape the training and deliver it.”
This was very interesting because I didn’t think any other university globally had that kind of capability to quickly turn around the curriculum to meet the industry requirement. That is one of the biggest gaps between industry and education.
Did she think universities need to move towards uniform curriculum in higher education and gradually in school curriculums also because we are talking of creating global leaders – be it business, politics or otherwise? “I see that more specifically in Masters of Business programs or Law programs or Public Administration programs at a higher level. We have globally very common problems that we need to solve together as one world. I think the opportunity for faculty to work together on what that would look like is just mind-blowing. That would be amazing to see and watch happen if we could harness that energy and make that happen. The practical application of that may be the sticking point.”
The pandemic has got all the doctors, scientists and technologists around the world working together. A common curriculum in education would at least to some extent help the future leaders, I pointed out. Dr Deneece agreed and said, “It is not even necessary that the curriculum is perfectly uniform. I love the idea that we’re actually talking across nations, taking a perspective that’s global versus national. We’ve seen those philosophical debates swing in terms of should we be looking globally or should we be looking internally. So even just that idea I think is a really important one to continue to talk about.”
Despite such great success at SLCC, Dr Deneece does have some regrets. “For me one of my frustrations is we’ve been trying to be more diverse, be more inclusive, be more culturally competent and relevant to a variety of students from ethnic and racial backgrounds, to allow them to have similar completion rates as their white peers. We have not closed those gaps to the extent that I would like to. So the frustration is continually how do we serve all students in a way that they can actually flourish and complete their degree.”
Looking at other countries, what did she think were the most important learnings they could draw from her experience at the SLCC? In particular, what could India, which is the largest young population or an emerging economy, learn from SLCC? “Imposing the model of community colleges would mean they could then work with the universities. My sense is that the community college model gives more students from more diverse economic backgrounds access to higher education and so that in my mind is just fundamental. It shifts the number of people in your economy who have good skills and who have been exposed to strong communication skills, written and oral, critical thinking skills, and diverse perspectives that can only help a community. And when you’ve got universities that aren’t accessible financially or geographically, that keeps a whole group of people from having that opportunity. Within the community college system I think that business partnership, that connection between real life businesses in the community and what they need and the kind of workers they need, and a system that can be dynamic and accommodate those needs quickly – that has been very important for our industry leaders.”
What would be her advice to the large female population of India? “I think from my experience – and it’s probably very different than a young girl growing up in India – but I think for women globally there are societal limitations that are externally forced onto young girls about what they can do, what they can learn, where they can live, how they can live, what kind of career they can have, if they can even have a career. I would encourage all young women to recognize that those are blinders that do not have to exist. That you can push those away if you can be courageous and surround yourself with people who believe in more opportunity and the idea that you have an enormous potential, so allow yourself to have that advantage.”
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