Making the Postsecondary Education Experience a Primary Focus for the Evolving Student Population

As the United States grapples with the changing realities associated with a rapidly post-industrial economy, the need for a robust postsecondary educational structure is taking on an outsized importance for social and societal viability. While the need to augment and prepare current and future workforces is apparent, the best practices and ideas for what is needed, who needs it, and how to deliver the needed educational undergirding for a transformative workforce are less certain. The existing paradigms of higher education—be they college- or vocation-oriented—are struggling to maintain relevance in serving a student consumer for whom traditional education models are less relevant and often too slow to adapt to the demands of a changing work environment.