Trends in Higher Education

As the fifth century B.C. Greek philosopher Heraclitus aptly observed, our world is in a state of flux: change is a constant. Our shifting national economy, rapid advances in technology, and recent corporate restructuring all testify to and contribute to this fact. In the midst of these changes, 8.5 million jobs have been created in the U.S. since 1993. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, by the year 2005 more than 50% of new jobs will require some level of college education.

Over 1400 different companies are represented among DBU's adult student population. To meet the need for highly trained people, Dallas Baptist University's College of Adult Education offers two degrees and sixteen different majors, in disciplines such as Management Information Systems, Health Care Administration and Business Administration.

Adult students are returning to college in dramatic numbers. In fact, a recent survey indicates that from 1970 to 1993, the enrollment of students over 40 increased by 235%, while traditional aged students dropped from 69% of total enrollment to 55%. According to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), in 2010 there will be 16 million students attending colleges and universities, over half of whom will be adults. The reasons for this migration of adults back to school are reflective of the times: career enhancement, changing life circumstances, and personal growth.

Keeping in step with these trends, adults comprise more than half of DBU's student population. Realizing that adult students often bring to college a lifetime of experience, DBU provides innovative programs which allow students to make the most of previous learning in its various forms. Since adults need flexibility, students can choose from both daytime and evening classes, and from nineteen different terms throughout the year. DBU also realizes that returning to college as an adult presents challenges and requires adjustments. DBU's friendly and knowledgeable academic counselors provide students with personal guidance in all phases of their college experience.

In response to these growing corporate demands and the booming adult student population, Dallas Baptist University has tailored its adult program to both address the interests of employers and to meet the unique needs of the adult learner. DBU's College of Adult Education is committed to equipping adult students with the education and training required to adapt to an ever changing job market.

  • Change is a constant.
  • 8.5 million jobs have been created in the U.S. since 1993.
  • Over 50% of new jobs will require college.
  • Over 1400 different companies represented among DBU adult students.
  • DBU offers two degrees and 16 majors.
  • From 1970 to 1993 students over 40 increased by 235%.
  • In 2010 there will be 16 million students attending colleges and universities, over half of whom will be adults.
  • Approximately 65% of DBU's student population are adults.
  • DBU offers daytime and evening classes in 19 terms.
  • Personal academic advising at DBU.

Unprecedented demands for lifelong learning will not only increase the number of adult students in higher education but dramatically alter the way instruction is delivered. Adult students acting as consumers want to complete their educational objectives quickly and efficiently. Private for-profit educational providers are proliferating in response to market demands.

Virtual university offerings, which allow increasted access to higher education, are also expanding at a rapid rate - some provided by traditional colleges and universities, but many by entrepreneurial for-profit companies.

The technology revolution has clearly affected how instruction is delivered to students. The 1990's sitnessed the explosive growth of virtual universities and on-line programs both in bublic and private sector and that growth will increase dramatically in the decades to come.

  • The U.S. Department of Labor's America's Learning Exchange project expects to list over one million on-line courses from over 10,000 providers by the year 2000.
  • In 2002, the number of college students enrolled in distance learning courses will reach 2.2 million, according to a report released by International Data Dorporation.
  • Nielson Media Research predicts that 90% of U.S. households will have Internet access by 2010.

From the corporate perspective, John Welch, chief executive officer of General Electric, states that the Internet is the biggest thing to happen to business since the Industrial Revolution. The delivery of courses on-line will revolutionize the higher education as well.

Distance education providers are not the only competitors in the higher education marketplace. Competition for students also comes from the corporate sector itself. Almost 40 percent of Fortune 500 companies have some form of a corporate university.

The composition of the potential applicant pool of adult students will also shift dramatically in the decades to come due to demographic changes in the population. The declining birth rate among whites, coupled with an aging population and with increased immigration from Latin America, Africa, and the Muslim countries, will create even greater requirements for the educational preparation of America's workforce.

Colleges and universities will have to make many changes in programs, services, organizational structure, and function in order to remain viable in the 21st century, for the impact of demographic, economic, technological, and societal factors on colleges and universities will be significant.

In response to the growing numbers of adult and nontraditional students in need of further education, DBU provides destance education as a part of its commitment to serve its students through a variety of effective methods in instructional delivery designed to meet students' needs.

DBU is a pioneer in developing effective online courses designed to promote deeply engaging and interactive learning. These online courses may lead to program completion in the College of Adult Education in Business Administration and in the MBA Concentration in Management in the Graduate School of Business.

DBU also provides audio courses, telecommunications courses, and video courses.

For more information on "Trends in Higher Education," refer to the Office of Adult Learning Services at the College Board.