Geography in US Higher Education Growth, Change, and Development Sarah Witham Bednarz Texas A&M University

Agenda The US Higher Education Scene Context of growth, development, and change Geography in This Context… Growth, development, and change New research funding directions Curriculum development opportunities Geographic Information Sciences

US Higher Education Scene: Background Complex system of public and private colleges and universities, two- and four- institutions, non-profit and for-profit 622 public four-year institutions 1,220 public and private two-year institutions 1,551 private four-year institutions 789 private two-and four-year for-profit institutions State controlled; no federal authority per se

US Higher Education Scene: Background Extensive doctoral/research universities Offer a wide range of baccalaureate programs; committed to graduate education through the doctorate; award 50 or more doctoral degrees per year across at least 15 disciplines Intensive doctoral/research universities Similar but smaller in scale; at least 10 PhDs per year across three or more disciplines Public comprehensive institutions “Normal” schools grown up

US Higher Education Scene: Change Enrollments have grown Expanding opportunities to new populations Changes in how students pursue degrees

US Higher Education Scene: Change Wider range of socio-economic, racial, ethnic groups Entering with a different level of academic preparation

US Higher Education Scene: Change Student access to higher education has expanded… Changes in technology… Changes in demography… Changes in the demand for education…

US Higher Education Scene: Status Sense of urgency about higher education following thirty years of extensive change Broad public support but less public investment Changes in funding structures Decline in state appropriations Shift to student tuition and fees Questions about what college students learn Competing purposes for higher education –Workers vs an educated citizenry

US Higher Education Scene: Status Sense of urgency about higher education following thirty years of extensive change Broad public support but less public investment Changes in funding structures Decline in state appropriations Shift to student tuition and fees Questions about what college students learn Competing purposes for higher education –Workers vs an educated citizenry

US Higher Education Scene: Status Sense of urgency about higher education following thirty years of extensive change Little connection between K-12 and and beyond Increasing interference from policy makers Faculty productivity measures High stakes testing Metrics for teacher education

US Higher Education Scene: Status Sense of urgency about higher education following thirty years of extensive change Weak links between teaching and learning Changing demographics of academic workforce Decline in proportion of tenured faculty Aging population Disconnect between research and teaching

US Higher Education Scene: Status Sense of urgency about higher education following thirty years of extensive change Changes in the social charter that links higher education to the nation

US Higher Education Scene: Implications for Geography College as high school… Need for teaching more important than ever K-12 situation

National Geography Standards Standards for geography K-12 Institutionalized in state social studies standards No Child Left Behind emphasis on reading, math, science

US Higher Education Scene: Implications for Geography College as high school… Need for teaching more important than ever K-12 situation Demographics of faculty Full- time being replaced by part-time Need for articulation between two-and four- year institutions

Whither Geography?

Driving Forces Geographic Information Sciences and related spatial technologies Shared across the mapping sciences Environmental sciences Shared across the geosciences Resisting Forces Aging faculty Lack of curricular relevance in some contexts

Growth Geographic Information Sciences 179 out of 195 geography programs list GIS as a specialty Proliferation of courses, degrees, and certificate programs Issues of pedagogy UCGIS Model Curriculum? Issues of quality assurance “buttonology” vs GIScience Workforce issues: Minorities? Women?

Growth Geographic Information Sciences 179 out of 195 geography programs list GIS as a specialty Proliferation of courses, degrees, and certificate programs Issues of pedagogy UCGIS Model Curriculum? Issues of quality assurance “buttonology” vs GIScience Workforce issues: Minorities? Women?

Change National Science Foundation Initiatives Promoting interdisciplinary initiatives Complex environmental systems –Synthesis for Earth, Life, and Society Human dimensions of global change –Social and behavioral processes that shape and influence interactions Biocomplexity in the environment –Integrated investigations of environmental systems using advanced scientific and engineering methods Human and social dynamics –Causes and ramifications of change

Development National Geography Alliances Association of American Geographers: Shift from developing resources to developing faculty Geography Faculty Development Alliance Active pedagogy, inquiry-based learning, teaching with technology Course planning, student assessment, Grant writing, publication, tenure and promotion issues

Development Curriculum Project

Development Curriculum Project Global Learning for All American Council on Education Funded by Ford Foundation Strategies to make international/global learning an integral part of undergraduate education

Conclusions… A new landscape… Conflicting priorities… Scale issues Growing need for scholarship of learning/teaching Increasingly less important to policymakers