Commission celebrates 75 years

The Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Higher Education held its 75th anniversary observance yesterday with a program co-sponsored by the University and Princeton University. The symposium brought scholars from throughout the region to campus for an afternoon discussion about the past, present and future of higher education in America. In her opening remarks, University President Judith Rodin said the co-sponsorship was especially appropriate given both schools' histories as "independent communities" of higher learning, dating from the Revolutionary War. Princeton University Vice President Robert Durkee spoke in place of President Harold Shapiro, focusing on the "unforeseeable challenges" facing all institutions of higher education as government regulation of the academic sphere increases. University President Emeritus Martin Meyerson then introduced the program's keynote speakers, whom he called "extraordinary members of the world of learning" -- Ernest Boyer, president of the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, and Clark Kerr, president emeritus of the University of California. Kerr said that over the past 75 years, there has been "triumphal" growth in the field of higher education, making access to college degrees almost universally available. "More than ever before, as goes higher education, so goes the nation," he said. Yet according to Kerr, these developments have occurred as a result of external forces, rather than an internal push for reform. And this leads to uncertainties about issues such as tuition rates and technology, he added. Faculty concerns should also be in the forefront when thinking about higher education, Kerr said, with respect to institutional self-governance and federal regulation. "[We should] give special thought to the challenges and opportunities now in front of us," he said. Boyer urged the audience to address the "crisis in our nation's schools," imploring them to fix the hierarchical system that boxes faculty members into bureaucratic positions within institutional administrations. "We need to focus on process and purpose, to confront the urgent and relentless changes [in higher education] and respond with confidence and clarity," he said. "The historic confidence in higher education's capacity to monitor itself [through accreditation] has disappeared. "[This] dramatically diminishes prospects for the future," Boyer added. Schools must redefine their missions to remain true to the goals of teaching, service and research, he said. They also need to recapture "the spirit of academic integrity," evaluating their achievements according to individually devised academic standards. Audience members were eager to inquire about issues raised by Boyer and Kerr in their keynote speeches. Their questions covered topics ranging from the tenure and academic reward systems to the role of accreditation in government regulation. "Accreditation in some ways has become the enemy of institutional integrity and excellence," Boyer said. "We have to be proactive, instead of defensive." Kerr echoed his colleague's sentiments. "We are not earning the respect of people who are in a position of political power over us," he said. "We are not earning our autonomy." But Boyer said he remains hopeful regarding the future of higher education. "Universities are still our best hope?we need to re-energize ourselves directly," he said. "Our task is to keep reminding ourselves what we've accomplished." School of Arts and Sciences Dean Rosemary Stevens described the conference as "very valuable," since it provided a forum for assessment of current issues affecting higher education and offered perspectives on trends in the field-at-large. "As in many conferences, the questions were more interesting than the answers," she said. "We need to keep asking these kinds of questions as we plot out alternative futures for Penn. "I found it stimulating," Stevens added. "It was also very nice to be in a session in Philadelphia where there were representatives from other institutions as well -- to feel a commonality of purpose."