In the last few decades, the organization and governance ideals have changed due to the way of decisions making in the universities. Initially, universities' consideration was a republic of scholars before turning to a stakeholder organization. The university decision making is undertaken by leaders to fulfil the interests of the stakeholders rather than the former, which involved independent scholars having collegial decisions to ensure academic freedom. The decisions made to meet the stakeholders' interests in Academic institutions contribute to the challenges faced by leaders in organizing and governing Higher education. The Southern New Hampshire University had Paul LeBlanc, the president since 2003, which led to an increase of the University by four times. In a YouTube video posted 2015 by the National Association of Independent Schools, Paul LeBlanc explained some of the challenges faced by Higher Education in America.
Paul LeBlanc outlined the challenges Higher education systems in America face. Challenges faced include lack of confidence from potential students, guarded public systems with fewer funds allocation for Higher Education Institutions, and the lack of trust from the workforce who do not believe that the skills taught in school match with the job market needs. The Higher Education institutions in America produce more graduates each year hence the need to solve the problems within the institutions for the benefit of the society (Lucas, 2016) .
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Government Policies on Education Funding
In America, the federal government funds only 8% of the US public schools, and the funding revenue is from other fundraising efforts. The State decides on which things to allocate funds; hence at times, the income assigned to higher education systems may not cater to the tuition fees of many students. There is enough evidence of the relationship between better student outcomes and increased spending on education ( Bok, 2015). . The students in most universities in America depend on loans to finance their education, which has catches the attention of the media due to many students unable to service their student debt. School funding policies by the government need facilitation to ensure students from low-income families receive a quality education. Funding inequalities in America lead to poverty within districts and the State hence the need for high allocation to the top poverty districts.
Lack of Confidence by Students
Many potential students do not enrol in colleges due to the lack of confidence in the ability to pay school fees. If the American government intervened in minimization of inequities in education funding, colleges would have more students hence guarantee a better future for such students. The declined rate of enrolment in students to universities in America is due to unstable financial status of many students. Student's achievement rise when the government stabilizes the school finance systems ( Bok, 2015). The student debt, which has a high rate of growth in America, leads to many students having to service the loan for a more extended period even after completion of education hence discourages people from higher education. The rising tuition fee discourages students from investing in education, specifically the long-term programs leading to fewer enrolments in higher education institutions.
The Workforce Expectations
Very few college students are confident that the skills acquired from college meet the workforce demands. Currently, most employers require a higher quality of education to meet the requirements in the workforce. The increased changes in technology and innovations in workplaces require more skills from students from higher education in America due to the quality of skills offered in the learning institutions. The necessary skills and academic qualifications required by the job markets change every day due to the independent economic trends in the market. The changes in the workplace have led to growing shortages of skilled labour due to the level of education required to handle different positions in workplaces ( Ruben, 2018). There skilled labour shortages in technology, education, health care, and manufacturing expected to rise since the education level systems continue to stagnate due to the challenges faced by higher education systems in America. The current education system aims to produce students who match the needs of the workforce by increasing the quality of education offered in more top learning education systems.
Conclusion
The challenges faced by higher education institution leaders have an impact on the role of the leaders in the institution. The leaders need to learn and master ways to access the students, to ensure equity among students from diverse backgrounds, and how to utilize technology for the creation of the right working environment. The leaders in Universities are responsible for the production of trusted leaders for the future hence need to connect with every institution department in the facilitation of programs. The university leaders have to understand the dynamic challenges faced by students and the institution so as to make education accessible to more potential students. A university student leadership success depends on increased accessibility to education, hence the reasons why Paul LeBlanc's achievement of quadrupling the Southern New Hampshire marks Paul LeBlanc, an achiever.
References
Bok, D. (2015). Higher education in America: Revised edition (Vol. 87). Princeton University Press. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tgmsacTRCg0&feature=youtu.be
Lucas, C. J. (2016). American higher education: A history . Springer.
Ruben, B. D. (2018). Quality in higher education . Routledge.
