The student news site of Guilford College

The Guilfordian

The student news site of Guilford College

The Guilfordian

The student news site of Guilford College

The Guilfordian

Letter to the Editor: Distinction or extinction

I heard this phrase recently amidst a conversation among colleagues. I believe it starkly captures our future as we seek a new president.

Private colleges are under assault. For-profits like Phoenix University, online courses with the Stanford University brand, as well taxpayer-funded publics all offer prospective students lower cost choices. All forgo personal faculty-student relationships to keep tuition down.

Students today need more services, including full computer support, wireless capacity and career services to name just a few. To fund these and other essential expenses, colleges have raised tuition faster than household incomes can allow. Government has shown little interest in filling this gap. Consequently, student debt has skyrocketed as access has declined.

Wealthier schools can continue this path, as they allot larger portions of their endowment to student financial aid. This option is increasingly unavailable for colleges like Guilford.

In this environment, colleges that offer distinctive residential and academic experiences will likely survive. Simply marketing our extensive writing programs, student-centered learning or values-based education informed by Quaker testimonies will not achieve such survival. As important as they are, they function less to distinguish than to align us with our peers.

Consistent with our core values and the best parts of our history, Guilford College can gain recognition as a leader in “inclusive excellence.” According to the Association of American Colleges and Universities, such an education fully embodies diversity, inclusion and equity throughout the institution. Embracing these concepts will transform our academic community into one that wholly welcomes historically disadvantaged groups as it raises student learning. We gain cultural competency and become “equity-minded practitioners” as we engage in challenging conversations over how our curriculum, pedagogy, practices, facilities and norms continue to advantage certain students, staff, faculty and administrators.

Moving in this direction is not only right but pragmatic. In a country undergoing fundamental demographic changes, we would do well to attract the increasing number of applicants of color as well as offer all of our students the skills, experiences and perceptions gained from operating in a truly diverse, inclusive and equitable environment as they embark on their post-graduate careers.

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