Assumptions

  • State/Federal appropriations to education will continue to decrease
  • Military student/veterans tuition assistance will be retained, but not growing dramatically
  • There will be significant (±11%) decrease in state and national support (e.g., Pell decrease)
  • FRAG will remain under scrutiny, but continue
  • There will be a decrease in military enrollments by ±3% a year due to decrease in TA
  • State-imposed cost barriers to online programs will continue and rise
  • A decreased military will cause changes in funding
  • Demand for STEM degrees will continue to increase
  • Technological competence/mastery will increase in importance for all majors
  • Distance learning will become more important and increasingly acceptable for K-12 and college
  • STEM grads will remain employable at moderately high/solid wages
  • Demand for foreign language programs will increase significantly
  • Online education will continue to be popular; numbers increase
  • There will be increased emphasis on vocational education
  • Demand for state and community colleges will continue to grow (price a big factor)
  • US education will retain its high value in other countries
  • Increased global competition will reduce for jobs historically targeted by US college graduates (±8%)
  • The international student candidate pool will grow significantly (some competitors are not accepting international students)
  • Other private Universities and the state schools will raise tuition/fee significantly
  • Dramatic economic uncertainty will continue across the world
  • Universities will play a greater role in fueling the economic engines and in communities
  • The middle class will find it even more difficult to afford higher education
  • Economic insecurity continues: unemployment 7-9%; inflation 1-3%
  • Pasco County opportunities for grads and new students will rise by 2.7%
  • Continued unemployment/under employment will continue
  • We will see higher interest rates and medium inflation
  • We will see increased property and land values/lease costs throughout the US
  • The public attitude toward entitlement and the “customer is always right” will continue
  • Students will become less learners and more “searchers” (Google it!)
  • Customer expectations/demands will change and increase
  • There will be a decrease in the number of candidates for faculty positions
  • We will see a continued devaluation of liberal arts degrees
  • There will be greater opportunities to partner with business for their skill needs
  • There will be dramatic changes in the traditional student mix
  • There will be increased regulations from many sources: US Dept. of Ed., states, accreditation bodies
  • Technology changes will make it easier for institutions to offer online education (and create more competition)
  • Rapid technology changes will continue across a wide range of areas (e.g., services)