The Solutions Initiative

Transforming Lives, Transforming SocietyOne Student, One Idea at a Time

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The Goal: Sustain Postsecondary Capacity to Serve Community and

National Interests

• Increasing real wages• Addressing workforce needs• Reducing international skills gaps• Sustaining technological

advancements• Serving communities

• Sustaining economic growth

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The Challenge for Higher Education

• Need to increase -- not just maintain --access, affordability and success

• Long-term structural budget challenges at State and Federal levels

• Public perceptions about higher education as a public priority

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Listening to the Public

• Focus groups to test public perceptions, language, and messages about…

-notions of the public good

-what will motivate people to support higher education as a public policy priority

-perceptions of higher education

-what warrants public support

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Public Perceptions of Higher Education

• Perceived primarily in terms of “colleges” and credentialing• Viewed as private economic good - not equated with broad array of social, economic, service benefits

• Concern about rising costs, productivity, accountability

• Remote from public engagement

• Strong positive view of importance

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Criteria for public support

Public

Need

Basic necessityfor a decent life

Personal relevanc

e

This affectsmy daily life

New age

politics

Everybody is Better off if more

People have it

Public benefit

Accountable andEfficient

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Public skepticism - Esp tuition/value

Public skepticism for higher education

on all four dimensions

Public

Need

Not as pressingas other issues

Public benefits

Colleges benefit thePeople who go to

them

Personal

Relevance

This isn’t about me

New era

Politics

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Connecting to the public

• Testing messages that are credible, and connect

• Connection to future, solutions for society, credible and positive

• International comparisons seen as self-serving

• “Crisis” language a turn-off

• Deficit language not believed

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Solutions for AmericaExpanding the conversation…

FROM

An individual responsibilityFor the privileged few

Not accountable Politically correct

ExpensiveExpendable

TO INCLUDE

A public investmentBenefits all of societyPublicly responsive Intellectually open

AffordableAn investment in the

future

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Project Messages

• Building for the future

• The investment at risk

• The payoff to society from higher education

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Target Audiences

• The voting public• Parents of college-age students• Alumni• Business leaders• Community-based

organizations• Opinion leaders • Public policy makers

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Layers of Campaign

• National

• State

• Campus

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Metrics of Success• Increase in importance of issue with influential

opinion leaders• Change in language (editorial pages, speeches,

talk shows) about public purposes and social investment

• Successful engagement of public discussion (op ed pieces; radio talk shows; TV spots)

• Improved statewide collaborative capacity within higher education

• Successful engagement of business leaders at state and national levels

• Improve public policy climate for higher education, including strengthened commitment to funding for institutions and for student aid

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How can SHEEOs help

• Help us keep this on message: public purposes, serving the future, improving performance

• Work with institutions to engage campaign at state level -

• Data about state-level performance• Audience analysis

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For more information

The Solutions ProjectC/o American Council on Education

One Dupont CircleWashington, DC 20036

202/939-9426

OR…..Stanley O. IkenberryStanike@uiuc.eduJane V. Wellman

Jane_Wellman@ace.nche.edu