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Higher Education in the 21st Century: The Role ofKinesiology and Physical EducationGary S. Krahenbuhl aa Colkege of Liberal Arts and Sciences at Arizona State University , Box 87 1701, Tempe , AZ ,85287-1701Published online: 20 Apr 2012.

To cite this article: Gary S. Krahenbuhl (1998) Higher Education in the 21st Century: The Role of Kinesiology and Physical Education,Quest, 50:2, 108-115, DOI: 10.1080/00336297.1998.10484267

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QUEST, 1998,50, 108-115 0 1998 American Academy of Kinesiology and Physical Education

Keynote Address

Higher Education in the 21st Century: The Role of Kinesiology

and Physical Education

Gary S. Krahenbuhl

Universities exist to serve a societal purpose. Education is essential for a society that wishes to perpetuate itself and is especially important for democratic societies, which rely on an educated citizenry, a spirit of volunteerism, and a deep concern for the collective good if they are to function effectively. Most people accept these premises. However, a number of societal forces could alter percep- tions of societal purpose when it comes to higher education.

Although this is almost certainly an incomplete list, it seems to me that some of the most significant factors affecting higher education are as follows: the na- tional inclination to support higher education, the national capacity to fund higher education, the national demand for educational credentials, and the national need for knowledge resources. In the initial part of my presentation, I would like to focus on the current status and prospects for support of higher education in the early part of the next century.

National Inclination to Support Higher Education

I believe the national inclination to support higher education will be deter- mined by society's orientation toward the future. In looking back over history, we see periods of progress and retrogression, of change or stasis. A common element found in almost every period of advancement is optimism (rather than foreboding) about the future (Appleby, 1993). Optimistic societies see change as opportunity. They believe the future can be better than the present or the past. They expect to succeed. Optimism is foundational to the liberal tradition. A society that is opti- mistic about the future makes investments for the longer term, An ancient proverb suggests that whetl planning 1 year ahead, plant grain; when planning 10 years ahead, plant trees; when planning 50 years ahead, educate the people. It is only a society that looks well into the future and is optimistic about change that spends significant resources on educating its people.

A healthy society also has confidence in its capacity to make things better through reasoned choice, Healthy societies have co~idence in science as a means

Gary S , Krahenbuhl is with the Colkege of Liberal Arts and Sciences at Arizona State University, Box 87 1701, Tempe, A2 85287-1701.

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KEYNOTE ADDRESS 109

of demystifying the unknown and apply information and intellect when solving problems. Many believe that this nation's idealism and optimism about the future are waning. I am reluctant to make a prediction on this point but believe that it is the duty and responsibility of every educated individual to help shape our national character in ways that make it optimistic about the future, and, therefore, willing to invest for the longer term.

National Capacity to Support Higher Education

A nation's capacity to support higher education depends on its economic well-being. Two observations seem appropriate in this regard. We are in a sus- tained period of national economic expansion that probably cannot continue in- definitely. It is hard to imagine a world without economic cycles, and the current period of expansion will inevitably end. Of great concern to higher education should be the new constraints built into federal and state revenue-generating mechanisms. The full impact of limitations on taxing capacity will not be fully felt until the next economic decline. Since universities are typically funded out of appropriated monies (after all the entitlements have been funded), it seems inevitable that public fund- ing for higher education (in constant dollars) will continue to decline.

Another major factor bearing on a state's capacity to appropriate monies to support universities is the ratio of producers to consumers of public funds. When contrasted with today, the early part of the 21st century is expected to be one in which the fastest growing segments of society are the young and the old, both consumers of public funds. The proportion of the population made up by people in their adult working years-the producers of wealth-will actually decline during the early part of the 21st century (Spencer, 1989). This means that the competition for public funds will be even greater than it has been in this decade.

National Demand for Higher Education

The national demand for higher education will be influenced by a number of factors. The first, and perhaps most obvious, is the number of potential students that will be seeking a higher education. Demographers (Almanac, 1997) tell us that the early part of the next century will be characterized by a significant growth in the total number of people at the traditional college age. Increasingly, however, they will be from the poor and uneducated sectors of our population, who will continue to bear children at twice the rate of individuals who are well off and educated. This means that while the overall number of college age students will be growing, the number of high achieving, parent financed, straight-out-of-high-school, full-time, residential college students will change little or perhaps decline.

Another factor that will influence demand for higher education is the market for credentialed individuals and the abilities that those credentials imply. In this century, a college education has been seen almost universally as a contributor to personal opportunity. This is true in significant part because employers have con- tinued to see a university diploma as an indication of an individual's capacity to think clearly, to communicate effectively, to quickly learn the knowledge special- ties related to the employer's line of work, to understand and work effectively with others, and to assume responsibility so that work can be accomplished. Universi- ties have had the monopoly on this sort of credentialing, but there is no assurance that this will continue. Many people believe that universities, through their

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inattentiveness to undergraduates, have provided students with impoverished learning experiences and are graduating a generation of students who lack the essential capacities that the diploma has always implied. Experts on higher educa- tion imagine a future in which nonuniversity enterprises compete for a piece of the credentialing market. If a university diploma ceases to guarantee a graduate's quali- fications, the franchise on credentialing will be lost, much to the detriment of higher education as we know it.

Demand for higher education through the campus experience may also di- minish. It is popular now to think of students as customers. A derivative of such an orientation is that coursework should be available in user-friendly forms. The Western Governors Association imagines that the future will feature "virtual" uni- versities where students can, in their homes, through a mixture of Internet and CD technology, receive a "digital" education. I continue to believe that, at its best, the campus experience provides a vastly superior baccalaureate education. Our universities, however, have failed to make this case in a forceful and convincing manner.

Taxpayers and legislators commonly criticize universities for assigning too much of the responsibility for the undergraduate experience to teaching assistants, temporary part-time faculty, or tenure track faculty in large lecture sections where the student is the passive recipient of information. People imagine that university faculty members are spending too much time with their research and that this is taking them away from time that could be spent with undergraduates. Many insti- tutions are now devoting considerable attention to providing active learning op- portunities for students. Others are taking steps to help the public gain an apprecia- tion for the many learning experiences that occur away from the classroom in laboratories and field settings. The future of higher education as we know it will depend on the public holding the view that the campus experience is superior to any alternative vehicle for earning a credential.

National Need for Knowledge Resources

The fourth societal force that I address is the need for knowledge resources. We each see the world through lenses ground from a lifetime of different experi- ences. From my view as dean, looking as far as I can into the next century, I see the following national needs for knowledge resources.

Protecting the Environment

The major environmental issues faced by humanity are well known. Media reports appear daily about habitat destruction, global warming, ozone layer deple- tion, and species extinction. The pollution of air and water with harmful substances, the reliance on herbicides and pesticides, and the disruptions of ecosystems by hazardous wastes and oil spills are regular news features. The universal concern over these issues has implications for many academic disciplines and will be at the forefront of university research in the foreseeable future.

Human Health

The World Health Organization's motto is "Health for all by the year 2000." Advances in medical science in this century have been dramatic, yet the American Medical Association (AMA) estimates that 55% of all diseases leading to disability

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KEYNOTE ADDRESS 111

or death are attributable to lifestyle and can be prevented. In the past, medical science focused largely on treating diseases; however, with growing concerns about health care cost containment, medical science in the next century will be directed toward prevention and toward understanding cellular and molecular function in health and disease. The discipline of kinesiology and physical education should enjoy an increasingly prominent role in this enduring knowledge resource area.

Science and Technology Leadership for Global Economic Competitiveness

To live well, a nation must produce well. For America to retain its position as the world's leading economic force, it must strengthen its science and technol- ogy infrastructure. Scientific discovery and innovation lead to new technological developments, which in turn provide new opportunities for manufacturing. Break- throughs in the physical and life sciences, therefore, will increasingly result from collaboration between the academic and corporate worlds. The prudent university will seek to establish such partnerships.

Human Values and Social Contracts: The Fabric of Society

From Eastern Europe and the former republics of the Soviet Union to the urban areas of the United States, there is a growing need to provide knowledge about ways that widely diverse individuals and groups can live together peace- ably. Whether the issue is nationalism, democratization, ethnic strife, urban un- rest, unparented children, or crack babies, America's universities will be providing the basic research that helps us understand an increasingly complex and challeng- ing local, national, and global society.

Elevating the Human Spirit: Enrichment Through Creative Expression

Artists, poets, and writers possess the gift of inspiration. Through their cre- ative works, they stimulate the senses, challenge the intellect, and arouse emo- tions. Music, theater, museums, galleries, lectures, readings, and other performances offered by universities serve as major cultural and intellectual resources for the nation. The works of artists and writers provide important expressions and chronicles of culture. They add richness to life and allow us to enjoy a more noble existence. The future of the arts and humanities is clearly in question. Adeclining proportion of the population is drawn to these cultural activities. Pessimistic futurists predict that "cocooning," or living in a virtual world at home, will increasingly occur in the next century because of the convenience of technology and the perceived safety provided by remaining at home. These predictions seem extreme, but to the extent that they become true, there will be great implications for physical health, general health, exercise, and sport.

Individual Differences in Opportunity

The conditions of society that I have noted will influence all of higher edu- cation. Each institution of higher learning, however, exists in a unique physical context. Clark Kerr, former chancellor of the University of California system, recently discussed the factors that he believed would be most important in deter-

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mining which universities continued to grow in stature and significance and which would be challenged to hold their present positions (Kerr, 1991). The factors that he identified fell into four broad areas: campus location, state education structure, oversight and governance, and internal institutional variables.

According to Kerr, campuses located in urban metropolitan areas possessing vital economies, local wealth and culture, physical beauty, good climate, and con- venient transportation will have an advantage. Institutions located in states with effective and committed political leadership, statewide public support, lump sum budgeting, freedom from intrusive state politics, and constitutional autonomy from legislatures will enjoy more promising futures. In terms of oversight and gover- nance, Kerr believes that the universities best able to adapt to the new realities will be those that have decentralized decision-making systems, those where the mis- sion of the campus is well understood and supported, and those not distracted by poorly managed or potentially distracting multicampus operations. Finally, those campuses with institutional circumstances that feature astute and persuasive lead- ership, flexible resources, faculty salary flexibility, excellent libraries and facili- ties, rich partnerships with external entities, and athletic success will be favorably positioned to improve. To the extent that these conditions are present, Kerr be- lieves a university can elevate its quality and stature. To the extent that these con- ditions are absent, an institution will have to work harder to make progress and may even decline in quality and reputation.

Institutional Directions

Universities everywhere will be dealing with issues of cost containment and quality and will be continually reshaping themselves to adapt to ever-changing conditions. Some educators believe that higher education has entered a period of "continuous whitewater" (Useem, 1997). By this they mean that it is no longer satisfactory for a university to react to each new crisis; rather, each university must change its character so as to adapt to the stream of continuous changes that will occur over the coming decades.

Budgets will continue to be restricted because of the diminishing capacity of states to raise additional revenues, and the increasing demand for those revenues created by entitlement programs. Unless an unexpected and dramatic shift in pub- lic opinion occurs, higher education will continue to be seen more as a personal benefit and much less as a public good to be supported by increasingly scarce tax dollars. Finally, the capacity to raise tuition and fees as a method of generating new revenues will be limited, because the ceiling of tuition affordability for middle class families seems to have been reached. The new federal tax package, which provides tax credits for higher education, will provide some relief in the near term but not for as long as even the next decade.

As universities reshape themselves and adapt, they are frequently forced to be more selective in their academic offerings (Gray, 1992), even while they are asked to engage in more nonacademic activities. Universities will be changing internal administrative organization, not only in response to trends in structuring knowledge but in an attempt to save on administrative costs by creating fewer and arger academic units. New attention will be given to collective productivity Langenberg, 1992) through the evaluation of departments rather than individual culty. Given the increasingly crowded agenda of higher education, one can ex-

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KEYNOTE ADDRESS 113

pect significant changes in the conditions of faculty service. National debates are already underway about faculty workload and the value of tenure.

Finally, universities will be working to define their character (as distinct from their reputation). Institutional character is guided by the values reflected in the hundreds of acts that occur every minute between faculty and students and other members of the university community. To the extent that universities have members who feel a deep stewardship for the institution and a commitment to supporting its goals, universities will grow in popularity and stature. To the extent that such internal conditions do not exist and cannot be developed, the market society will lead to the decline of universities as we know them.

Program Elimination Through Reorganization

Just as local conditions will affect individual campuses, so too will internal conditions alter a department's potential within a given institution. One way to ensure oblivion, according to departments of geography that have been eliminated over the past decade, is to do the following

1. Elect and reelect a weak chair. 2. Lose your most productive colleagues to other institutions. 3. Eschew undergraduate education and majors 4. Forego participation in campus governance 5. Glory in bitter ideological and personal vendettas 6. When all else fails, war against your dean.

These steps are "guaranteed" to ensure that your department squanders any chance at internal appreciation and significance (Abler, 1992).

While the "guidelines" provided by geographers may seem humorous, the reality of academic program reduction is serious. The Oregon universities have experienced a dramatic reduction in state support. Each public institution in that state has reorganized its academic program offerings in order to survive, doing less with less. The criteria used for guiding program reduction decisions are re- markably similar from institution to institution. The criteria used at Oregon State University (Spanier, 1988) included factors such as centrality to mission, quality, uniqueness, productivity, cost, demand for graduates, and contributions to other programs. Academic units on all campuses would do well to consider how they might fare under a review using similar criteria.

Department Evaluation

In the past, we evaluated departments once every 10 years, with most atten- tion directed to program prominence in the discipline. Now, as dean, I annually look at departments along three broad dimensions. I mention this because I believe the ways that I evaluate departments are universally important. The degree to which a department would score well in these categories would ensure a strong position within its institution. First, I evaluate departments on the extent to which they have built a quality learning environment for students. Second, I am concerned about their success in maintaining andlor enhancing their national visibility, reputation, and respect, Finally, I am intensely interested in how they respond to institutional needs. Departments have no trouble resonating with the second area. However,

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many faculty members feel a closer attachment to their discipline nationally than to their home institution. When this condition occurs, it is not uncommon for a department to be somewhat inattentive to undergraduate education and highly un- responsive to institutional needs.

A department can demonstrate stewardship in many ways. One is to make full and effective use of budgeted resources, including facilities, space, faculty time, and operating monies. The responsive department offers courses to meet demand, protects the university's funding base (if it is formula funded), provides coursework to support general education, uses tenure track faculty in undergradu- ate courses, supports interdisciplinary activities, and provides quality advisement. The institutionally responsive department is one with a depth of concern for and loyalty to the university and its many activities, where service is willingly and effectively provided on committees at all levels; where there is good communica- tion between the chair and faculty and among the faculty; where there are appro- priate levels of consultation and shared governance; and where there are effective internal problem-solving mechanisms.

Finally, the institutionally responsive department is attentive to the modem university's needs in the area of active outreach, which might include the following:

Serving on state boards and councils Sponsoring external events Providing workshops for public school teachers, campus events for high school students, and programs for the disadvantaged Hosting campus tours Participating in alumni events Providing school demonstrations Participating in radio and television programming Increasing involvement in fundraising and friendraising Developing newsletters to keep graduates informed

A department interested in survival will ensure that it is responsive to institutional needs.

Advice for the Perpetuation of a Discipline

Just as healthy societies invest for the long term, so does a healthy discipline devote some of its energy to investments for the longer term. At Arizona State University, I see a great range in the concern about the long-term fate of disci- plines as demonstrated by academics through their actions. The best among these know that they must be vigilant on many fronts. This includes educating current students and the general public about the discipline, preparing the next generation of teachers for public schools and for universities, and developing relationships with policymakers, community and government leaders, and decision makers. It also means aggressively showcasing the discipline and its accomplishments. In earlier times, these would have seemed to many to be demeaning and inappropri- ate activities, but if a discipline does not tell its story, who will?

What does this mean for kinesiology and physical education programs? My advice is simple. Expect change and take steps to exploit it. Expect universities to value and reward responsiveness to institutional needs. Prepare future faculty members with a sense of stewardship for their fields and their institutions. Expect

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to be undervalued and take steps to build your indispensability to your campus, your region, and your nation. In a world featuring constant change, expect that success will be defined by the journey, not by the destination. Enjoy the trip.

References

Abler, R. (1992). Six steps to oblivion. Washington: Association of American Geographers Newsletter.

Almanac. (1997, August). The Chronicle of Higher Education, 44(1), 1-116. Appleby, J. (1993). Liberal education in a postliberal world. Liberal Education, 79(3), 18-23. Gray, H. (1992). Scientific research in universities. Science, 256,9. Kerr, C. (1991). The new race to be Harvard or Berkeley or Stanford. Change, 23(3), 8-15. Langenberg, D.N. (1992). Marching to a different tune. Proceedings of the 31st Annual

Meeting of the Council of Learned Societies, 31,9-11. Spanier, G.B. (1988). Criteria for program reduction, termination, and reorganization.

Corvallis: Oregon State University, Office of the Vice President for Academic Af- fairs and Provost.

Spencer, G. (1989). Projections of the population of the United States, by Age, Sex, and Race, 1988 to 2080, Current population reports, Population estimates and projec- tions (Series P-25, No. 1018). Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census.

Useem, M. (1997). Leadership and teamwork for change. Philadelphia: University of Penn- sylvania, WhartonlIRHE Executive Education Program.

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