Managing Director, Strategic Research, Education Advisory Board (EAB)
Empowering the Nation: Why Public Research Universities Have Never Been More Important
In the wake of COVID there is great concern about the future of higher education. Enrollments are down and projected to fall even further when the demographic cliff arrives in 2026. States that reduced funding in good times now threaten even bigger cuts as COVID decimates state budgets. And students, parents, and legislators seem to be asking more and more if a degree is really worth it, arguing that shorter, online skills training might be a better return on their investment.
And yet the challenges that we face as we emerge from this national crisis—millions of K12 students unable to thrive in virtual schools, millions of adults in failing industries out of work, college bound students facing a transformed employment landscape, and regions around the country desperate for economic recovery strategies—will all depend on public research universities leaning in as never before.
But just when we need them the most, public research universities are being forced to get by with fewer resources. Scaling back ambitions or jettisoning parts of the mission may be tempting ways to balance budgets in the short-term, but the real answer lies in finding ways to focus on mission with a laser-like intensity. Successful public research universities are crystal clear about their mission, and they ensure that every activity aligns with that mission. This presentation will share what that looks like in practice at other institutions and what lessons it might hold for UMBC.
Background
Over the past decade, David has worked with more than five hundred colleges and universities in the US and Canada, leading workshops and strategy sessions for boards, cabinets, deans’ councils and department chairs and presenting to a wide range of audiences on the major trends impacting higher education.
His studies have explored data-informed decision-making in higher education, innovative academic program design, university budget models, academic organizational structures, managing large-scale multidisciplinary research, and the future of doctoral education.
Prior to joining the EAB, David was a senior director of policy studies at the Council on Competitiveness.While there he worked on the National Innovation Initiative, contributed to the National Academies’ Rising Above the Gathering Storm report, and collaborated with Professor Michael Porter of Harvard Business School on the council’s Competitiveness Index.
Education
David holds a PhD in the history of science from Princeton University and a bachelor’s degree in physics from the University of Chicago. His book, Mathematics and the Making of Modern Ireland: TrinityCollege Dublin from Cromwell to the Celtic Tiger, was published in 2014.