The following appeared in the May/June issue of International Educator magazine.
The global financial crisis has affected governments, corporations, Mom and Pop stores, nonprofit organizations—and even higher education systems. In Europe, some countries have had more publicized struggles—like Greece and Ireland—while others—like Italy and Portugal—have come to the forefront more recently.
What does this mean for the next generation of students and scholars in these nations? Some students and recent graduates, understandably, don’t have a rosy outlook of what their futures hold. Some academics are holding onto hope that their nation’s higher education system will improve while some are looking for greener pastures overseas.
Whether or not individual Europeans are jaded or still have hope in the higher education system in their countries, one thing is clear: things have got to change. The lesson that has been learned is that what has always been done isn’t a guarantee for success—not anymore. Innovation on how to improve these systems is now required.
next to the session in Conference Connection—and often session handouts are posted to the site by mid-May.
