Why We Do This
Updated Spring 2021
We believe in the transformative power of Higher Education and Postsecondary Education. We believe in the people who’ve committed their lives to the cause. Most of all, we believe in the students, parents & families, and educators we serve and we are here to champion these three communities. For 385+ years, American Higher Education has transformed the lives of hundreds of millions of people. However, since the start of the Digital Age, we’ve noticed a few cracks in the foundation, and COVID has only made the cracks both wider and deeper. The rest of the world is also watching and we’re all getting a little concerned. To paraphrase Thoreau: The US Postsecondary/Higher Education System is merely hacking at the leaves, not digging at the roots. Here are the cracks…
MOST STUDENTS GO TO COLLEGE AND GET A DEGREE, BUT NOT AN EDUCATION
Currently there are 21.8 million students enrolled in US Postsecondary/Higher Education, which is down 26% since the 2010 all-time high of 29.5 million. The overall dropout rate for undergraduate college students is 40%, with approximately 30% of college freshmen dropping out before their sophomore year. 45% of students show no significant gains in learning after their first two years, and only 35% actually graduate in four years. Afterwards, students receive a diploma and a GPA, yet long gone are the days when a diploma guaranteed a job and it's common knowledge that a high GPA no longer serves as an indicator of future success. The world rewards genius, but tragically, our educational system is preparing students for mediocrity.
MOST STUDENTS DIE WHEN THEY’RE 27, BUT AREN’T BURIED UNTIL THEY’RE 77
Only 45% of Americans are satisfied with their jobs, 84% believe they are not in their dream job, and 77% actually hate their jobs (and people spend one third of their lives in their jobs). They’re living a dead life emotionally, intellectually, financially, and most of all spiritually. This truth is both sad and disturbing. They’ve lost their passion and the educational system has seemingly forgotten how to inspire the human soul. The greatest tragedy in life isn’t death; it’s what dies inside us as we live.
MOST STUDENTS GRADUATE WITHOUT A SENSE OF PURPOSE
AND WORK WITHOUT A SENSE OF MEANING
One out of every two students indicated that one of their most important lifetime objectives is to develop a meaningful philosophy of life. Yet, instead of helping students meet this objective, colleges mandate compulsory coursework in trivial subjects that don’t support students in defining who they are, who they want to become, and ultimately what they want to give back to the world. Too many of our students are graduating with the same questions that they came into college with while their parents and families are questioning the real value of a college education.
MOST STUDENTS DECLARE BANKRUPTCY BEFORE THEY DECLARE A MAJOR
The average graduate will rack up over $39,351 in student loans while the total national student loan debt swells past $1.68 trillion (spread out among about 44.7 million borrowers) and grows over 6 times faster than the US economy as the default rate climbs exponentially. The communities most negatively impacted by student loan debt today are our BIPOC women and our LGBTQ Students. And here is the real kicker: according to UCLA research, the #1 goal of today’s college student is “to be very well off financially.” Yet, of the 4,100 degree-granting colleges in the US, less than 10 have financial education in the core curriculum. Yes that’s right, less than 10! This isn’t just wrong; it's quite possibly educational malpractice.
MOST STUDENTS TAKE THEIR EDUCATION HIGHER, BUT NOT DEEPER
This is not hopeless. It’s time we all stop hacking at the leaves and start digging at the roots. But we can’t stop there; we must also plant new seeds. Together, as educators, as Higher Education professionals, and as parents and families, we are an educational collaborative in service to our students. We all help our students get an education, not just a degree, where they focus on their Real GPA™, and not solely their academic GPA. We ensure our students graduate with more useful capabilities, rather than mere credentials. We elevate the economic well-being of our students versus submerge them with unsustainable debt. We help our students find their passion and discover their purpose so they are empowered to create a life of meaning and contribution to our greater humanity. We help college students get what they want and need. We take higher education deeper. Together we are Collegiate Empowerment.
