Meeting Current Challenges in Higher Education: The Need for More Psychologists

Abstract

Higher education is currently facing many serious challenges. These challenges derive from the effects of globalization, massification (the wide availability of higher education), competition, expanding technology, regulation, litigation, and tuition increases that are outpacing student aid. Many psychologists possess the skills to overcome these challenges: to facilitate the learning, creativity, and performance of each student, faculty member, and staff member; foster productive group relations; analyze human behavior qualitatively, quantitatively, and experimentally; and generate and steward funds for their institutions. Psychologists are well prepared to lead institutions of higher education through and beyond their 21st-century challenges. Relatively few higher education leaders are psychologists, however. Psychologists should be encouraged to choose administrative career paths and thus greatly benefit our colleges and universities.