The Real Value Proposition: Purpose in Higher Education

In our work with over 300 college and universities across the country, we find ourselves coming back to and reflecting upon a resounding question: “Why this college?”  

Whether we are in a partnership to do strategic planning, admission, retention, or campus master planning and design, we are asked - and we often ask our partners - why should students choose this institution? What is the value of this experience here?

For those schools whose mission includes student development and transformation, this brief article entitled "Happiness: Restoring Purpose to Higher Education" by Dr. Corey L. M. Keyes, Ph.D., Kinship Distinguished Research Professor at Emory University, speaks quite clearly to the value of “whole” learning - bringing meaning and purpose to each individual student's life. While a lofty goal (and one that consultants are usually not called into measure) this idea of transformational education is a common theme we hear resounding when we speak with our campus colleagues about their “why."  

What do you think about finding purpose and meaning through education? How do we ensure this experience for all students on our campuses?