Campus webinar: How to boost the public perception of higher education
Hear how universities can demonstrate the value of their research, teaching and social impact beyond academia, from senior leaders at Campus+ partner institutions in the US and Canada
Created in partnership with
Created in partnership with
University researchers have played a crucial role in or contributed to about 75 per cent of the most significant inventions since the 1950s, according to a 2017 study from UC Riverside. The groundbreaking discoveries that higher education institutions have made are all around us – from artificial intelligence to climate science to medical breakthroughs, but this message doesn’t always get through.
Both positive and negative factors have contributed to the reported fall in public confidence in higher education in the US, explained an op-ed in Inside Higher Ed in June 2024. Positive factors include a better-informed public, while negative factors range from misinformation and polarised politics to concerns about the value of a university degree when balanced with the cost of going to college.
In this webinar, university leaders look to solutions. You’ll hear about how universities can strengthen societal and student confidence in higher education; examples of impactful outreach programmes and projects; ways that universities can work together to support the sector; and strategies to cut through the noise to surface student success, social good and innovation.
Our panellists are:
Steve McLaughlin is provost and executive vice-president for academic affairs at Georgia Institute of Technology. He has served as dean and Southern Company chair of the College of Engineering, the Steve Chaddick school chair in the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, the vice-provost for international initiatives and the Steven A. Denning chair in global engagement.
Nader Jalili is the Mary and Richard Templeton dean at SMU Lyle School of Engineering. An active researcher, Jalili has been PI or co-PI on more than $US17 million (£14 million) in external funding, including grants from the National Science Foundation, the US Department of Energy and the US Department of Defense.
Rahim Somani is vice-president for finance and administration at the University of Northern British Columbia. With more than two decades of leadership experience across South and Central Asia and North America, he oversees strategic, financial and operational planning. Somani is dedicated to advancing holistic organisational development and fostering growth that improves the quality of life in communities.
All our speakers are from Campus+ partner institutions. Campus+ is a unique opportunity to become a contributing partner to the resources, tools and advice published on Campus.
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