What matters more – where you go to school or how you go to school? Bentley University president Gloria Larson’s response to this question may surprise you. We sat down with President Larson to ask her about the return on investment of a college education and why she is such a big fan of millennials.
She also discusses these topics in her forthcoming book “PreparedU: The Promise of Fusion Learning for Today’s Graduates.” Download an excerpt of the book.
Q. What is the most important question to ask when determining the return on investment of a college education?
Most people focus on which college or university to attend but I believe how you go to school is what’s most important when people debate the value of a college education.
Surveys by organizations such as Gallup and the Pew Research Center show that when it comes to students’ careers and how happy they are in life after graduation, their experience while in college is a far better predictor than the college itself. You’ve probably heard that excelling at a state university will prepare you for work and life better than failing in the Ivy League.
How you go to school is the main consideration that determines whether you have a successful experience, not which college you attend. To get the most out of their education, students need to actively participate in their whole educational experience. Find a school that connects courses across disciplines. And make the most of what takes place outside the classroom -- participate in study groups and campus activities, take part in service-learning projects, and complete off-campus internships.
As students and their parents consider where to go to college, they should ask: Which college suits the student’s intellect and values? Which offers the teaching and learning methods that will prepare them to succeed in career and life?
Q. How can colleges and universities best prepare students for a rewarding career and life?
Organizations today need graduates who possess skills that we usually associate with very different areas of study -- the liberal arts and business training. If we look at today’s workplace, the demands are for hard skills such as knowledge of software languages, as well as soft skills such as the ability to collaborate on projects with others.
So colleges and universities need to provide an education that prepares students for this changing workplace and the world around it. A growing number of schools now see education as more obviously interactive, experiential and connected to the outside world. It is much more effective to prepare students for career and life by integrating these types of knowledge than to separate them.
Q. What is Bentley’s approach to fusion learning and how will students benefit from it?
At Bentley fusion learning combines the best of business education and the arts and sciences. It develops critical thinking, professional skills, cultural literacy and domain-specific knowledge in a single course of study. Students need to master both liberal arts and professional ways of thinking -- this is how smart decisions are made in private industry and non-profit organizations. Fusion learning is how students will be best prepared for a successful post-graduation future regardless of which college they attend.
Students need to master both liberal arts and professional ways of thinking, says President Larson.
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Q. What impact are millennials having on postsecondary education?
Millennials make up the largest group in the U.S. workforce. This generation is the most educated, skilled group ever delivered into the marketplace. They are adept at using technology, open to new experiences, skeptical (and for good reason), socially conscious and dedicated to improving the world.
If postsecondary education is going to prepare millennials (and the generation that follows them) for success in work and in life, it will have to change its structures and practices to coincide with the way this generation approaches education. Colleges and universities are going to have to learn how to merge areas of learning that have traditionally been separate, and fusion learning has the ability to do just that.
Q. What is it about the millennial generation that so impresses you?
Millennials and the generation that follows bring so much to the world, from their technical acumen to their social consciousness. If we give them a fused education that balances professional skills with arts and sciences, they’re going to be able to make connections that other people don’t make and solve problems that have never been tackled before. They’ll emerge as the leaders we need in this changing world.
Read more about these topics in President Larson's upcoming book: "PreparedU: The Promise of Fusion Learning for Today’s Graduates." DOWNLOAD AN EXCERPT OF THE BOOK.
Michele Walsh is the director of News & Communications for Bentley University, based in Waltham, Mass.