September 2012

The National Research Council (NRC) has issued reports in support of two critical goals in U.S. higher education: improving the productivity and accessibility of a college education and maintaining U.S. leadership in university research and doctoral programs.

Improving Measurement of Productivity in Higher Education

For higher education, productivity improvement—increasing the number of graduates, amount of learning, and innovation relative to the inputs used—is seen as the most promising strategy in the effort to keep a high-quality college education as affordable as possible. In the current environment of increasing tuition and shrinking public funds, a sense of urgency has emerged to better track the performance of colleges and universities in the hope that their costs can be contained while not compromising quality or accessibility. The NRC panel was charged to identify an analytically well-defined concept of productivity for higher education and to recommend practical guidelines for its measurement. Read more or get a copy here.

Research Universities and the Future of America: Ten Breakthrough Actions Vital to Our Nation’s Prosperity and Security

Following a request by Congress, a National Research Council study committee was charged to respond to the question “What are the top ten actions that Congress, the federal government, state governments, research universities, and others could take to assure the ability of the American research university to maintain the excellence in research and doctoral education needed to help the United States compete, prosper, and achieve national goals . . . for the 21st century?” The NRC report offers a plan of action designed to be adaptable into the future. Its implementation strategy sets a course for continued U.S. leadership and jobs. Read more or get a copy here.