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Higher Education Policy: A Brief Overview

Crystal Gay

Georgia Southern University

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What is Higher Education Policy?

Higher education policy affects everyone involved in the higher education arena,

including administrators, staff, faculty, and students. This paper will examine the key terms of

higher education policy, the concepts behind policy, and the current issues in higher education.

Defining Key Terms

To understand higher education policy “higher education” and “policy” must be defined.

Afterwards, the different considerations and issues of higher education policy will be examined

and discussed.

Higher Education

The Higher Education Act of 1965 defines institutions of higher education using five key

points. These points will be used to craft a working definition of higher education for this paper.

A higher education institution, “admits only students who have completed a secondary education

or equivalent” and “provides an educational program for which the institution awards a

bachelor's degree or provides not less than a 2-year program that is acceptable for full credit

toward such a degree, or awards a degree that is acceptable for admission to a graduate or

professional degree program” (Higher Education Act, 2011).

Policy

Torjman (2005) defines policy as representing “a decision, made by a publicly elected or

designated body, which is deemed to be in the public interest” (p. 18). The development of

policy should take into account “who benefits, who might be negatively affected, time required

to implement the solution, associated cost and financing and political complexities of federated

government structure” (Torjman, 2005, p. 18). The common steps in policy development include

“selection of the desired objective, identifying the target of the objective, determining the

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pathway to reach that objective, designing the specific program or measure in respect of that goal

and implementing the measure and assessing its impact” (Torjman, 2005, p. 7).

Higher Education Policy

Policy can focus on multiple areas such as business, healthcare and education. Education

can refer to primary, secondary or postsecondary education. Higher education policy examines

policies that directly relate to postsecondary education. The basic makeup of policy holds true

regardless of the realm in which it is pertaining.

Concepts Behind Policy

There are multiple concepts to consider in regards to policy including design,

implementation, and evaluation. Before a policy can be implemented it must first be created.

NASA (2000) created a flowchart for policy formation. The first step was assessing the need for

a new policy and the last step was distribution (NASA, 2000). These beginning and end steps are

needed for any policy created. There are several approaches to planning. Starling (2011) states,

“the most popular are the rational planning model, logical incrementalism, urban and regional

planning, contingency planning and crisis management planning” (p. 231). The approach chosen

may vary depending on the situation (Starling, 2011).

Sometimes there is a policy already in place in need of revision or updating. There are

multiple theories for how policy change occurs. Stachowiak (2009) cites six theories from varied

disciplines. Stachowiak notes “understanding different theories about policy change can help

organizations more effectively choose advocacy strategies, focus evaluation efforts on the right

outcomes, and avoid ‘kitchen sink’ syndrome” (2009, p. 14). The type of theory or approach

used in the policy formation or change may vary depending on the type of policy and the

constituency involved. After formulation and implementation a policy should be evaluated.

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Schmid, O’Reilly, & Schömann (1996) states, “the evaluation process itself comprises at

least four steps” (p.5). These four steps can be summarized as (a) defining the target; (b)

monitoring implementation; (c) monitoring performance and assessing impact; and (d)

estimating the costs and benefits (Schmid et al., 1996). They go on to say that “policy analysis

commonly distinguishes between types of policy” (Schmid et al., 1996, p.10). Schouwstra and

Ellman (2006) wrote regarding the “importance of evaluation as an integral part of the

continuous and dynamic cycle of policy making” (p.3). This statement refers to a specific model

of evaluation presented in the paper. The writers cited that “an evaluation is only as useful as the

model that has been used for that evaluation” and that many models “have a too narrow scope”

(Schouwstra & Ellman, 2006, p.2). The type of evaluation used may vary. The federal

government uses four types of evaluation: process evaluation, cost-benefit and cost-effectiveness

analyses, impact evaluation and outcome evaluation (Starling, 2011).

Ultimately, formulating and evaluating a policy is not one size fits all. Those involved in

policymaking need to have an understanding of the background and be knowledgeable of

different methods and theories in order to properly and efficiently create, implement and assess a

policy. Paul Sabatier (1991) sums it up very well, “Any theory of the manner in which

governmental policies get formulated and implemented, as well as the effects of those actions on

the world, requires an understanding of the behavior of major types of governmental institutions”

(p. 147). When looking at higher education policy the institution is higher education. To

understand higher education policy an understanding of the current issues is needed.

Current Issues in Higher Education Policy

There are numerous current issues in higher education at the state level as well as the

national level. The American Association of State Colleges and Universities (2012) lists ten

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issues in higher education policy for 2012 including college completion, tuition, college

readiness, and immigration policy. The American Association of University Professors (n.d.)

also notes issues such as distance education, discrimination, diversity, and governance. These are

just a few of the issues in the current climate of higher education policy.

Conclusion

Higher education policy ultimately pertains to all the issues or concerns affecting higher

education. Recently, retention and graduation rates have been concerns in higher education and

policies are being put into place. Complete College Georgia (2011) states “college completion is

an imperative for a prosperous future in Georgia, but will require significant intervention” (p. 2).

The plan includes an articulation agreement between the University System of Georgia and the

Technical College System, improving college readiness and access, and a redesign that will

“create a more effective system” (Complete College Georgia, 2011, p.17).

Another current issue in higher education is diversity. The University of Georgia has

instituted a plan to “sustain and enhance learning and work environment that is diverse and

inclusive where individual differences are valued and serve as a source for collective

empowerment” (The University of Georgia, 2011, p. 5). Retention is also a current issue. The

University System of Georgia Strategic Plan states, “The USG will improve graduation and

retention rates by institution and sector” (University System of Georgia, 2011). The plan also

lists activities for implementation such as first-year experience programs, course availability and

improving retention in each major (USG, 2011).

These are just three examples of policies put into place to help improve higher education.

Policies exist at the national, state, system, and institutional level. Policy helps keep the higher

education system running.

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References

American Association of State Colleges and Universities. (2012). Top 10 higher education state

policy issues for 2012. AASCU Policy Matters. Retrieved from:

http://www.aascu.org/policy/publications/policy-matters/

American Association of University Professors. (n.d.). Issues in higher education. Retrieved

from: http://www.aaup.org/AAUP/issues/

Complete College Georgia. (2011). Georgia’s higher education completion plan 2012. Retrieved

from: http://www.usg.edu/educational_access/complete_college_georgia

National Aeronautics and Space Administration. (2000). Policy formulation process. Office of

Management Systems. Retrieved from GeorgiaView course materials

Sabatier, P.A. (1991). Toward better theories of the policy process. PS: Political Science and

Politics, 24(2), 1147-1156.

Schouwstra, M., & Ellman, M. (2006). A new explanatory model for policy analysis and

evaluation. Tinbergen Institute Discussion Paper.

Schmid, G., O’Reilly, J., & Schömann, K. (1996). International handbook of labour market

policy and evaluation. Brookfield, VT: Edward Elgar Publishing Company.

Stachowiak, S. (2009). Pathways for change: 6 theories about how policy change happens.

Organizational Research Services. Retrieved from:

http://www.organizationalresearch.com/publications_and_resources_theory_of_change.a

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Starling, G. (2011). Managing the public sector. Boston, MA: Wadsworth, Cengage Learning.

The Higher Education Act of 1965, 20 U.S.C. §1001 (2011).

Torjman, S. (2005). What is policy? Caledon Institute of Social Policy.

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The University of Georgia. (2011). Embracing diversity and inclusion at UGA. Retrieved from

http://diversity.uga.edu/pdf/UGA_Diversity_Plan.pdf

University System of Georgia.. (2011). University system of georgia strategic plan. Retrieved

from http://www.usg.edu/strategicplan/one/grad_rates.phtml