Elite colleges are losing America’s trust. Community colleges can win it back

For decades, so-called top academic schools dominated the cultural conversation about higher education. But inflation and a tough economy have devastated many families’ savings, making affording four-year schools difficult, on top of the AI monster that seems to be eating white-collar jobs alive. 

This perfect storm has crushed trust in "elite" schools. But what’s bad news for Harvard and Yale is a fantastic opportunity for community colleges and certification programs across the country to position themselves as the best solution to young Americans’ financial and career concerns. 

Elite schools still command prestige, of course. They boast extensive professional networks and deep pockets that can drastically lower six-figure annual prices, and many government and private loans promise college access in exchange for higher incomes as one’s career progresses.

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Here’s what education leaders and communicators told me that higher education institutions of all types can do to make their value crystal-clear to students and parents.

Comms needs a strong foundation for success

The first thing all higher ed institutions need to do is prove concrete value to prospective students and their parents. The easiest way to do this is to build relationships with high schools that influence student decisions. 

Indianapolis Public Schools Spokesman Marc Ransford told me that he’s had the "privilege of telling a story of real transformation" built on a $410 million "strategic redesign" of the entire school district.

"Rebuilding Stronger created infrastructure improvements from elementary school to graduation," said Ransford. "And it worked. Nearly two-thirds of our recent graduates pursue college or a trade program, and students earn 9,000 dual-credit hours annually that create real savings for them." 

Ransford also pointed to partnerships that make sure intent matches outcomes: "Any student with a 3.0 GPA" is automatically enrolled at IU Indianapolis, plus "internships and apprenticeships at Eli Lilly and IU Health," that "create seamless pathways from our classrooms into careers." Erin Parkhurst is former Vice President of Strategic Communications at Benedictine Schools of Richmond. She said the two single-sex Catholic high schools under its umbrella communicate to all stakeholders — parents, students, faculty and higher education institutions — that student needs come first. 

"A systematic, individualized approach to college counseling makes the difference for students and families," she said. "Starting in 9th grade, students explore their academic and career interests to find the right fit. This means that every student and their family makes decisions with a clear understanding of financial commitments and career opportunities."

Higher education institutions have to demonstrate concrete value customized to each student’s needs and goals, said Parkhurst. "With a 100% acceptance rate among the students applying to college, graduates can be selective" — which means colleges and universities are fighting to stand out to students. 

Remember that the comms strategy is downstream from the raw material. Without data proving that Indianapolis’ students are seeing more opportunity, Ransford couldn’t prove anything to stakeholders across the city and Indiana. Likewise, institutions that build partnerships with high schools like those Parkhurst previously worked at will have a far easier path to reach stakeholders. 

The AI threat triple-threat to four-year schools

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Most students can’t attend the big school and coast into a job on "connections." We  make it on solid skills, which is why blue-collar jobs are having a rebound. AI can take white-collar jobs built on debt-filled education; it won’t take roofing, electrician, and plumber jobs anytime soon. 

But there are other AI threats, like the program Antonio Delgado, Vice President of Innovation and Technology Partnerships, oversees at Miami Dade College. The school has over 100,000 students, many of whom are there  to learn AI skills that can keep them in the modern workforce. 

"Most companies can’t afford AI engineers who have Master’s/Ph.D.s.," said Delgado. "They need someone with a middle level of AI skills. We developed this applied AI program before ChatGPT came on the market, so we had the right program at the right time. We are filling the gap by acting as an affordable, accessible workforce asset that is set up in a way that many four-year and other higher-level education programs are not."

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TVP Communications Vice President Kristine Maloney said the AI threat to white-collar jobs is overstated. However, this leads to the third AI challenge: changing public perception. "Many families and students are particularly concerned about AI replacing entry-level jobs for new graduates. The reality is a lot more nuanced and in many cases, it’s not true at all." Maloney urged four-year schools to "do a better job correcting the record on the ROI they provide to their alumni. And the time to fight for their reputation and enrollment is now. The longer headlines about AI killing entry-level jobs go unanswered, the more ingrained this thinking becomes."

Communicating customization

Think Big Managing Director Aaron Walker is a crisis expert who has helped a lot of higher education institutions recover from self-inflicted damage. He says the entire industry ignored the growing affordability issue.

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"Students and families are waking up to a painful reality: Tuition costs have skyrocketed while job placement guarantees remain nonexistent. Unlike most industries, higher education has largely escaped accountability for its core promise. That’s changing, and institutions that don’t get ahead of this will find themselves in a trust crisis they’re not equipped to manage."

That’s why my alma mater is dialing into a single distinct message: "specific, applicable skills and experience" to be "career-ready upon graduation," said Plymouth State University Director of Development and Alumni Relations Rodney Ekstrom. No boiling the ocean here, because PSU isn’t just competing against New Hampshire schools. It’s also competing against students not going to school at all.

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Can you reach an audience that finds you — and only you — as the solution to a financially successful launch into a validating career that will last? That’s the communications challenge facing four-year schools, and the opportunity facing institutions that have historically been demeaned.

If not, both have a rough road ahead.