How College is Changing in the 21st Century

The expectations, value and role of college in preparing a young adult for adulthood evolve decade to decade, reflecting changing economic and social circumstances. As the 21st century ushers in the knowledge age, students, parents, educators and employers examine the skills that will lead to success in college and beyond.

St. Michael’s Catholic Academy [7](St. Michael’s) is at the forefront of understanding the evolving role of college education and preparing its students for lifelong education.

In this article, Guy Diedrich [6], St. Michael’s Board member and former Vice Chancellor for the Texas A&M University System and Charlotte Knepp [9], St. Michael’s Director of College Counseling discuss how SMCA is providing students the critical thinking, problem solving and creative skills that will prepare them to succeed in a rapidly evolving economic and social landscape. 

Guy Diedrich: Now that the school year is in full swing, I’m sure the St. Michael’s [7]College Counseling Office [8] is a flurry of activity with students and parents wondering what they need to do to get into the college of their choice.

Charlotte Knepp: Absolutely! At the start of each year my office is filled with students and parents anxious to make sure they have all the components for their college applications lined up, eager to do all they can to get into the college of their choice. This period of time, between the start of school and Thanksgiving, is really the culmination of a process St. Michael’s [7] starts in 9th grade.

When students enter as freshmen, we have a set of questions for parents who want to make sure their children obtain the skills they will need for college. But even more importantly, we have a list of questions we ask the students to consider throughout their time with us, starting with a key one: “What is your life going to be about?” I want these young adults to walk into this process knowing that it’s a process of self-discovery, and along the way they are going to have pretty extraordinary experiences.

Guy Diedrich: I think it’s important to convey that the choice of college – whether it’s Ivy League, large state school or smaller private school – is more about where a person is going to feel happiest and most at ease in achieving their goals. No matter what undergraduate program they attend, if they select an academic environment where they feel they can excel, students will secure the knowledge they need. So the important part for identifying the “right” school is identifying early on the students’ goals and what high school experiences will place those goals in reach.

Charlotte Knepp: That’s why every aspect of St. Michael’s [7] programs, whether in the classroom, on the sports field, or in their extracurricular activities, is directed toward ensuring students learn about themselves. As we help them gain a sense of themselves, confidence in their skills and strength in their faith, they will have the tools to apply their core passions to whatever situation is in front of them.

Guy Diedrich: That confidence sets the foundation of understanding that they are part of a much bigger world. They don’t have control over everything, but they can have a love of learning that is fostered in school and continues as a lifelong journey. We’re discussing success in college in this conversation, but the St. Michael’s [7] students will carry those skills through their lives.

Charlotte Knepp: That’s going to be so important in a knowledge-age world in which today’s young people are going to change jobs and careers multiple times. In building critical thinking skills and preparing our students to be citizens of the world, St. Michael’s [7] is preparing them to be nimble and take advantage of new opportunities in the 21st century.

Guy Diedrich: We are in an innovation economy—and an important job of every educator is to educate and train innovators. Certainly, students must have mastery of subjects, but the ability to apply critical thinking to any subject will be even more important in college and beyond.

Charlotte Knepp: Yet the economic recession is driving some students and parents to think they should pursue skills-based college programs to better position themselves to secure jobs. I counsel that the jobs of today will likely be gone by the time our students graduate college. A broad-based liberal arts program that grounds students in critical thinking and writing will serve students for an evolving economy.

Guy Diedrich: Certainly, it’s necessary to have very applied courses to prepare students pursuing careers in software engineering, mechanical engineering, and the sciences so they have the core knowledge for additional education.

But it’s just as critical to offer a theoretical side to a college education. We cannot de-emphasize the importance of being well-rounded and capable problem solvers in general. Colleges are infusing creative and inquiry-based approaches to all subjects, whether it’s the exploration of great world literature or biomechanical engineering.

Charlotte Knepp: Those skills will make them much more valuable employees after college. Employers are looking for students who can think, speak and write well.

Guy Diedrich: Employers know they have to invest additional training for the students to be fully productive in their specific work environments, but they want to lessen the training time it takes to make that happen. Students who are well educated and confident are faster to train. Creative problem solvers help businesses adjust and grow.

One of the keys to educating students for successful futures is to provide an environment that fosters creativity, innovation and problem solving skills. For St. Michael’s [7] students, those skills are really second nature by the time they graduate.

Charlotte Knepp: That’s our goal with programs like the Entrepreneurial Center [11]. We had an amazing sophomore at St. Michael’s who came to me with an idea to improve sanitation across the world. She had learned that every twelve seconds someone dies from lack of sanitation. With encouragement from her parents who are in the hotel business, she started collecting used hotel soap. She sent the soap to the Global Soap project in Atlanta, an organization that reconstituted the soap and sent it to Haiti. The student is now a senior and her project, “Bubbles of Hope” [12] continues to grow. Recently local Marriott and Holiday Inn hotels began recycling their soaps to participate in the program. This student’s entrepreneurial idea is changing the world before she even leaves high school.

Guy Diedrich: That’s problem solving that colleges and future employers absolutely want to see in today’s students. St. Michael’s [7] students have real experience in seeing a problem, applying a solution and building on their initial successes.

Charlotte Knepp: It’s so exciting to see those light bulbs go off for our students during their four years as they develop their personal stories, maximize their potential and decide how to continue their journeys in college.

We love to celebrate the culmination of their self-discovery process at the St. Michael’s [7] Thanksgiving meal in the dining room. The motto of our office is, “No Thanksgiving pie until you apply.” We joke that seniors only get pie if they’ve applied to college! I can’t wait to serve lots of pie this November.