Some of the demographic, economic, social, technological, and political changes that challenge colleges and universities to find relevance are presented here.
Society expects higher education to develop students to be responsible citizens.
Higher education must both prepare students for the workforce and develop in them a well-defined set of values to guide them through life. The acceleration of international exchanges of people, ideas, information, and products is dramatic. Global perspectives cannot be ignored. Higher education institutions must find a balance between addressing local and state needs and participating in global exchanges and networks. Universities now are expected to find multidisciplinary and integrative approaches that chart new territories between established disciplines and that form the wider knowledge base for the information society.