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In an era marked by COVID-19 reverberations, enrollment struggles, and challenges to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) work, you could say that 2023 has been a rough year for higher education. Yet, we have seen so much resilience and optimism amid the adversity.
At the end of each December, we take inventory of all the articles published on HigherEdJobs throughout the year. Here is a glimpse of what higher education in 2023 looked like from HigherEdJobs.
Despite Contributing to Some School Closures, the Pandemic Inspired Resilience and Innovation. In fact, most institutions have safely come out on the other side, but the Supreme Court’s affirmative action ruling caused yet another problem for colleges and universities, leaving many institutions scrambling to restructure their DEI programs and offices. Thankfully, many higher ed professionals have remained optimistic in the face of this challenge, reminding us that Creative Solutions Can Ensure DEI Work Endures Despite Constraints.
This year brought several other significant changes with it, including news that The FAFSA is Changing, yet several delays in the release of the new application caused hardships for financial aid offices this fall. Plus, we learned What’s Next for the Carnegie Classification System: What Administrators and Staff Need to Know.
Thanks to technological advances, the higher education community was forced to consider ChatGPT: Friend or Foe?. Some of us may have even worried “Is a Robot Coming to Steal My Job?,” while faculty members grappled with Making Courses Resistant to ChatGPT Plagiarism.
With so many changes and new challenges in the higher education landscape, some of you may have reconsidered your path and whether you should Choose a Career Based on Craft, College, or Cause. Ultimately, many of you have likely been job searching in addition to your soul searching. Even one of our audience members Asked the Expert: “How Can I Make an Industry or Career Switch?”
On your job search journey, you may have asked yourself about the 4 Essentials for a Strong Application, considered these Success Strategies for First-Round and Campus Interviews, and tried to keep your spirits high with these 5 Quotes to Get You Through the Worst Days of Job Searching.
Job searches, particularly in higher education, can be long and drawn out. If you found yourself in that situation, you may have contemplated 3 Tips to Advocate for Yourself at Work or How to ‘Work Your Next Job’ Without Quitting Your Current One. In lieu of finding a new job, some of us may have discovered ways to manage our current positions more effectively because when we’re At a Professional Crossroads? The ‘Good Enough’ Framework Can Help.
Despite the challenges of our current positions and the onslaught of shifts happening in the workplace, many of us spent considerable time this year pondering how we can do better by our colleagues, our students, and our team (if you’re a manager or leader). As mental health concerns soar, many institutions asked How to Support Student Mental Health This Academic Year. We were reminded to consider Employment, Not Graduation, as an Outcome: How to Do Better by Neurodivergent Students and learned How to Avoid Gender Assumptions and Mistakes in the Classroom. As we strive for greater diversity, equity, and representation across campus, we found new strategies for Advancing Women Leaders in Higher Education and hopefully asked ourselves “Are You Fostering Equity and Respect in the Use of Titles, First Names, and Honorifics?”
As we embark upon the new year, we hope you remember to Take Your Heart Off Your Sleeve Before You Start Your Job Search, to Tame Your Inner Critic, and don’t forget to have some fun. You can Work Hard, Play Hard: Nurturing Your Career and Hobbies, and you’ll be happier for it!
