Catherine M. Wehlburg, Ph.D., is the President of Athens State University.
The public conversation about higher education often begins with what is broken: cost, debt, political conflict, declining confidence and questions about value. Institutions should listen carefully when students, families, employers and policymakers say they want clearer evidence of value.
But that is not the whole story.
Higher education is also adapting in ways that are practical, student-centered and deeply connected to workforce and community needs. Adult learners are returning. Colleges are building more flexible pathways. Employers are asking for graduates who can think critically, communicate clearly and adapt quickly. Institutions are paying closer attention to outcomes, affordability and the connection between education and opportunity. If higher education wants to rebuild public trust, it cannot simply defend itself. It must show what it’s getting right and where it’s willing to change.
The trust challenge is real.
Public confidence in higher education has been under pressure for years. Gallup reported in 2025 that confidence had risen from a recent low, but it remained below the 57% level recorded in 2015. That matters. Trust is restored when institutions demonstrate the value of higher education in ways that are visible, measurable and meaningful.
That means higher education leaders must change the conversation. We shouldn’t ignore criticism, but we also shouldn’t allow the public narrative to focus only on what isn’t working. Instead, let’s take a look at what is working.
Adult learners are coming back.
One of the most encouraging developments in higher education is the renewed attention to adult learners, especially those who started college but left before completing a degree or credential. The National Student Clearinghouse Research Center reported that more than 1 million adults who had previously stopped out returned to college in the 2023-24 academic year. That is not a small story. It is a signal that many adults still see higher education as a path to advancement, stability and personal fulfillment.
These learners are often balancing work, family, military service, caregiving and financial responsibilities. They need institutions that understand their lives. They need flexible schedules, clear degree maps, credit for prior learning, career-connected programs and support systems that do not assume every student is 18 years old and living on campus.
An Associated Press article highlighted how some colleges and local governments are helping stop-out students return by removing seemingly small but significant barriers, such as unpaid fees, complicated processes or lack of personalized outreach. Those efforts matter because many students do not leave higher education due to a lack of ability. They leave because life intervenes.
Helping adults return and finish what they started is one of the most powerful ways higher education can rebuild trust. It shows that colleges and universities are not only recruiting new students, they are also honoring the investment students have already made.
Workforce connection is getting stronger.
Another positive shift is the growing connection between higher education and the workforce. This does not mean reducing college to job training. It means recognizing that students want an education that prepares them for meaningful work and a meaningful life. The best institutions are finding ways to connect academic learning with career preparation. They are strengthening employer partnerships, expanding internships and experiential learning, using advisory boards more strategically, embedding career coaching earlier in the student experience and aligning programs with regional workforce needs.
AAC&U’s recent employer research continues to show that employers value many of the outcomes long associated with a broad college education: communication, critical thinking, problem-solving, teamwork, adaptability and ethical judgment. That is an important message.
The future of workforce preparation is not a choice between technical skills and broad learning. Employers need both. Students need both. Communities need both.
Shorter credentials can create new pathways.
Another promising development is the rise of certificates, microcredentials and other shorter learning pathways. These should not be viewed as replacing degrees in every case. Instead, they can become part of a more flexible learning ecosystem.
For adult learners and working professionals, shorter credentials can provide momentum. They can help people gain new skills, demonstrate competency, qualify for advancement or test a new field before committing to a longer program. When designed well, they can also stack into degrees, making higher education more flexible without making it less rigorous.
Lumina Foundation’s 2025 microcredentials report found strong employer interest in these credentials, including that 96% of employers surveyed agreed microcredentials strengthen a candidate’s application and 87% had hired at least one microcredential holder in the past year. But quality also matters.
Credentials shouldn’t become a confusing marketplace of badges with no shared and relevant meaning. It should never be about “degree versus credential.” The real promise is giving learners multiple ways to begin, continue, pause, return and advance.
Flexibility is a student success strategy.
For many students, especially adult learners, flexibility is not a preference. It’s the difference between enrolling and not enrolling, persisting and stopping out, completing and walking away.
Flexible learning can include online courses, hybrid formats, evening options, predictable schedules, accelerated terms, workplace-based learning, prior learning assessment and technology-supported instruction. These models shouldn’t be treated as secondary versions of “real” college. When designed well, they are high-quality pathways built around the realities of students’ lives.
The story is not over.
Higher education does not need to ignore criticism. In fact, the institutions that will lead the future are the ones willing to listen carefully to it. But the story of higher education is not only a story of skepticism. It’s also a story of adults returning, students completing, employers partnering, credentials evolving, learning becoming more flexible and communities being strengthened.
The opportunity now is to tell that story better and to keep making it true. I believe public trust will be rebuilt by action. Higher education must continue to prove that it can meet this moment with honesty, flexibility, evidence and purpose.
That is a story worth telling.
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