In our August issue, we asked key leaders to submit essays addressing what they would do if they could reinvent higher education in NH. Each day, we feature a different response.

Travel anywhere in the world and you will find people yearning to study in America, or who want to build American-style universities in their own countries. Our institutions set the standard for innovation, creativity, discovery and personal and professional fulfillment.

Still, we need a reinvention. There needs to be a public recognition that a generation ago our nation was number one in citizens holding college degrees- today we are 12th among industrialized nations. This slide puts our economic and moral leadership at risk. 

Once we agree to recapture our global preeminence, colleges must be called upon to develop new approaches to delivery. Efficient pathways to degrees, open-source learning networks, innovative instructional models and advising focused on getting students to graduation all need implementation. Costs must be controlled, possibly through increased access to grants and low-cost loans for students who are successfully progressing to graduation.

We also must address the mismatch between faculty and institutional goals. Faculty should know their students' graduation rates and be invested in improvement. Colleges must become more responsive to changing workforce needs, while remaining faithful to their mission of educating the whole person. Internships and international study abroad should be common expectations.

Thomas R. Horgan is president and CEO of the NH College & University Council, a nonprofit consortium, based in Concord, of 17 public and private institutions across the state. He can be reached at 603-225-4199 or at horgan at nhcuc dot org. For more information, visit www.nhcuc.org.

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