Higher Education as a Culture

“Culture” may be understood as all the things people don’t think about but have internalized as part of “the way things are.” One of the roles higher education plays is in helping people to adapt to and hold a good understanding of culture—the campus, the discipline of study, and society more broadly. Join us as we discuss the implications of understanding higher education as a culture.

This is part 2 of a 5-part series on "How to Talk About Higher Education." Part 1 included an introduction and discussion on Higher Education as an "ecosystem." In further episodes, we will discuss Higher Education as a machine, an institution, and a marketplace.

• Read the White Paper on this topic by Dr. Emily W. Heady, ⁠"Talking about Leadership: How the Words We Use Shape Our Workplace."⁠
• Listen to our podcast on ⁠Online Learning Ecosystems⁠.
• Listen to Part 1 of this series: How to Talk About Higher Education.

Podcast Topics, Questions, and Show Notes:

1. When we talk about the “culture of higher ed,” what are some of the sorts of things we mean?

• Campus traditions, critical thinking, freedom of speech, unwritten rules, etc.—all communal practices that allow individuals to flourish.
• How does this look in an online environment versus a residential campus?

2. What are some ways we see the “higher ed as culture” discussion taking shape today?

• Canceling heterodox opinions
• The “culture” of transparency & faculty governance

3. What should a leader in a higher ed culture attend to?

• Attend to physical signs—symbols, markers, etc. Everything signifies something.
• “The way things are”—the tyranny of the current—needs to be both communicated and questioned; leaders must analyze culture rather than just reproducing it.

If you or your school is looking for help with RSI, curriculum or course development, operational services, training, or professional development, think Magellan; our team would love to help. Reach out to us at ⁠⁠⁠⁠thinkmagellan.com⁠⁠⁠⁠. Thank you for joining us on the Magellan Podcast: Navigating Education in the 21st Century.

Recommended Articles and Books on this Topic:

• Bowles, K. (2022, March 28). A pocket primer: Types of higher education institutions. Inside Higher Ed. ⁠https://www.insidehighered.com/blogs/just-explain-it-me/pocket-primer-types-higher-education-institutions⁠ Petriglieri, G. (2023, April 24). Driving organizational change—Without abandoning tradition. Harvard Business Review. ⁠https://hbr.org/2023/04/driving-organizational-change-without-abandoning-tradition?utm_campaign=hbr&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter⁠
• Rosowsky, D. & Hallman, K. (2020, May 25). Communicating culture in a distributed world. Inside Higher Ed. ⁠https://www.insidehighered.com/views/2020/05/26/importance-culture-binding-higher-ed-institution-together-during-crises-pandemic⁠
• Rutter, M. & Mintz, S. (2019, January 17). Creating a more collaborative higher education ecosystem. Inside Higher Ed. ⁠https://www.insidehighered.com/blogs/higher-ed-gamma/creating-more-collaborative-higher-education-ecosystem⁠
• Schein, E., & Schein, P. (2016). Organization culture and leadership. 5th Ed. Wiley.
• Senge, P. (1990). The fifth discipline: The art and practice of the learning organization. Doubleday.