9 higher ed trends to watch in 2019

The pressures on colleges as 2019 opens are numerous. They include but are no means limited to historically low state financing, competition over shrinking pools of potential students, slowed growth in international student enrollment, and a push from nearly all stakeholders for proof of return on their investments, often in the form of workforce-ready graduates.Those challenges could bring financial struggles for many colleges while also inspiring experiments, innovation, and new ventures and partnerships. Looking back at 2018 and ahead to the new year, we’ve outlined nine trends expected to shape 2019 as higher ed leaders respond to an always changing, and often challenging, playing field.Colleges have been turning ever more to private donors because of declining state funding and market limits on tuition hikes. Last year, The University of Michigan completed a record $5 billion fundraising campaign, led by 550 development staff members and 1,600 fundraising volunteers.It wasn't alone. Among other massive fundraising efforts, the University of Washington has a $5 billion campaign underway, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is working toward $4.25 billion and the University of Florida is aiming for $3 billion.Private colleges, too, have wrapped up record-breaking campaigns. Harvard University recently completed a five-year, $9.6 billion campaign, making it the largest college fundraising effort to date. John Hopkins nabbed the largest single private donation reported in higher education when former New York mayor Michael Bloomberg pledged $1.8 billion to his alma mater in November. In all, The Chronicle of Higher Education lists 32 private gifts of $50 million or more announced from July 2017 to June 2018.