Associate Professor Melissa Whatley quoted in the journal “Nature”

Summary

Whatley weighs in on global education trends in a recent “Nature” journal article.

Full Description

Associate Professor of Higher Education Melissa Whatley, whose expertise includes comparative and international education, has been quoted in a recent journal article in “Nature” titled “The great university shake-up: four charts show how global higher education is changing.” The article outlines trends influencing the overall landscape of higher education and reviews how these changes are impacting students, especially international students, and higher education institutions. For example, recent legislation from wealthy Western nations has reduced international student enrollment in some countries but provided an opportunity for growth in low- and middle-income countries. The growth of private institutions is also impacting higher education around the globe.

“The rise in private-sector education has been driven by and shaped attitudes about the value of education. ‘Education has both public benefits and private benefits,’ says Melissa Whatley, a higher-education researcher at [William & Mary]. For countries, education is an economic boon and a key resource. For individuals, it’s an opportunity for a higher income or different social status. An increasing emphasis on the individual benefits from education has created a demand that the private sector fulfils.”