This relates not only to questions of admission and price of tuition, but also to the culture and climate of the institution and its student-facing administrative functions (such as admissions, financial aid, and security). Students perform better when they feel safe, respected, and part of the community – institutions must be able to serve and support a diverse student body.

	Where are there roadblocks in the admission process for less-advantaged students?
	Are there outreach programs in place that reach disadvantaged students as early as middle school and draw them into the pipeline?
	If there are, how effective are these programs? How do they compare with similar programs at other colleges and universities? Are there ways to make existing programs more effective or efficient?
	To what degree does the current financial aid system and increasing use of merit aid impede access? Can a better balance between need-based aid and merit aid be achieved?
	How can diversity be assured in the current legal climate? What institutions are succeeding on this front?
	Is the campus welcoming for all? Does the campus climate support students of color? Do staff and faculty reflect the color of the students?
	Does the campus foster a climate that encourages success?
	Which students are being lost and why?
	Has the campus examined the most effective and efficient remedial and retention programs across the country? What can be gleaned from these programs? Can they be replicated?

Click here to read our Access and Attainment Policy Brief.

A goal of the Futures Project is to spark a conversation between policymakers and academic leaders on the public purposes of higher education. What are the public benefits of higher education to society? What are we in danger of losing as postsecondary education becomes more of a private good?

Below you will find a list of key questions--expanding on the sample questions listed above--directed at policymakers and academic leaders to help them think through the process of restructuring higher education and creating a renewed compact between higher education and society. The questions are meant to help start a discussion about the public purposes of higher education and policy issues to be included in the Futures Project's recommended compacts between institutions and the state.

Click here to read our Matrix on Restructuring Higher Education.
Click here to read our Access and Attainment Policy Brief.

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