My guest in this episode is Dr. Roger Parrott, the President of Belhaven University for more than three decades. Over the years, he has thought much about the value of a college education, how higher education has changed, in some cases drastically, and the real cost of a college degree. I’ve invited him to share some of his wisdom with us.
In this podcast we discuss:
How higher education has changed over the three decades he has been a university president
The four “S” features most public universities use to recruit students
The four “C” features that define most Christian universities
The causes of recent trends in public higher education
The spectrum of colleges and universities identifying as “Christian”
The difference between Bible departments and religion departments and what it says about a college or university
How to cut through the PR and fancy brochures when considering schools
The two essential questions to ask to choose the school that is right for you
Answering a common objection to Christian higher education
The downside of requiring students to sign a statement of faith to be admitted
The real costs of college and how to navigate the financial challenges
The problem with “tuition resets”
The importance of calculating living expenses, textbooks, and fees into the total cost of college
Understanding good debt and bad debt
How important graduate-level education is today
The number one quality employers are looking for, and how the college years can help prepare you for this
Resources mentioned during our conversation:
Roger Parrott, “The Real Cost of College: Insights of an Insider”
Belhaven University