Experts discussed Northeastern’s public opinion poll results from “Innovative Imperative: Enhancing Higher Education Outcomes” at the second annual panel meeting at the National Press Club in Washington on Sept. 17. The poll addressed the need to transform higher education for a new demographic of students and prepare graduates for the global economy.

 President Joseph E. Aoun said that Northeastern discovered “shocking data” reporting that approximately 85 percent of learners today are not traditional full-time and dependent students. These students include part-time students and adults with children, who want “job readiness [and] life readiness,” according to Aoun. Therefore, Aoun said, the survey focused more on employers, to find out what the global economy needs from students and what the students and the university can do to acquire “job readiness.”

 Participants of the discussion included Aoun; President Mitchell E. Daniels Jr. of Purdue University; James Kvaal, the Deputy Director of the Domestic Policy Council at the White House; Jeff Wilcox, the corporate Vice President for Engineering at Lockhead Martin Corporation; and Deborah L. Wince-Smith, the president and CEO of The Council on Competitiveness. The discussion was moderated by Catherine Rampell, an economics reporter for The New York Times.

 According to the survey conducted by FTI Consulting, American adults agreed that higher education is key to a student’s success in today’s economy, but colleges and universities are not preparing students after graduation for this “unprecedented level of competition,” as Wince-Smith said.

Edward J. Reilly, the global CEO of FTI Consulting, announced that about three in four business leaders believe that having a broad range of skills like communication and problem solving is more important than having a skill set that applies only to a specific industry. Such skills can be acquired at work, said Reilly.

This broad range of skills can be acquired through liberal arts education, according to Wince-Smith. However, approximately 50 percent of Americans believe that there needs to be more graduates with Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics majors. Less than half of business leaders agree undergraduate studies should emphasize STEM.

On the other hand, panelists like Kvaal support online courses.

“There is a lot of potential in the use of digital technology to both improve quality and lower the cost of education,” Kvaal said.

Kvaal added that digital technology will give more flexibility to part-time students and other non-traditional students. To help these students, Kvaal thinks that colleges and universities should focus on “their basic mission of providing a quality education at an affordable price.” According to Kvaal, President Barack Obama has proposed a new plan in which student loan payments will not exceed 10 percent of the student’s monthly income.

 “The role that our universities play in scientific knowledge is critical to raising our economy’s productivity and that of course is a route to higher living standards in the long run,” Kvaal said. “Those types of investments we make are very important and are worth doing more of them.”

Reilly continued that experiential learning, like the co-op program at Northeastern, is the “key to success in entering the labor force.” About nine in 10 Americans agreed that such experiences will guide students to successful careers in the long-run.

 “The experience we get from co-op will definitely help me feel more comfortable when I graduate, be a real person and go to work,” said Ella Besas, a first year graduate student majoring in speech language pathology. “It’ll help me find out what type of work I want to do.”

Although the survey shows a general uncertainty over universities’ abilities to prepare students, Besas said that she feels Northeastern has given her many opportunities. Next semester, she plans to have a clinical placement at the Speech-Language and Hearing Center on campus.

“Anything that links better academia with industry is just huge,” Wilcox said.

International experience as well as internships and other work experience benefit students, the panelists agreed. Exposure to foreign students is a “very stimulating environment” that gives colleges the “greatest advantage,” as he has seen in Purdue University, according to Daniels. This international experience, Wince-Smith said, will help American students polish their talents and become more competitive.

“Why aren’t our schools requiring, developing opportunities for students to study abroad?” said Wince-Smith. “We need to be out in the world.”