As someone who has worked an entire career in higher education in Spokane, I was asked by the Journal to consider how higher education and business have changed over the past 40 years, and future changes and opportunities I foresee. Readers 40 years from now will likely judge that I got little right about the regional industries of tomorrow. However, I do believe there are unchanging principles that will shape our civic life together. I bet I’m right about those.

I’ve recently heard variations on the same theme from a Google executive, a leader of the Association of Washington Business, and a Whitworth University-trained entrepreneur, who all say they need employees who can code, handle marketing, manage finance, and the like. What’s harder to find, these leaders say, are people with those skills who also are curious, resilient, and reliable; who possess interpersonal and intercultural skills; and who can work and relate effectively on teams. 

The Whitworth alumnus noted: “Artificial intelligence isn’t going away. It offers a bounty of benefits for which I am grateful. But AI cannot teach me what Whitworth did — discernment, judgment, relational skills, and empathy.” 

Those human capacities become more valuable as the world becomes more complex.

Whatever we predict about the business climate in the Inland Northwest in 2065 will be hit-and-miss. But the type of people our businesses need, and that our regional universities are focused on producing, is a sure thing. So, I’m keenly interested in how teamwork between business and higher education can deliver for our community.  

To my assignment: How has higher education changed over the past 40 years?  

• Campus populations are more diverse. Since 1985, the percentage of U.S. college students who identify as persons of color doubled from about 20% to 41%; the same trend occurred at Whitworth. 
• A decreasing percentage of high school graduates are attending college, in part because Washington state has one of the lowest filing rates for the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or FAFSA, in the country. Thousands of students are thus unaware of, and ineligible for, federal and state financial aid. This puts not only college out of reach, but also the estimated $750,000 in higher lifetime earnings for a bachelor’s graduate versus someone with only a high school diploma. By the way, access to private, nonprofit universities in the state will get a whole lot tougher next fall because the Washington State Legislature voted to slash need-based aid for students attending them. Yes, those schools that produce 16% of all college graduates in the state. If this legislation is not reversed, it will devastate efforts to produce the workforce needed for Washington’s existing and emerging industries.
• There’s been a national decline in the number of students majoring in traditional liberal arts disciplines, despite the fact that English and philosophy graduates have documented high earning power. Graduates with liberal arts degrees know how to ask good questions, think critically, navigate complexity, and communicate effectively to drive innovation. People with these attributes are valued in every business setting — from the break room to the boardroom. Case in point, my older brother, Kevin McQuilkin, earned a philosophy minor in college and became a highly successful mergers and acquisitions banker. He is now serving as Executive in Residence at the Gonzaga University School of Business Administration and tells his students that his coursework in philosophy advantaged him as a banker because of how it helped him to think and reason.
• Online, asynchronous educational models have reshaped the ways some students, particularly adult learners, achieve their postsecondary goals, but those that prioritize human connection produce the best outcomes.
• Graduates of the past decade change careers far more often than people from my generation, so durable, adaptable skills are more important than ever.
• Despite the narrative in the news about affordability, the net cost of a four-year degree in the U.S., after financial aid, has grown at about one-third the rate of the consumer price index. Believe it or not, a Whitworth degree, adjusted for inflation, is more affordable today than it was 10 years ago, and certainly 40 years ago.

So, how can the business community and higher education, together, win the future for Spokane?

Partnerships between higher education and business will need to deepen further. Together we can co-create internship pipelines, apprenticeships, and microcredentials that help local talent stay ahead of industry evolution. Our health care ecosystem in particular needs not only practitioners, but researchers, analysts, and leaders who see the human story behind the science. And, as careers become less linear, universities must create opportunities for lifelong learning — helping workers learn new skills and adapt through flexible programs that keep our regional workforce strong.

Whitworth, alongside our peers at Gonzaga, Washington State University Spokane, Eastern Washington University, and Spokane Colleges, is developing a workforce strategy that connects classroom learning to professional application. This collaboration benefits everyone involved: Employers get homegrown talent; graduates are ready to contribute from day one; universities stay responsive to industry needs; and students see a clearer path from education to meaningful work — often right here at home.

As we look ahead, the next 40 years will be about alignment — aligning education with industry, technology with ethics, and growth with community values. That’s the game we should be playing, and one we can win. 

Scott McQuilkin is president of Whitworth University.