I read with a great deal of interest a new report from the American Association of State Colleges and Universities wherein they set forth what they consider to be the top 10 issues for higheer education in 2009. In reviewing those 10 issues, I couldn’t help but wonder if we, as health educators, have ever done a similar listing. I know that within professional organizations there are priorities that have been set for advocacy, but I don’t seem to recall ever seeing a comprehensive listing of what the profession feels might be the “top 10 issues” facing health educators in any given year. I know the Advocacy Summit that will be held later this year will address issues, but I wonder if it might not be a good idea to have a real broad input as to a listing of health education issues that might serve as the basis for selection of what will be included in the Advocacy Summit this year.
In case you are interested, the top 10 issues specified by AASCU are:
1. States’ Fiscal Crises 2. Tuition prices and Tuition Policy 3. State Stduetn Grant Aid Programs 4. Enrollment Capacity 5. Implementation of Higher Education Opportunity Act 6. The incoming Obama Administration 7. College Readiness 8. Veteran’s Education 9. Undocumented Students 10. SustainabilityIt would seem to me that several of the above issues could be looked at in terms of health education and the implications of these issues for health education this coming year.
What sayeth ye?
Larry
Kelly House
rodneybbowden
donchaney
bethchaney
billcissell
karllarson
Jody Early
Joan Cowdery
Larry,
This is a terrific idea! You will recall that the Coalition of National Health Education Organizations (CNHEO) and the National Commission for Health Education Credentialing (NCHEC) held a meeting in Atlanta in the mid-1990s to establish a list of goals and action plans for health education in the 21st Century. As I recall, you served as the Chair of the CNHEO somewhere around this time. CNHEO continues to work with NCHEC and its member organizations to follow through on the progress being made to address each goal. Possibly, this would be a good place to start in generating a list of the key issues for 2009.