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Thus, the challenge is not to determine whether or not society is one of the customers of higher education- it is - but to define in this rapidly changing and globalizing world what "society" is, and what it expects (and will expect) of higher education

 The same survey concluded that 2/3 of Americans believe students and their families - not the government- should pay the largest share of the cost of higher education, thus reconfirming the view that the respondents consider higher education to be a private rather than societal benefit.

It is important, therefore, that we consider society to be a customer whose interests, concerns, and expectations must be understood if we are to continue and improve this powerful synergistic relationship.  Changing conditions will causing changing expectations, however, and higher education must constantly seek to understand the nature of those changing expectations in order to continue to play a major role in shaping the changes. 

Perhaps, instead of viewing students and their parents as our customers for education, we should view the future employers of our students as our real customers

both future employers, and society generally

described higher education as being in the knowledge chain management business(What business are we in?, March 1, 2006)

My father argues that inventory is held in the universities, which create and collect knowledge, but I’d say that knowledge inventory is much more held in the hands of university graduates, who store knowledge in case their employers ever need it.

Right now, we ask people to get the most knowledge, when they have the least ability to predict what they’ll do for a living. As a consequence, businesses need to send people out for training in basic things, like public speaking and conflict resolution.