Beyond the “Country Club” Department: Designing Academic Programs Students Want

In some academic departments, an insular "country club" mindset has taken hold – faculty cater to their preferences (schedules, pet courses, comfortable routines) as if the department exists primarily for them. At the same time, student needs and outcomes take a back seat. In the short run, this inward focus may keep faculty content, but it comes at a cost. Departments prioritizing internal comfort over their educational mission risk becoming stagnant or out of touch. Students notice when a program isn't designed with their goals in mind, and over time, enrollment drops, external support wanes, and the department's relevance erodes. In other words, a department can maintain perfect harmony inside the faculty lounge while failing the very people it's meant to serve.

It doesn’t have to be this way. The goal isn't to pressure or funnel students into low-demand majors to prop up department numbers – it's to design majors and programs so compelling and relevant that students want to be in them. The most forward-thinking universities are doing precisely this: they're breaking out of old academic silos and crafting innovative, student-centered curricula. Higher-ed leaders say interdisciplinary, student-focused programs are “the wave of the future” because they spark creativity and produce well-rounded, creative thinkers. By adapting to student interests and connecting learning to real-world trends, these departments prove that you can honor academic values and evolve with the times. They refuse to be ivory towers or exclusive clubs; instead, they open up in ways that benefit students and faculty alike.

Standout Examples of Student-Centered Innovation

• Carnegie Mellon’s BXA Program (CS + Arts): Carnegie Mellon University offers a Bachelor of Computer Science and Arts (BXA) degree that splits the curriculum between the School of Computer Science and the College of Fine Arts. Students take roughly equal parts coding and creative arts courses, gaining hands-on experience. The program provides “a technical, critical, and conceptual foundation” for fields that blend technology and the arts – think game design, animation, music technology, and even robotic art. Notably, BXA emerged because of demand from both sides: art students wanted more tech, and computer science students wanted more creative breadth. The department keeps itself collaborative and relevant rather than a closed-off club by aligning the curriculum with genuine student passions (instead of forcing a one-size-fits-all path). BXA graduates emerge as creative problem-solvers who can bridge two worlds – a tremendous asset in today's tech-driven creative industries.

• Georgia Tech’s Computational Media (B.S. CM): At Georgia Tech, the College of Computing joined forces with the liberal arts college to create the Computational Media degree. This interdisciplinary program “intersects art, media, and computing,” jointly led by the computing faculty and the School of Literature, Media, and Communication. Students get a rigorous CS education plus a human-centered design perspective, preparing them for fast-growing fields like digital media, game design, web development, and user experience. The program is intentionally smaller than traditional CS – in the 2023–24 year, it had 53 graduates versus thousands in regular CS – but it “represents an attractive option for some students who like the blending of CS and art,” according to its faculty lead. The Computational Media major was explicitly developed because computing plays a huge role in modern communication and creative expression. Graduates often go on to work for major video game studios and interactive media firms, leveraging that dual skillset. Georgia Tech's approach shows how designing for emerging interests can draw in students who might not have fit the old departmental mold – and produce graduates highly sought after in cutting-edge industries.

• CUNY’s Professional-in-Residence Initiative: The City University of New York (CUNY) infuses real-world experience into its curriculum by bringing industry experts directly into the classroom. Through the Professional-in-Residence model, industry professionals (software engineers, business leaders, journalists – depending on the field) are invited to co-teach or teach courses or workshops in their specialty. This initiative has a two-fold benefit: students learn current, in-demand skills straight from practitioners, and faculty collaborate with industry and stay up-to-date on the latest trends. CUNY piloted this approach in tech fields (via a Tech-in-Residence Corps) and is now expanding it to other disciplines. The result is a more energized, career-relevant curriculum – where guest instructors might help students build a portfolio project or navigate internship opportunities as part of the class. It's a great example of breaking the ivory tower barrier and connecting academic learning to career pathways in real-time.

• Faculty with Academic and Industry Experience (Business/Econ Example): Another way to avoid the "club" mentality is hiring faculty who have one foot in academia and one in the working world. Imagine a Business & Economics department that deliberately recruits professors who hold PhDs and have significant industry or consulting experience. These professors can blend theory with practice effortlessly – weaving real case studies, market insights, and professional networks into their lectures. Some forward-looking departments are doing precisely this, and it transforms the student experience. Instead of abstract examples from a textbook, students might analyze a recent Fortune 500 business decision in a finance class or learn economic concepts through the lens of current policy debates a professor engaged in their prior career. Hiring faculty with diverse experience energizes the curriculum and grounds it in reality. Students see how their studies connect to jobs and societal issues and gain mentorship from instructors who know what it takes to succeed beyond college. The department, in turn, strengthens its ties to industries and communities, staying relevant and avoiding the echo chamber of purely academic viewpoints.

These examples share a common thread: they put student interests and outcomes at the center of program design. Whether it’s blending disciplines to match student passions or integrating industry know-how into coursework, they all break from the old mindset that “we teach what we know." Instead, the question is, "What do students need and want to learn for the world they're entering?" and then marshaling the department's resources and creativity to deliver that.

Importantly, this isn't just anecdotal – we have evidence that such curricular innovation pays off. Research on a college that required career-oriented courses (in this case, in Economics and Political Science majors) showed concrete benefits for students. After a semester of embedded career development (think: creating resumes and LinkedIn profiles, exploring career options with alums, practicing interviews), students reported higher confidence in their career preparation, more clarity in their career plans, and less anxiety about their professional futures. The study found “significant improvements” in students' career exploration, preparation, and networking skills and a noticeable drop in the number who felt "overwhelmed" by the uncertainty of what comes after graduation. This underscores that when departments actively connect academics to careers, students respond with greater focus and optimism about their paths ahead.

From Comfort to Vision: A Call to Action

It's time for academic departments to look hard in the mirror. Are we operating for our comfort or our students' success? The world is changing fast – student demographics, the job market, technology, and societal needs are all in flux – and higher education must not retreat into internal comfort as a response. The examples above show reinvention is possible when faculty and leaders have a clear, outward-looking vision. Every department can start in its small way: form an advisory board of alumni or employers to get outside input, encourage one new interdisciplinary course, update one old requirement to suit today's opportunities better, and invite a guest practitioner for a lecture series. These steps can kick-start a cultural shift from insularity to innovation.

Academic leaders, faculty members, and stakeholders: let’s embrace a future-facing mindset. Our challenge is to design with a vision – preserve our traditions and evolve them. Students will invest their time and trust in the programs that demonstrably invest in them. If we want vibrant enrollments, engaged learners, and successful graduates, we must earn it by crafting curricula that speak to the present and future, not just the past. The call to action is clear: tear down the "country club" walls, open the curriculum, and build academic programs as dynamic and aspirational as the students we serve. By doing so, departments will remain true to their educational mission and amplify it, ensuring that faculty and students thrive together in the years ahead.

Now is the moment to move beyond comfort and start designing with vision. Let's make the "club" open to all who want to learn and lead. The future of our disciplines – and our students – depends on it.

Reference: 

Esther Shein, “The Evolution of Computer Science at the University Level,” Communications of the ACM, Feb. 2025. Vol. 68 No. 2 Pages: 14-16.