California’s public universities have weathered past economic shocks, from the dot-com bust to the Great Recession, by adapting what they teach and how they prepare students for work and civic life. That capacity for adaptation is being tested again by the intersection of artificial intelligence and a new federal earnings test for higher education programs. The specifics are opaque, but the broader trajectory is crystal clear — many California academic departments will be at risk in the coming years unless we act quickly with an emphasis on technology and career placement. Many of our colleagues recoil at the thought of a university degree as vocational training. It does not have to be only that, but a focus on career placement and earnings has to be part of what we are doing in all majors.
