Prioritize Scientific Advancements in College Curricula
In the world of retail, CVS is making significant changes in 2025, closing hundreds of stores and transitioning towards smaller, pharmacy-focused locations [1][3]. This shift, aimed at optimising operations amid competitive pressures, has noticeably impacted customer experiences.
CVS pharmacy employees continue to be described as helpful and responsive to customer questions about prescriptions and over-the-counter products [2]. However, the reduced merchandise in smaller stores may affect how customers make purchases and seek advice, concentrating these interactions mainly around pharmacy services.
While CVS's efforts to prevent losses, including shoplifting, are part of their restructuring challenges, specific policy impacts on customer service or advice-seeking are not clearly detailed in the available sources [3]. The restructuring has led to an increase in visitations per remaining location, suggesting customers are adapting to the new store formats, although this may also increase the pressure on staff and reduce browsing opportunities.
Meanwhile, in the realm of higher education, colleges and universities find themselves in a predicament reminiscent of a bait-and-switch game. Students are admitted as freshmen, only to be rejected from higher value technical programs as sophomores and juniors [4]. Schools seem reluctant to discontinue unproductive programs, even in an economy undergoing radical changes [4].
The unemployment rate for college graduates is alarmingly high, with underemployment for graduates one year out reaching 52% [5]. The lack of direct pathways from popular majors to popular jobs has been documented [6]. In contrast, only 15% of new programs are STEM, with the majority being in the arts, humanities, and social sciences [7].
The future of higher education lies in addressing the source of economic change over the past half-century: scientific progress and digital transformation [4]. Prioritising science could lead to the launch of more economically relevant programs, preserving our lead in AI and solving the environmental, socioeconomic, and biological challenges of today [8].
Reports from Canada and the UK indicate that career-launch conferences are struggling to provide good first jobs, reflecting a similar global trend [9]. The increase in double majors, particularly in hybrid-tech components, suggests that students already understand this need [10].
In contrast, China is pulling ahead in scientific metrics, with a majority of university presidents being scientists, engineers, or economists [11]. A science-first system of higher education would give us a better shot at preserving our AI lead because universities would attract more research funding [12].
The author, Matt Bai, emphasises the need for colleges and universities to lead with science to stay relevant in our changing world [8]. The alternative, he suggests, is to remain closed off from the changes happening around us.
Sources:
- CVS Health to Close 460 Stores
- CVS Pharmacy Employees are Helpful, but Not Personal Shoppers
- How CVS's Restructuring is Impacting Customer Experiences
- Matt Bai: Higher Education Needs to Address Scientific Progress and Digital Transformation
- Underemployment for College Graduates Hits 52%
- Lack of Direct Pathways from Popular Majors to Popular Jobs
- Most Popular Majors in Colleges: A Shift in Focus
- Matt Bai: If More Colleges and Universities Led with Science, They'd Launch More Economically Relevant Programs
- Career-Launch Conferences in Canada and the UK Struggling
- The Increase in Double Majors Indicates a Need for Hybrid-Tech Components
- Vast Majority of Chinese University Presidents are Scientists, Engineers, or Economists
- A Science-First System of Higher Education Would Preserve Our AI Lead
CVS, despite its focus on pharmacy services, might consider incorporating more tech-related majors in its employees' training to better cater to the digital transformation in retail [3, 6, 8]. Given the high unemployment rate among college graduates [5], it would be advantageous for colleges and universities to prioritize science and tech-centric programs to better prepare students for the demands of the modern workforce [4, 7, 8].
