An Academic Truth Teller- Part One
In the first 4 chapters of Restoring the Promise, Dr. Vedder lays out critical groundwork about attending college or university. Let’s get right to those Cliff Notes-
Why Go to College? There are six goals we expect from the college experience- Earnings; Consumption (enjoying college life!) Research; Equality/Egalitarianism; Virtues/Morality; & Citizenship. We want our students to experience them all, and be better for that experience.
College is Too Costly- Since about 20 years ago, college/university costs are 3 TIMES the average family income. A student would have to work full-time today to earn the money to go to college full-time. Are the benefits still greater than the cost, or have we crossed that line?
Students aren’t Learning Knowledge or Critical Skills - To be fair, he analyzes students AND faculty, & here are the findings- first, today’s college-bound students are less accomplished academically and intelligently than they were two generations ago. Students by their own admission, study 30% less than 30 years ago, grade inflation is rampant, & the student body is now 60/40 female to male. The faculty is heavily weighted towards “adjunct” or non-tenure positions, with few or no benefits and no voice in the university system. Tenured faculty have also reduced their course loads, and “superstar” faculty rarely teach unless they want to. Faculty don’t meet with undergrads or dispense career advice. Left to their own devices, students choose majors today for earnings potential at ever increasing rates. He concludes that modern higher education in America is “doing less with more.”
College Graduates are Underemployed- “A college degree is perceived as a ticket to a comfortable middle class life-or even better.” But the numbers tell a different story: “the number of college graduates has grown faster than the number of jobs requiring relatively high levels of education.” In fact, studies by the New York Fed suggest that “college graduates with poor academic performance, graduating in the bottom quartile of their class, earn roughly the same after graduation as high school students.” Of the 24 occupations identified by the Labor Department with 100k+jobs growth potential, only SIX, or 25 %, required a college degree. Finally- the higher the perceived “value” or prestige of a school, the more their graduates tend to make in income. BUT, it may not be worth it economically if you pay the sticker price to attend that elite school.
In conclusion, he suggests these options- First, if your student is going to college they should major in more vocationally relevant fields of study. Second, maybe it is time to encourage fewer people to go to traditional four-year colleges. And, he adds, we should reduce the public investment in colleges, and spend MORE on secondary vocational training. He also takes note of the ongoing decline of students enrolled in college at all, as the smaller size of this generation has its’ impact.
Sounds familiar to me, as I advocate many similar ideas in my book, ENOUGH! The College Cost Crisis. The difference? I tell you HOW to get that degree for roughly 1/2 the cost, if that is what you want.
You really want to read Part Two next week- it’s about what and how much your student is really learning for all that money you will be spending.
Until Next Time,
All My Best,
Bonnie Burkett
