I wont go so far as to say that theres a plot to destroy higher education in the US, but I have observed every one of these 5 symptoms of a failing system both as a professor at a public university and as a mother of three college students. Article was published 2 years ago, but its still relevant. The contractor/temp business model leading to a high fraction of adjunct professors is not unique to the education sector. I suspect each one of these 5 happenings is a result of trying to make Universities cost-effective and corporation-like. A large fraction of the US population would like to see us move even more in that direction, even privatizing not just higher-ed but also primary/secondary ed. Ill let Michael Kaufman, Alejandro Garcia, Alison Bridger, Monika Kress, Mike Masuda and others talk about the issues from a faculty perspective. From a mothers perspective, Im outraged at the treatment my sons and their friends have had in the public universities. They cant get the classes they need, delaying their graduate dates. In many cases they cant get the major they want either. More importantly, were all drowning in debt, and whats REALLY horrible about that is the interest were paying on that debt. Our government loans are not administered by the government at all. Im not even sure such a thing exists anymore. The best interest rates on the best loans for a family with very good credit are around 6-7% -- higher than good home/auto loans. I will be paying off these loans up until I retire -- beyond if I dont figure something out for my youngest daughter. At the end of it all, I will have paid about $400,000 in interest to some private corporation. Imagine how much money that is when you add it up for the whole country! One last anecdote before I finish my rant. Because classes are being cut and programs are being trimmed and students cant graduate on time, the universities are shortening their programs. My youngest son is a Civil Engineering major at a public university. He was signed up to take an interesting upper division engineering course required for his major, but the week the semester started he learned that the class had been cancelled. In fact, it was removed from the list of required classes. Students no longer need it to graduate. Is my son going to graduate with a deep knowledge of civil engineering basics? Im not sure. On the bright side, he finally got into freshman chemistry. As a junior. alternet.org/how-higher-education-us-was-destroyed-5-basic-steps?paging=off¤t_page=1#bookmark
Posted on: Wed, 10 Sep 2014 15:11:16 +0000
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