Mission statement: On this blog we explore why homeschooling can be a better option for children and families than a traditional classroom setting. We'll also explore homeschooling issues in general, educational thoughts, family issues, and some other random stuff.
Wednesday, July 13, 2011
Information about why College Costs have climbed so high over the last couple decades
This is less than three minutes (and it is worth watching):
I'm not sure that video is very informative. WHY are so many faculty teaching fewer classes, and what are they paid? Is it because they are adjunct or part-time faculty--which means they are paid much less and have no benefits? How many of them are grad students, paid even less than adjuncts?
Lots of colleges are depending more and more on adjuncts, part-timers, and grad students. I am not at all convinced that the problem with college costs is because faculty are so overpaid and underworked; from what I see, faculty are squeezed and starved a lot of the time.
I'd be interested to see how much money is poured into campus amenities that would have seemed impossibly luxurious to me, but are taken for granted by current students who don't realize how much they cost--really nice gyms, cushy dorms, that kind of thing. How much does it cost to maintain current standards for computer equipment and online access? Are the sports teams and facilities really paying for themselves? How much has the bureaucracy grown?
And let's face it--for decades, colleges have been highly subsidized by the states. The states are now going broke, and we're starting to get a glimpse of how much it actually costs to run a college. I work for a CC here in CA--one of the few that is still solvent--and the state is cutting back quite a lot on how much it contributes. It used to be ridiculously cheap to take CC classes, which was great for lots of people--but there's been a lot of advantage taken too; many many people sign up for classes, get state money, and then drop.
It's a lot more complicated than asking faculty to teach more. I didn't mean to write a book, but I guess I did...
2 comments:
I'm not sure that video is very informative. WHY are so many faculty teaching fewer classes, and what are they paid? Is it because they are adjunct or part-time faculty--which means they are paid much less and have no benefits? How many of them are grad students, paid even less than adjuncts?
Lots of colleges are depending more and more on adjuncts, part-timers, and grad students. I am not at all convinced that the problem with college costs is because faculty are so overpaid and underworked; from what I see, faculty are squeezed and starved a lot of the time.
I'd be interested to see how much money is poured into campus amenities that would have seemed impossibly luxurious to me, but are taken for granted by current students who don't realize how much they cost--really nice gyms, cushy dorms, that kind of thing. How much does it cost to maintain current standards for computer equipment and online access? Are the sports teams and facilities really paying for themselves? How much has the bureaucracy grown?
And let's face it--for decades, colleges have been highly subsidized by the states. The states are now going broke, and we're starting to get a glimpse of how much it actually costs to run a college. I work for a CC here in CA--one of the few that is still solvent--and the state is cutting back quite a lot on how much it contributes. It used to be ridiculously cheap to take CC classes, which was great for lots of people--but there's been a lot of advantage taken too; many many people sign up for classes, get state money, and then drop.
It's a lot more complicated than asking faculty to teach more. I didn't mean to write a book, but I guess I did...
I'd say this kind of thing is definitely part of the problem.
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