American Colleges Are Committing Suicide. Self-inflicted wounds, not changing demographics, are undermining the higher-ed sector.

James G. Martin Center for Academic Renewal ^ | March 1, 2023 | Richard K. Vedder

[karpov]

The evidence is everywhere: American colleges and universities are dying. Not all will die very soon—indeed, probably only a modest portion will. But the trend is unmistakably downward.

Why?

Is it because, suddenly, Americans stopped having babies and therefore the market for students is drying up? While demographics do play a role (not only birth rates but also international migration), the bigger problems are largely self-inflicted—decisions made mostly within the academic villages constituting today’s modern colleges and universities.

Let’s start with a little evidence. Enrollment in universities has fallen consistently for years. National Student Clearinghouse data reveal that, in the span from fall 2017 to fall 2022, total enrollment fell by nearly two million, from 19,949,828 to 18,165,619. I cannot think of another period in American history in which this has happened, although regular, reliable enrollment data are not available for periods before, say, 1850.

Additionally, there has already been an uptick in the number of schools closing or merging with other institutions. As we read here, credit rating services like Fitch are warning of “more operating woes” in the future.

The massive pandemic funding that began in 2020 is ending, exposing universities to grave financial weaknesses. Massive federal relief is extremely unlikely, particularly with Republicans now controlling the House of Representatives and federal finances increasingly precarious because of massive deficits, rising interest rates, and unfunded liabilities.

So how are colleges killing themselves, committing unintentional suicide? Five ways.

First are the high fees they charge. The tuition fees of colleges today are nearly triple what they were a half-century ago after correcting for inflation. [Editor’s note: Cheers to UNC for freezing tuition for the seventh year in a row.] Since the 1980s, the rise in tuition fees has exceeded the growth in family incomes, meaning college has become less affordable.

[SauronOfMordor]

I think one MAJOR issue is that a college diploma is no longer a guarantee that the graduate can read, write, and express himself clearly at what used to be regarded as college level.

Employers won’t pay for crap merchandise.

[GrandJediMasterYoda]

And how about these College Presidents making millions in salary. Here in New York city NYU President Andrew Hamilton makes $2 million a year and charges $56K tuition and then sponsors anti-capitalism protests, the hypocrisy is unbelievable.

NYU has also been buying up real estate all over the city for the past 30 years where they then turn around and raise rents for mom and pop stores 400% putting them out of business which is why when you go down to Bleecker street, Little Italy today, high end fashion stores have replaced all the Italian restaurants, coffee shops.

In Little Italy every year they have the San Gennaro festival which these fashion stores are trying to end because they say the smell from the barbequed food destroys their clothes.

And as a truck driver, I have to finance the student loans of these students most of who come from wealthy families? Randi Weingarten can absolutely go F herself. The guy breaking his butt at McDonalds has to pay more taxes so Todd from Beverly hills can save $10,000 on his womens studies degree? All of this is ignored by our Marxist media.

[cyclotic]

My son graduated from a really good small, private, specialized engineering university.

Some of the professors even had side jobs in their field of expertise.

They didn’t have a sports program, nor did they have a diversity office. It was all academics.

Students actually got along.

They also had standards. He knew a couple students who got caught smoking dope on campus. I’m sorry, former students.

Best part-They guarantee a job in your field within 90 days of graduation, at a competitive salary.

My kid had his first job in his field at a competitive salary when he was a Junior. It wasn’t an internship, it was a job.

[Jonty30]

I agree with you on that. The intent is to create a world of equal competence so each of us are as easily replaceable so we can’t complain about subhuman treatment.

But for blacks and Hispanics, I think they would respond well to on the job learning, like a guild-type situation.

[Alberta's Child]

Item #5 on that list is a big one. It’s a variation of an unmistakable trend I noticed in the mid-2000s — when I started REJECTING job applicants from top universities because they lacked so many of the core competencies in my STEM field.

[The Duke]

... and these other cultures have more than their share of violence and lawlessness (although there are some things I do admire in the Hispanic culture).

[BitWielder1]

Subsidizing education made for increasing demand without increasing supply of education resources.
It made the prices go up and quality go down. Politics made it even worse.
The colleges think they can charge whatever they want, but the value of the education diminished to the point it's no longer worth it for those who are paying full price, whether it's family or self.
This trend has discouraged the very demographics that are most capable of receiving and benefiting from higher education.
IOW, the Left has ruined higher education by raising cost, politicizing and flooding the market with incompetent woke graduates who can't find or hold a job.

[Lizavetta]

I wonder if it will ever get to the point where corporations simply start their own “schools” or training programs to get the kind of unwoke and competent employee that they need without having to deal with triggered asshats that “demand” morning, noon, and night.

[FlingWingFlyer]

The problem with college “diplomas” is that EVERYBODY’S GOT ONE THESE DAYS. Money and greed have destroyed the reason colleges were started in the first place. Like a very wise FReeper told me many moons ago, “A college diploma is nothing more than a tuition receipt.” From what I’ve seen year after year, and now with Jo Jo the Pedo Clown’s College “Student” Loan Deadbeat Bailout, I’ve found he was 100% right. We’re just now hearing about how billions of Covid Dempanic money was swindled away and stolen. Imagine what is going to happen when the Dung Beetles’ start throwing “Deadbeat Student College Loan Money” around.

[enumerated]

Good riddance if it’s true.

[Boogieman]

“First are the high fees they charge. The tuition fees of colleges today are nearly triple what they were a half-century ago after correcting for inflation.”

I’d say this is a direct consequence of most schools hiring more bureaucrats than actual teachers. Hire teachers and you get teaching. Hire bureaucrats and you get bloat.

[Steven Scharf]

The native population is expected to add an average of 1.3 million people per year, compared with 579,000 per year for the foreign-born population living in the United States.

I found this statement in the Census report you referenced, but it make no sense. Note this report was orginally written in 2018 and revised in February 2020.

The second page has a statement that is already incorrect.

• The population is expected to grow by an average of 1.8 million people per year between 2017 and 2060.

I can not find the 2019 to 2020 Components of Population Change data on the Census website. Most of 2020 data is ten year data.

Numeric change in resident total population 7/1/2020 to 6/30/2021 520,042
Births in period 7/1/2020 to 6/30/2021 3,582,436
Deaths in period 7/1/2020 to 6/30/2021 3,438,423
Natural change in period 7/1/2020 to 6/30/2021 144,013
Net international migration in period 7/1/2020 to 6/30/2021 376,029

Numeric change in resident total population 7/1/2021 to 6/30/2022 1,256,003
Births in period 7/1/2021 to 6/30/2022 3,688,179
Deaths in period 7/1/2021 to 6/30/2022 3,443,099
Natural change in period 7/1/2021 to 6/30/2022 245,080
Net international migration in period 7/1/2021 to 6/30/2022 1,010,923

As always must be noted that Net international migration for the United States includes the international migration of both native and foreign-born populations. Specifically, it includes: (a) the net international migration of the foreign born, (b) the net migration of natives to and from the United States, (c) the net migration between the United States and Puerto Rico, and (d) the net movement of the Armed Forces population between the United States and overseas.

[Political Junkie Too]

Yes, social promoting is passing along under-educated students to the universities, which forced them to turn the freshman year into a remedial 12th grade. I pointed that out in my reasons for #2.

-PJ

[Tired of Taxes]

I would add that many students go to college for the social experience. So, they accept the loans and grants, and they choose any major that interests them.

Here’s what I’d like to see happen:

(1) End the system of Federal Student Aid (both grants and loans) offered to students of any major.

(2) Replace it with a system of scholarships for STEM majors only.

(3) Allow low-cost community colleges to offer bachelor’s degrees in other majors. *

This way, more students would consider STEM majors. Those who do not could earn degrees at lower-cost commuter colleges. The universities could offer non-STEM majors, too, but the federal government would not fund those degrees.

* Many university professors also teach at community college. The only reason community colleges are limited to associate degrees is that universities have lobbied hard to stop them from offering higher degrees.

[Political Junkie Too]

Not bad ideas, but the root cause of all the problems is from Obama nationalizing student loans.

If the banks were still managing the loans, much of what you suggest would also happen.

-PJ

[kabar]

All of the projections are understated given the almost 6 million illegal aliens who have flooded over our open border the past 2 years. There are 1.1 million legal permanent immigrants admitted annually.