Posted on 08/31/2009 6:05:24 PM PDT by Kaslin
When parents plunk down $20,000, $30,000, $40,000 and maybe $50,000 this fall for a year's worth of college room, board and tuition, it might be relevant to ask: What will their children learn in return?
The American Council of Trustees and Alumni (ACTA) ask that question in their recently released publication, "What Will They Learn: A Report on the General Education Requirements at 100 of the Nation's Leading Colleges and Universities."
ACTA conducted research to see whether 100 major institutions require seven key subjects: English composition, literature, foreign language, U.S. government or history, economics, mathematics and science. What ACTA found was alarming:
"Even as our students need broad-based skills and knowledge to succeed in the global marketplace, our colleges and universities are failing to deliver. Topics like U.S. government or history, literature, mathematics and economics have become mere options on far too many campuses. Not surprisingly, students are graduating with great gaps in their knowledge — and employers are noticing."
The National Center for Education Statistics reports that only 31% of college graduates can read and understand a complex book. Employers complain that college graduates lack the writing and analytical skills necessary to succeed in the workplace.
(Excerpt) Read more at ibdeditorials.com ...
Beyond that, will their salary be worth it as more desk jobs are offshored to India?
Only in America would middle management not permit office workers to telecommute but think nothing at all of offshoring a whole department to India.
what needs to happen is student loans must become dischargable in bankruptcy.
Also consider (per the above) the amount of mandatory 'remedial' first year courses (ie high school) and of course the higher cost of repeating same.
Employers complain that college graduates lack the writing and analytical skills necessary to succeed in the workplace.
And now politicians are talking more of offering/promising those same degrees at no cost!
You can’t get a decent job without a college “education.” But the job you probably get will never pay off the loan.
Why do it? Its now advanced high school, but at a whopping cost. No one wants to say “My child didn’t go to college.”
Hence, we have total dunces graduating from college.
I know. I teach at a famous university. Most of the time, I shake my head at the stupidity and laziness of the students.
And these Marxists professors who want raises and don’t want to show up at work.
One professor of Italian said “If I wasn’t a professor, I would be selling ice cream in the quad.” This was in reaction to me suggesting that we get rid of areas like Italian since we could hire high school teachers to do the same thing of half the price.
If people if Ohio knew what really happened at Ohio State University, they would burn down the campus (except for the football stadium, of course).
They have the same among many schools all across the South.
The more government backs and promotes student loans, the higher the colleges and universities jack up their Tuition. College Tuition has outpaced inflation over the past 50 years by a very wide margin.
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The value of a college degree has been greatly cheapened, ironically at much higher prices. It is bubble similar to medicine. Far too many people go to college, especially for liberal arts, and the USA has severely under-developed technical and trade schools.
I just started teaching at Indiana’s largest college. I have been in manufacturing for 27 years. All kinds of positions including Prersident of 16 million dollar custom cabinet company.
I am amazed at the attitude of the instructors. All they talk about is teaching and teaching things that students can use in the real world. They really want the students to learn things that can help them in the real world.
Annual tuition is $3,000. Our engineering department just saw their first graduate accepted at Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology (Indiana’s premier private engineering college). All of his first two year credits transferred to Rose. Rose charges $43,000 per year. His family saved $80,00 by sending him to Ivy Tech Community College for his first two years.
I like puzzles. At Ohio State, there is no Quad, and the few universities that I know have quads don't allow ice cream sales. Ohio State has "the Oval" instead of the quad and I think the students at OSU do pretty well. So, let's hear which famous university you teach at. I am curious.
Link to the study referred to(55 page pdf):
https://www.goacta.org/publications/downloads/WhatWillTheyLearnFinal.pdf
The government gives the companys that out source giant TAX BREAKS, and have been for years. Thats globalization at work.
Sorry, I meant Oval. And I didn’t say that the Italian Professor would sell ice cream on the Oval (or Quad as I said). Perhaps instead, he could be one of the orators on the Oval or a hot dog salesman with one of those carts by the Computer Center (I love that cart!). Better yet, the Italian Professor could get a job at the Varsity Clubs, the Thirsty Scholar, or ... even better ... Larry’s!!!
I think Larry’s closed.
Just as well. I went there a couple of times and it really wasn’t my speed. My favorite was Street Scene which closed in the late 90s, I believe. I rarely went to High Street (except to pick up a Flying Pizza on the way home). My office was over near the Ohio Stadium, so our lunches were 1) Subway in that gas station at Lane and Neil, 2) Tommy’s at the same intersection, 3) the restaurant in The Blackwell (good salads), etc. But bars for faculty were Varsity Club and Thirsty Scholar, both of which i outgrew years ago,
Okay, Ohio State has cut down enrollment since you went there and a lot of the really bad students are gone along with a lot of the really bad faculty.
A lot of the really bad housing on 11th and 12th has been torn down and replaced by Gateway Mall.
Ohio State has improved a lot and anyone not wanting to go Ivy should feel pretty good about their kid going there.
Oh, Larkins was torn down and replaced by a 170 million rpac gym and aquatics center.
The Student union on high was torn town and the replacement opens soon and main library underwent a 2 year renovation.
OSU has upgraded its personal and facilities in a number of ways.
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