Posted on 12/26/2013 1:12:53 PM PST by abb
After years of cuts in state subsidies and growing resistance to rising tuition, U.S. colleges and universities are starting to unwind decades of administrative bloat and back-office waste that helped push up costs and tuition.
The State University of New York system shaved $48 million in the past two years by cutting unused software licenses and consolidating senior administrators.
The University of California, Berkeley, cut $70 million since 2011 by centralizing purchasing and laying off a layer of middle managers, among other things.
And the University of Kansas revamped its back-office operations to save about $5 million in 2013. One example of the fresh efficiency: A new way of deploying maintenance workers shaved an hour of drive time from their shifts each day.
Jeffrey Vitter, the provost and executive vice chancellor at the University of Kansas, said for years schools put off the hard choices on reining in costs. "There clearly is a sense of urgency now and that frankly is a big part that allows us to move forward," he said. Since reordering its back offices last year, the school, which educates 30,000 students, uses 11 million fewer pieces of paper a year.
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(Excerpt) Read more at online.wsj.com ...
Its small beans. They need to start cutting entire departments and selling-off buildings.
We will see the pressure build - and good for it, let’s hope the shake-out gathers steam. Leftists can only hide in places where they can’t be confronted by economic reality.
I’m very dubious on the personnel part of this.
Big Education is essentially a program to channel unlimited taxpayer subsidized loan funds to colleges who employ liberal profs and admins who in turn contribute to Democrats.
I don’t see that changing any time soon.
Colleges and universities should look at their staffing 25 years ago versus now and question each position that has been added. All these social justice experts and other “hand-holders,” professional pitiers and the like do not add anything much to higher education, but they cost a huge amount of money, and accrue pension and benefit cost as well— practically all paid for by student tuition and fees.
I think it has more to do with ObamaCare than tuition backlash and subsidies being cut.
The online education movement is expanding rapidly, and even now is taking a big slice out of Big Education.
It will continue to grow, as economic reality sets in.
Soon Liberal perfessers will get to learn some Econ 101, specifically the law of supply-and-demand.
Hard to cut the already spent, over the top, facilities upgrades.
Hundreds of Millions in extravagant buildings and furnishings.
Non-value added, Monuments to egos.
I work at a private university, and my job didnt exist 25 years ago. (Senior Network architect). The past 8 years we’ve gotten the “im sorry no pay raise speech” 4 times. Im not complaining, I have a job, wear comfortable clothes, work odd hours if necessary, and enjoy what I do.
I feel im underpaid and overworked sure. We’ve increased our enrollment by 25% and increased our physical building square footage by 40% in those 8 years; which means more wireless, more network cabling, switches, routers, and upstream bandwidth. We have not had a corresponding budget (or salary) increase.
But, im blessed to have a good job.
Hey, colleges, you are top-heavy on communists and socialists. Time to trim them back a bit.
1. Close the ethnic studies and LBGTA departments.
2. If the professor is not bringing in ten times their salary in STEM research grants, no more research, just teach.
3. No professor gets more than one TA, and all professors must teach at least 3 courses per semester.
4. End tenure for all professors.
5. No more than 20% of all staff should be support staff, such as groundskeeping, administration and admissions. Some schools have as many non-teachers as teachers, just like public schools.
6. College dorms should not look like posh apartments but more minimal amenities. Colleges should not mandate that freshmen and sophomores live on campus.
7. No more climbing walls, massage parlors, yoga studios and other “amenities” on campus. Colleges are places of learning, not club med.
8. Expand acceptance of CLEP tests, AP exams and online learning courses with comprehension exams.
Funny! I have toured a few private colleges recently - and the student tour guides selling points are always the all-night bowling alleys or the Saunas or the 24 hour burrito shops in the dorms, etc.... They are indeed selling it like some kind of club-med. It might be attractive to the kids doing the tours, but it makes the parents angry!
My daughter fell in love with a private school she saw. I immediately put the kibosh on it, saying we’d have to look at the costs.
Private school tuition for one year = three years at public nearby university with a good reputation
She could blow our college savings in 18 months at the beautiful school or attend four years at public. I said you ain’t going there, girl.
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