Higher Education in Decline

JEWISH WORLD REVIEW.COM ^ | DECEMBER 8, 2004 | WALTER WILLIAMS

[CHARLITE]

College costs have risen dramatically over the last several decades. In many cases, it's difficult to find a college where per-student costs are under $20,000 each year. Most often, tuition doesn't measure the true cost because taxpayer and donor subsidies pay part of the expenses. While costs are rising, education quality is in precipitous decline, particularly at the undergraduate level. Part of the reason is the political climate on college campuses, where professors use their classrooms for proselytizing and indoctrination and teach classes that have little or no academic content. Let's look at some of it.

[CHARLITE]

If we conservatives were influencing young minds, standards would be improved and we would be turning out an EDUCATED citizenry.

Char

[EagleUSA]

Yep, its a sad situation. The article is right -- I have lived it with my two children done with their college work --- thank God! The schools have gone to hell, run by loser liberals. You have to look hard, and pay BIG bucks for a good school now. Sad.

[26lemoncharlie]

To many Liberals and Socialist in the COlleges and Universities teaching Trash, Garbage and Know Nothing Courses from Homosexual Socialist Professors who have a very Shi((y outlook on life now that the Socialist have lost the election.

[COEXERJ145]

Tuition has gone through the roof, even in so called public universities. Tuition alone now at Texas A&M is $3,000 to $4,000 per semester not counting books and other expenses. My last semester, just a year ago, only cost me $1,800.

They claim the money is needed to "hire more highly qualified professors". The problem is these professors don't teach. All they do is "research".

[DeFault User]

There are many state schools that have tuitions/costs less than $20k annual. As long as you pick one with a good reputation in your major, why go into huge debt?

[atari]

alot of universities are notorious money wasters..

[GSlob]

Well, why not consciously organize a serious parallel network of conservative schools and colleges? [I am not talking another Bob Jones University here, but - one should think big - say, another MIT].
One could take an example from Brandeis University in Waltham, MA. At the time when Jewish scholars were not particularly welcome in more prestigious places, they banded together and organized Brandeis University [and NOT an yeshiva]. If they could have maintained a monopoly on Jewish talent somehow, by now they would be another Harvard; as things stand, it is a decent second-tier university.

[sweetliberty]

"While costs are rising, education quality is in precipitous decline, particularly at the undergraduate level."

This is news?

[FITZ]

Here they actually admitted they were raising the tuition on the working/paying students so they could come up with more scholarships for those who didn't want to work and of course are "minority" so are disadvantaged.

[AZLiberty]

Speaking of MIT, why not take advantage of MIT's Open Course Ware Initiative. MIT has put the course materials for hundreds of its courses online -- for free -- so that ambitious learners can take matters into their own hands.

[GSlob]

"why not take advantage of MIT's Open Course Ware Initiative."
Schools are not only places of education [or indoctrination], but also have the social functions of credentialing the students and employing the teachers. Parallel network of conservative schools could employ the kind of people now working at American Enterprise Institute; there must be enough bright non-PC people in existence for the purpose. As for the students - if one were to institute a conservative - (meritocratic by IQ) selection and admission, a significant proportion of present day bright homeschoolers might become available.

[redneckerinBoston]

While I agree that college is extremely overpriced, not all of those scholarships are going to minorities who don't work. I'm the white daughter of a disabled US veteran. I'm getting 38,000 a year in grants and scholarships from my school, state, and the federal government. Yes, most of my professors do have their own agenda but I appreciate the chance to just go to college and try to succeed. Plus, in addition to my scholarships, I am working two jobs. I also volunteer a little over ten hours a week to my church. Please don't criticize the schools for giving out scholarships; some of us actually need them.

[RightWhale]

The math, physics, and engineering courses are just fine. Liberal arts courses seem nebulous, but then, they always did.

[American Vet Repairman]

"To many Liberals and Socialist in the COlleges and Universities teaching Trash"

It gets deeper than that- there is an attitude of entitlement and the "academics" should get the same wage as a producing member of society. When the science instructors get 70k then the liberal lesbian studies instructor thinks they deserve it too. When we challenge the system we are called stupid and incapable of understanding academic disciplines and fair compensation. The states need to start auditing and demanding self control from state facilities.

[26lemoncharlie]

Absolutly correct, The So called Dept of Education Should be able to do this, better still, a groupr of taxpayers. Time to bring all of these Socialist Liberal hnds outs under control or end them all together.