Avalon McKee
In the news: Oberlin to join consortium of schools with new admissions strategy
http://chronicle.com/article/80-Selective-Colleges-Unveil/233459/?cid=at&utm_source=at&utm_medium=en
Reoccurring theme: reference to “Golden Age of HigherEd” as being in the 1960s
Defining terms:
Big turning points: Reagan years, globalization today
Small group discussion
Big group (main ideas from small groups)
In the news: Oberlin to join consortium of schools with new admissions strategy
http://chronicle.com/article/80-Selective-Colleges-Unveil/233459/?cid=at&utm_source=at&utm_medium=en
Reoccurring theme: reference to “Golden Age of HigherEd” as being in the 1960s
- regardless of whether that’s true or not, the big difference is the number of students/demand has increased exponentially
- regardless of whether that’s true or not, the big difference is the number of students/demand has increased exponentially
Defining terms:
- Public & Private Goods
- “private benefit vs. public good”
- HigherEd works as a private good for students as individuals because it increases their personal worth and provides them with benefits, but is also a public good because it does good for economy
- public good because it’s giving back to society in a bigger way
- other examples of public goods: public school system, water fountains, roadways/highways
- used by so many people that it’s worth it to be paid for through tax system
- public goods need to create the sense that the item is valuable to society as a whole
- among average person, debatable whether HigherEd is doing that
- among average person, debatable whether HigherEd is doing that
- “private benefit vs. public good”
- Cost vs. Price vs. Value
- Cost: total sum of what it costs to educate a student
- Sticker price: what is “charged” in the catalog
- Net price/net tuition: what student actually ends up paying, which is usually different for every student
- Value: what does it mean?
- different kinds -- 1) salaries/money you get back after spending in the long term, and 2) person value which is a more abstract concept of how someone sees/appreciates their education
- the two are always in relation...high abstract value of education is great, but if monetary cost is so high that people can’t afford to come and then for them both values are unattainable
- perceived value might go up when tuition goes up, because “expensive must be good,” even though actual value (since price is going up for same product) goes down
- perceived value could change for the student depending on who is paying (e.g. parents, student themselves)
- in 1970s, tuition was $2000...and that was expensive
- on abstract value: people look at you differently once you say you’ve gone to Oberlin College
- different kinds -- 1) salaries/money you get back after spending in the long term, and 2) person value which is a more abstract concept of how someone sees/appreciates their education
- question for alums: how was money a factor in your college experience?
- work-study jobs contributed greatly to positive Oberlin experience
- don’t recall it being a burden or the most present topic
- work-study jobs contributed greatly to positive Oberlin experience
- Cost: total sum of what it costs to educate a student
Big turning points: Reagan years, globalization today
- during these points, the notion of higher education as a public good changes, specifically affecting state taxes/funding
- argument in political/sociological field that 1960s/70s soured popular perception of value of highered because of increase in drugs, promiscuity, co-ed institutions
- 1980 was the year that tuition increased exceeded that of general economy
- from alum: sentiment that students today (millennials) are also lazy, spoiled, etc.
- suggestion that 1963-64 had the first painting of this picture, probably in relation to Vietnam war
- thinking about centralized/nationalized education systems in Europe, Latin America, etc. since late 19th century
- makes US unique in being decentralized
- makes US unique in being decentralized
- 1960s was also when women started going to same colleges as men and so were partaking in behavior viewed as immoral for them
- remember from Davidson article how New England schools with strong private institutions developed worse public school systems in comparison to other states like South Carolina, Texas, Cali
- in Germany, when states wanted to have small tuition, massive student protests
- UK has also introduced tuition
- UK has also introduced tuition
Small group discussion
- If the middle and working classes are trying to regain power within a capitalist society, are we seeking to regain the political power to decide what kind of education the masses receive, or are trying to regain the economic power needed to afford an education?
- How could highered become a site to redistribute wealth within capitalism?
- What are the political levers that would need to be pulled to make more fundamental change?
- What would have to be done to make higher education a public good again?
Big group (main ideas from small groups)
- Question 1 groups middle/working class together, but a lot of authors separated them; commented on merit aid and other ways of luring middle/upper class students to schools, which perpetuates a competitive nature between schools
- e.g. conservatory, gives a lot of merit aid to have students come here instead of another school
- e.g. conservatory, gives a lot of merit aid to have students come here instead of another school
- What are reasons for merit aid?
- have high-income students make up for/subsidize low-income students
- attract high quality students
- have high-income students make up for/subsidize low-income students
- What does it mean to regain power in capitalist society? Is that actually the goal?
- HigherEd has technically become more accessible, although more expensive
- HigherEd has technically become more accessible, although more expensive
- Something to consider: not all HigherEd institutions have goal of creating a product that serves the “public good,” for-profit institutions have other priorities
- US education is a different product from Europe
- looking at capitalism framework, how can we make HigherEd more affordable for lower income students?
- need to really think about what components make up “cost” for a student, then colleges decide what to “charge,” then income line is fundamentally flat
- if approach is to decrease cost, can decrease labor (i.e. pay profs less/turn to machines)
- other approach is to raise income levels
- if approach is to decrease cost, can decrease labor (i.e. pay profs less/turn to machines)
- ultimate goal is to close gap between cost and who can afford to pay what/income level
- in other sectors of economy, things can be replaced (e.g. toothpaste factory, people used to put caps on but now can be done my machine) but when technology is used in HigherEd it does not usually cut costs but rather increases them
- remember in Archibald/Feldman, talking about how technology has changed personal service industry
- ways that this problem has been addressed: MOOCs
- graphs that demonstrate how much state funding goes toward corrections vs. highered
- why? public perception that college students are not contributing to greater good, whereas correctional institutions are keeping “scary people away”
- is it the fault of students for not demonstrating that we are part of the public good
- after Cold War, funding/support increased for Latin American Studies; why didn’t this happen for 9/11? (Arabic speakers, international relations, etc.)
- instead, we’re putting it into military spending
- instead, we’re putting it into military spending
- why? public perception that college students are not contributing to greater good, whereas correctional institutions are keeping “scary people away”