Quiz: Who Said What About Higher Ed?
The current controversy dominating the higher education headlines in Texas is nothing if not nuanced. It's hard for anyone to disagree with the broad buzzwords used by both sides: accountability, productivity, excellence, accessibility, transparency.
One might be hard-pressed to find an official of the Texas Public Policy Foundation, which has promoted the controversial "seven breakthrough solutions" for higher education, who openly opposes "great research" or an administrator of a research institution, such as the University of Texas, fighting against "great teaching" — though those two are often presented as being at odds with each other.
This may be because there ...
Comments (4)
latoscana
Sorry but I see nothing nuanced here - just a lot of political posturing. I also see an attack on what the governor's cronies perceive as the liberal bias of higher ed. They don't want to pay for what they don't like - or think they don't like - and can't control. The thousand-year old traditions of the university lack the "conservative" chops for these radicals who want to replace hallowed, time-tested institutions with trade schools that post quarterly results. They betray no real understanding of the mission of a research institution, its outsized impact on the state and beyond, and its success in transforming its students and launching their lives and careers. Nuance is lost on these folks.
Will Franklin
As a UT alum, husband of a current UT MBA student, resident of Austin, and Texas taxpayer, it does seem like accountability, productivity, excellence, accessibility, transparency are more than buzz words. They're not even merely worthy goals. They're all critical necessities.
What I am troubled by is the attitude by some in the establishment that the status quo and trajectory of higher ed are just fine. They aren't. Costs are not sustainable. Student learning outcomes are diminishing in value, as 4-year graduation rates hover around 50% and many students have little contact with the most accomplished faculty. Most students are graduating with a nice car worth of student loan debt and poor earning prospects. People talk so much about a higher ed bubble, but the bubble only exists if we allow costs to continue soaring and results to continue deteriorating for students.
Whatever the solutions end up being, I am most bothered by those who go to great lengths to suggest there is no need for solutions, because everything is fine.
latoscana
Will,
I completely appreciate and agree with your point about the need for change. If the current crop of critics were truly interested in change that enhanced what's good and stripped out what isn't working, that would be great. If the critics engaged the university community in this process, they could unleash the creativity and intelligence of many fine minds. Many of us in and out of the institution would welcome such an opportunity.
But that's not what they have done, is it? They have mocked and denigrated research, professors, and disciplines. They have pulled spreadsheets together that purportedly measure cost-effectiveness - or whatever it is they claim to be measuring. They have proposed growing a too-big institution even bigger and dropping costs without increasing support - one can only surmise the solution they envision is huge lecture halls and online courses. Fine in many situations (and full disclosure: I develop e-learning for a living) but not a universal solution. They have not demonstrated any inclination toward making great institutions better. If the regents are now retrenching and rethinking their attack-dog methods, they can begin by demonstrating a willingness to listen and to engage. If they continue to impose their agenda on these institutions they will diminish and possibly destroy some of the greatest assets in Texas. Hard to see the business logic in that.
Scott Specht
But Perry and the regents are actually trying to find solutions. As far as I can tell faculty have put forward nothing (if so, I'd love to read about it).
Higher Ed isn't sustainable, and something needs to be done, Perry is attempting to do something, he's getting pushed back by people who want the status quo to remain because it benefits themselves.
As Will said, students are taking out loans that will take years to pay off, postponing things like buying a car or a house, things that stimulate the economy. For all the talk about "protecting the American dream" there is no surer way to deny the American Dream to someone than making education too costly for them to achieve.