By Michael J. Bugeja, on The Chronicle – Aug. 22, 2012
If the Great Recession has taught us anything, it is that academe must abandon its usual strategy of begging state lawmakers for more money while expenses rise for utilities, technology, and instruction. Neither can we continue pressuring donors to give and give, or count on a turnaround in the economy.
In Part 1, I argued that the financial crisis in higher education—high tuition, excessive student debt, and diminished legislative support—had been exacerbated by a rubber-stamp culture that expands curricula beyond the means of many colleges and universities. Now I’d like to suggest some solutions. I believe we can decrease debt to a point where institutions can contemplate how to freeze, or even lower, tuition and provide access to education for future generations. The following series of steps, taken over a period of years, could help us dig our way out.
Read the full post on The Chronicle of Higher Education