Quick Takes: Critic of Colleges Loses Primary, Calif. Regents Back President, Management Wins Career Ed Vote, Dartmouth Help for Grad Students, BU Bars Sudan Stocks, UNLV’s Pick, FBI Raid, Doonesbury’s College Poll, NCAA Rejects McMurry ‘Indians’

Tuition and Tenure

Actually, R.A.S., tenure is not the reason for increases in tuition. Take a look at levels of compensation for university presidents and administrators. Take a look at the explosive growth of middle-management types on nearly every campus. Take a look at the vanity building projects, often in support of vanity sports obsessions, popping up at colleges and universities all around the country. Then, take a look at the declining number of full-time (much less tenured) faculty and the growing dependence on (and exploitation of) part-time faculty. When you have finished your homework assignment, write a comment about the real drivers of tuition increases.

MDS, at 8:40 am EDT on May 19, 2006

“So, given their long tenure and the negative financial effect that long tenure had — are there implications for tenure in higher education? Is that why tuition keeps rising, faster than inflation?”

No. Tenure keeps faculty salaries low (far too low, actually). If tenure were to be abolished, then faculty (especially those in the sciences, mathematics, and engineering) would demand salaries that would be competitive with pay in industry—and rightly so.

If tenure is abolished, then tuition will skyrocket (quite possibly rising by 50% or more).

Upper Midwest Asst. Prof., Asst. Prof. at Upper Midwest, at 8:40 am EDT on May 19, 2006

R.A.S. seems to have a huge animus against tenure. One wonders what it is that he wishes erased from institutional memory, a conservative mechanism that would cease to exist without tenure.

(One also wonders why he’s so convinced that a secure job is a bad thing that must be abolished in favor of continual job-hopping. While it might be bad for some economic construct—the corporation, say—security actually seems like a good thing for humans. Perhaps his animus is against humans...)

Thane Doss, at 12:40 pm EDT on May 19, 2006

Paine

Thane Doss seems to be one of the millions of English MAs (or PhDs) who think they are entitled to a lifetime government job without public review.

One wonders if he and his ilk have a grip on reality. If he came to Flint, with its 200,000 laid-off autoworkers, and displayed that kind of bizarre sense of “gimme, gimme” entitlement, he’d probably have to visit a hospital, shortly thereafter. Ever heard of a Reagan Democrat, Mr. Genius?

If one wants a secure job — one could start by having skills that are in demand, as opposed to having skills held by tens of millions. Y’know — demand and supply? Even the Russians know that, now.

If one cannot find a secure job — isn’t that their problem? Why should anyone fix someone else’s employment problem, if he won’t address it himself?

R.A.S., at 2:15 pm EDT on May 19, 2006

The Confusion of RAS

Folks like RAS are such a sad spectacle — but alas, perhaps proof of a profound failure of economics education in the United States.

“Free traders” always want their costs low, but their rewards high. So they will argue that, for example, a business can set prices, or business organizations (or even vertical conglomerates) can exist, but refuse to accept unions or any other method of establishing the price of labor. They also wildly misunder-represent costs. In Michigan, for example, our “high-priced” k-12 schools educate students for approximately $6.25 per hour (I’ll give transportation time and extra-curricular time for free). RAS can’t find a babysitter for that, but he’ll whine about those costs I’m sure.

Now, I think the cost of tuition is a scandal. But it is that because the United States doesn’t fund education in any appropriate way. But that’s what the Republicans (and free-market types) want — an education system that preserves inherited privilege.

So, instead of wondering why corporate bookies (stock traders et al) are among the highest paid and lowest taxed Americans, or wondering why those who don’t work for their money are taxed less than those who do, or wondering why the US government somehow fails to profit from the rise in oil prices for oil pumped on public land (a unique situation in the world) — any of which could convert our colleges to “free” — he assaults the very logical economic deal universities have made with their faculty.

What’s that deal RAS? Faculty will train for years, stay absolutely current in their fields, teach, advise, research, counsel, write, direct, and generally, propel society forward and build our world’s future, in exchange for poor to mediocre salaries, pretty decent benefits, and job security.

Cut the job security and the pay will need to rise. Raise the pay to “Disney Executive” level, and hey, a whole lot of profs will dump the security.

And really — if you want to be controversial, have the guts to identify yourself and where you work. Otherwise, well, the unsigned letter carries very little weight...

Ira Socol, Michigan State University, at 8:00 pm EDT on May 20, 2006

Guess I got a little close

Oh my, RAS. Still won’t identify yourself but now you’re really angry.

Actually, I have a number of jobs. I think I’m highly productive and contributory. And my “navel gazing” (which I call fiction writing) is done after my other two jobs are done.

But importantly, you really need to go outside. First, even in Michigan — one of the lowest college graduation states — more than 50% of high school seniors go to college (you’re only off by 50% — not bad). Many do not finish because of the failure of the state to properly support education, making it far too expensive, causing huge problems for students without inherited advantage. You see radically different results in European nations where college is free, or, for that matter, by tracking the incredible success of the City University system in New York when it was free in building quality higher education for an ever increasing percentage of the population.

Second, the place Michigan has lost the most jobs to over the past decade is, of course, Canada — where taxes are higher and college is much cheaper. For the third year in a row Ontario alone will build more vehicles than Michigan. You may believe your “markets work — lower taxes” nonsense, but it simply is not true. (For example, why is the Irish economy (with what you would consider both massive taxes and unbelievably high minimum wages) growing faster than the rest of Europe and at twice the rate of the US?)

Third, the continuous Republican claim that only rich people pay taxes is totally dishonest. So stop it. Ever hear of FICA? (which taxes a millionaire at 1/10 the rate it taxes a Wal-Mart worker)

Fourth, if you are an AFT member in Michigan, then the poor, through sales taxes, are paying your salary as well.

But most importantly, markets work in competitive environments in business. We do not have competitive environments in the US, as is illustrated by the fact that Hugo Chavez (Citgo) and Exxon-Mobil sell gasoline for the exact same price across the street from each other. And education, if we want to succeed as a nation, is not a business.

After all, if Jack Welch ran education he’d close all schools in Michigan — they’re simply not paying off very well right now. And if I was to treat my classes in “market style” I could charge students whatever they were willing to pay to get in (that would be especially good for the one that’s required), and perhaps charge for better grades — or at least offer an easier path to high grades for students who paid “business class” rates.

Finally — yes, I’d strip lots of things from American schools — the big sports programs in high schools and colleges to start. I’d cut administrative costs. But really, education is clearly one thing you can fix “simply by throwing money at it.” Give k-12 education enough money to cut class size down to 12 or 15 and pay teachers the way Wall Street professionals are paid, and teaching and learning will improve dramatically. Fund universities so students can concentrate on education instead of jobs and far more “disadvantaged” students will succeed.

I know from your posts that you are an angry, frustrated, person. Fine. Me too. But fighting to create ever larger divisions in American society may not be the best solution for any of us.

Ira Socol, Michigan State University, at 8:55 am EDT on May 23, 2006

Insanity

Oh, I’m angry and frustrated with the right-wing insanity in the U.S. I love my jobs. After all, while you were ranting, one of Michigan’s most important employers was telling me that the changes my “worthless government job” made in one of their departments increased employee productivity 33% while making the workers happier. I don’t get those results all the time — but, hey, it was nice to hear.

I think I know a great deal about higher education, from the point of view of a student, of an instructor, of a parent paying tuition, as someone who brings hundreds of students into higher ed each year who otherwise could not succeed there — and who follows them through the system. Of course, I’ve identified myself. I’m not hurling insults from behind a mask.

The problem America faces is a failure to put education first. This has become obvious to everyone around the world — except for the American right. And instead of investing in education, we invest in testing and babble about “market solutions.” The U.S. slogan is really “A Whole Generation Left Behind.” It’s a shame as we watch our best jobs drain away.

Ira Socol, Michigan State University, at 12:50 pm EDT on May 23, 2006