Wow, I really enjoyed this marshalling of facts and agree that reducing funding to public universities is a bonehead policy. However, I'm having difficulty believing that an increase in net tuition prices at only 2 of the 5 largest public universities is the most important cause of the huge decline in attendance.
Wow! This is an amazing compilation. I have wondered how Purdue had managed to hold tuition steady for so long, and several people said they did it by admitting more out of state students who paid higher tuition, but I have never heard about your conclusion that they are admitting more in state students from families who can pay near full price as well. Every state legislator should be required to read your essay.
Thank you for a comprehensive, compelling piece. It helps to fill out my long held perception that the greatly feared, much-touted 'brain drain' here is more a *pump* than a drain. In other words, force -of a fiscal policy nature- has been added to the system. Thanks for illuminating its workings and alarming consequence.
Purdue's enrollment has increased by 30% during the past decade. If wealthy and out-of-state students account for a significant fraction of this increase, MORE poor in-state students could receive MORE financial aid, yet the AVERAGE financial aid for a Purdue undergraduate student could decrease. This analysis by Hicks needs to account for this possibility.
I would be interested in your evaluation of the recent set of recommendations by the Governor's Workforce Cabinet on how to "tackle employer talent challenges and accelerate the state's economy". I see zero in it about reducing the cost of a college education, but I do see they are recommending a fund to pay for high school students to buy some nice clothes for a job interview.
The question is not becoming where I'll go to college, but will I go to college. Parents and students no longer see any value in a college degree. In many instances, they're right. A degree use to automatically mean a job. Now, companies will take you and train you themselves for many of the reasons you've stated. Perhaps most importantly, students are graduating lacking important critical and creative thinking skills, problem solving and the ability to write. I'm not sure more credentials that don't guarantee the same results will make the situation any better.
Wow, I really enjoyed this marshalling of facts and agree that reducing funding to public universities is a bonehead policy. However, I'm having difficulty believing that an increase in net tuition prices at only 2 of the 5 largest public universities is the most important cause of the huge decline in attendance.
Wow! This is an amazing compilation. I have wondered how Purdue had managed to hold tuition steady for so long, and several people said they did it by admitting more out of state students who paid higher tuition, but I have never heard about your conclusion that they are admitting more in state students from families who can pay near full price as well. Every state legislator should be required to read your essay.
Thank you for a comprehensive, compelling piece. It helps to fill out my long held perception that the greatly feared, much-touted 'brain drain' here is more a *pump* than a drain. In other words, force -of a fiscal policy nature- has been added to the system. Thanks for illuminating its workings and alarming consequence.
Purdue's enrollment has increased by 30% during the past decade. If wealthy and out-of-state students account for a significant fraction of this increase, MORE poor in-state students could receive MORE financial aid, yet the AVERAGE financial aid for a Purdue undergraduate student could decrease. This analysis by Hicks needs to account for this possibility.
I would be interested in your evaluation of the recent set of recommendations by the Governor's Workforce Cabinet on how to "tackle employer talent challenges and accelerate the state's economy". I see zero in it about reducing the cost of a college education, but I do see they are recommending a fund to pay for high school students to buy some nice clothes for a job interview.
The question is not becoming where I'll go to college, but will I go to college. Parents and students no longer see any value in a college degree. In many instances, they're right. A degree use to automatically mean a job. Now, companies will take you and train you themselves for many of the reasons you've stated. Perhaps most importantly, students are graduating lacking important critical and creative thinking skills, problem solving and the ability to write. I'm not sure more credentials that don't guarantee the same results will make the situation any better.