Two Cheers for Higher Education Will American Universities

Two Cheers for Higher Education: Will American Universities Remain Strong? Can They Meet the Challenges They Face? STEVEN BRINT

We All Know about the Challenges… General Fund Spending, 1980 -2012

Some Representative Titles

Yet the Period 1980 -2012 Was One of Growth and Growing Prominence Research dollars, publications, & citations all grew dramatically. Universities played much larger role in the national innovation system. Both undergraduate and graduate enrollments nearly doubled. The system showed major improvements in access for under-represented, first-generation, and lowincome students. Male dominance declined. Women out-performed men in most disciplines. Research universities successfully diversified their revenue bases.

Growth of Research Expenditures, Publications & Citations (Top 200 RUs) Research $$ Publications Citations (in 2010 constant $ billions) (from Web of Science, in millions) 12 600, 000 10 500, 000 8 400, 000 6 300, 000 200, 000 4 100, 000 2 0 1980 2010 0 1980 2005

Academic Researchers Role in Top 50 Inventions, 1955 -2005 Most Important Role (8) Very Important Role (12) Coronary bypass surgery ARAPANET DNA fingerprinting Fiber optics Fuel cells High-yield rice HTML Genetic engineering Industrial robots Genetic sequencing Laser beam In vitro fertilization MP 3 Player MRI Pacemaker Polio vaccine Personal computer Video games World Wide Web

Other Indicators of Research University Prominence Reframed Consciousness Selected Concepts Developed by Social Scientists in the 1980 s/1990 s Cultural Authority Occupational Groups Cited as Authorities in The New York Times * Emotional Intelligence * Professors are #1 * Self Efficacy * Govt. Officials are #2 * Social Capital/Cultural Capital * Transaction Costs * Stakeholders * Communities of Practice * Steep drop-off to non-profit researchers, business people, and think tank staff.

Trends in Undergraduate & Graduate Enrollments

Trends in College Enrollment by Race/Ethnicity

Educational Composition of the Top Quintile, 1980 & 2015 Educational Composition, Top Income Quintile, 1980 > HS Degree BA Degree Grad Degree Educational Composition, Top Income Quintile, 2015 >HS Degree BA Degree Grad Degree

Racial & Gender Composition of Top Quintile, 1980 and 2015 Racial Composition, Top Income Quintile, 1980 White Black Other Racial Composition, Top Income Quintile, 2015 White Black Other Gender Composition, Top Income Quintile, 1980 Men Women Gender Composition, Top Income Quintile, 2015 Men Women

Meaning of “Two Cheers” in the U. S. In the United States, if a team or an individual has performed very well, it is common to use the term “three cheers” for them. The term “two cheers” means, roughly, “good job, but there are still problems to correct. ”

The Fuel for Higher Ed Dynamism, I: Unprecedented Levels of Investment Student tuition is only one of the revenue streams for universities and often not the most important one. Three other revenue sources also grew dramatically during the period: Extramural grants and contracts Philanthropy International students fees In the public sector, as states disinvested in higher education, these alternative sources of revenue rose to fill the gap and raise the total.

Federal, State & Local Support AY 2013 -14 (in Billions)

Million-Dollar-Plus Gifts, 1990 & 2000 1990 2000

Million-Dollar-Plus Gifts (continued)

The Fuel for Higher Ed Dynamism, II: Three Organizational Logics The dominant system of (1) academic professionalism is oriented to identifying and solving problems in the disciplines (and at their interstices) and teaching disciplinary subject matter to students. During the period, two movements grew up alongside this dominant system: the movements for universities to become (2) market-responsive (including especially efforts to contribute to technological innovation) and (3) socially inclusive. These movements had a sizable impact because they were supported by mobilized constituencies and powerful patrons.

Accommodation Was the Norm, but Competition & Conflict Were Also Evident Over Technological Innovation Over Social Inclusion Levels of industry influence Standards for admission and hiring Conflicts of interest Conflicts of commitment Equity in access to valuable educational experiences Perceptions of an erosion of basic science funding Allegations of unconscious or conscious bias in research/teaching Racially-motivated hate crimes & sexual assaults “Political correctness” controversies

Social Inclusion Was Met by New Forms of Status Differentiation New/Expanded High-Status Tracks across Institutions: Quantitative Majors Graduate Degrees, esp. those linked to power centers in the U. S. Economy Public “Flagship” State Universities New/Expanded Status Locations on Campus: Honors Programs Restricted Majors Leadership Programs Entrepreneurship Programs

The Book Does Not Ignore the Challenges Facing Higher Education General Fund Spending, 1980 -2012

The Prospects for U. S. Higher Education Changed before 2020 Total enrollments declined between 2011 and 2019 – from 21 million to 18 million. We find big drops in enrollment in for-profits and community colleges. Federal R&D funding also declined after 2011. Industry support remained flat and total support increased only incrementally. University self-support filled the gap.

What We Can Expect in the Next Year(s) Closure of more low-enrollment, low-endowment private colleges, closure of more for-profit colleges, and some community colleges. By some counts, 20% of private colleges have serious financial problems. Merger of more public regional colleges, esp. in states with declining populations and declining numbers of residents pursuing higher education. Elimination of more low-enrollment majors, such as foreign languages. Stronger promotion of online education as a viable, less expensive option to the physical campus.

The Rest Depends on Federal, State & Campus Choices Currently approximately $14 billion in federal money allocated for higher education, about $750/college student. Use of most of this funding is restricted to minority-serving institutions and low-income students. Some economists predict that most colleges and universities will see fully discretionary assistance no more than 1 percent of annual spending. Assistance to state governments could provide some additional funds. By contrast, ARRA, the fiscal stimulus after the Great Recession, sent more than $25 billion to colleges and universities.

The Conservative (and Progressive) Critique Conservatives have mounted a broad critique of higher education. The economic elements of this critique are shared by progressives. In short: College costs too much. What students receive in terms of skill development is too low to justify the cost. Underemployment is growing rapidly among college graduates. Some disciplines (and some campuses) have become corrupted by low expectations and/or by the identity politics of the Left. I agree with aspects of this critique, as I make clear in the last chapters of Two Cheers, but my solutions are different from those proposed by conservative critics. Richard Vedder

A Major Challenge: The College Cost Conundrum Tuition cost has increased at three to four times the rate of inflation since the 1980 s at a time when median family incomes have stagnated. Total student debt is now well over $1 trillion. Universities have saved tens of millions through cost-saving mechanisms, but these savings almost never go to lowering tuition costs. Investment in the 50 states is cyclical – higher in good times and lower in recessions -- and does not seem likely to break from that pattern.

Net Tuition vs. Published Prices at Public Colleges & Universities

Net Tuition vs. Published Prices at Private Colleges & Universities

Solving the Problem of College Costs Attractive proposals now exist to combine income-contingent loan repayment with sizeable increases in Pell Grants. Tuition-free community college is becoming necessary. In Two Cheers, I argue against tuition-free public four-year college plans because: They represent a misunderstanding of the public and private benefits of college. They are a form of regressive taxation. They could threaten the quality of education provided to students. In the New York case, they restrict student inter-state mobility. The plans are more popular with students than with taxpayers.

A Second Major Challenge: The Quality of Teaching and Learning We have good evidence that many students are learning relatively little in college. Active learning is a half-sound philosophy. I see hope for improvement in the sciences of learning: * Active learning practices * Accountability practices * Teaching for understanding approaches * New methods for evaluating teaching

Solving the Quality Problem: Teaching for Understanding Lee S. Shulman: “Understanding is not independent of engagement but is an additional standard. ” The instructor’s first obligation: What do students know? Cognitive apprenticeships: Making students’ mental processes accessible to the class and to themselves Teachers’ explication of the “intermediate processes” of understanding Public demonstrations of students’ competence Deep thinking exercises: compare & contrast; building arguments based on document libraries; hypothesis development and testing with data Problem-based learning Lee S. Shulman

Solving the Quality Problem: The Teaching Practices Inventory (TPI) Student evaluations of teaching are extremely flawed. TPI: 72 items for self-evaluation/10 -15 minutes to self-administer Some practices awarded points in the TPI: * Statement of learning objectives and materials organized to meet them * Statement of instructor’s “affective goals” for the course * Discussion of process by which concepts, models, or principles created * Questions that require students to explain their reasoning * Assignments in which feedback is given and students able to redo their work * Use of pre- and post- course concept inventories to measure change Carl Wieman

No Time Left Today to Discuss Other Challenges The rapid increase in the size of administrative staffs The growth of poorly paid adjunct instructors The rise of online alternatives to the physical campus The quandaries of campus speech But I do discuss them in the last chapters of Two Cheers, and we can discuss them, if you like, in the question period.

THANK YOU! Questions? EMAIL: BRINT@UCR. EDU TWITTER: @BRINTSTEVEN