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Today's elite schools offer myriad resources to students that they didn't before. And today's elite schools are therefore able to serve a much more diverse grou

Today's elite schools offer myriad resources to students that they didn't before. And today's elite schools are therefore able to serve a much more diverse group of students. I think administrative costs have gone up too much and have space to cut back. But when articles come out saying administrative costs have ballooned 500%, I don't want people to imagine that it's all wasted - most of the new positions represent new services provided to students. And in anticipation of the argument that "I don't need those services so they shouldn't exist": see arguments for universal healthcare even if it means raising taxes on healthy people. The whole university functions better and achieves its mission better if there is more diversity and if students have more access to services they need. Lowering tuition would be a trade-off, not just trimming fat.

pc86 9y ago
I don't think anyone's saying it's all wasted, and I agree that a university in 2015 is going to offer a lot more to its students in terms of non-academic services than a university of 1985. But it's hard to argue that even half of that 500% is good spending. - The year I started my undergrad, there a mini-scandal where tuition was raised by over 10% with little warning and it leaked that the school President, having written a heart felt letter about how hard it was cutting costs in these difficult economic times, made over $400k/yr and the college was paying his mortgage. Nearly $600k adjusted for inflation. - At that same undergrad institution, the career services officer, responsible for finding people jobs (or at least helping), had never held a job outside of that college, and would do little more than putting your resume on Monster for you. Just two examples from my limited academic experience (undergrad only) at one small liberal arts school nobody's ever heard of. I'm sure the graduate folks here could throw dozens of examples at you of much more egregious things.
- ams6110 9y ago
  > never held a job outside of that college This happens a lot at universities. They are great places to work if you're OK with an "adequate" salary (with generally very good benefits and time off) and not being held accountable for very much. So you have staff people who have worked there for decades, if not their entire careers. Often entire families (parents and eventually their children) will be working there. Those sorts of people have no understanding of what the "real world" or private sector is like, so the problem of low productivity and low accountability perpetuates itself. It's normal and they don't know anything else.
  - pc86 9y ago
    And it's horrible. At my alma mater this person was in charge of helping kids who were finishing their degrees find gainful employment. Some kids who came from poverty, were getting the first degree in their family, and finally they had a shot at an upper middle class lifestyle. And they're supposed to get advice from some schlub whose entire resume is "B.A., [Liberal Arts School You've Never Heard Of]" then "Career Services Officer, [Same School]"? I think of the ridiculous advice he gave me ("GPA is incredibly important for your resume even 20 years after you graduate" and "Put hobbies and interests on your resume that show you're a well rounded person!") and shudder to think of the nonsense he was telling people who didn't know any better.

pc86 9y ago

I don't think anyone's saying it's all wasted, and I agree that a university in 2015 is going to offer a lot more to its students in terms of non-academic services than a university of 1985. But it's hard to argue that even half of that 500% is good spending. - The year I started my undergrad, there a mini-scandal where tuition was raised by over 10% with little warning and it leaked that the school President, having written a heart felt letter about how hard it was cutting costs in these difficult economic times, made over $400k/yr and the college was paying his mortgage. Nearly $600k adjusted for inflation. - At that same undergrad institution, the career services officer, responsible for finding people jobs (or at least helping), had never held a job outside of that college, and would do little more than putting your resume on Monster for you. Just two examples from my limited academic experience (undergrad only) at one small liberal arts school nobody's ever heard of. I'm sure the graduate folks here could throw dozens of examples at you of much more egregious things.

ams6110 9y ago
> never held a job outside of that college This happens a lot at universities. They are great places to work if you're OK with an "adequate" salary (with generally very good benefits and time off) and not being held accountable for very much. So you have staff people who have worked there for decades, if not their entire careers. Often entire families (parents and eventually their children) will be working there. Those sorts of people have no understanding of what the "real world" or private sector is like, so the problem of low productivity and low accountability perpetuates itself. It's normal and they don't know anything else.
- pc86 9y ago
  And it's horrible. At my alma mater this person was in charge of helping kids who were finishing their degrees find gainful employment. Some kids who came from poverty, were getting the first degree in their family, and finally they had a shot at an upper middle class lifestyle. And they're supposed to get advice from some schlub whose entire resume is "B.A., [Liberal Arts School You've Never Heard Of]" then "Career Services Officer, [Same School]"? I think of the ridiculous advice he gave me ("GPA is incredibly important for your resume even 20 years after you graduate" and "Put hobbies and interests on your resume that show you're a well rounded person!") and shudder to think of the nonsense he was telling people who didn't know any better.