5 ms·

I think the real answer is: 1. Higher income tax across the board 2. Decreased wages for college and University staff. Fewer executive and bureaucratic positi

by mcny 8y ago

I think the real answer is: 1. Higher income tax across the board 2. Decreased wages for college and University staff. Fewer executive and bureaucratic positions. Just at one CUNY college there are about one hundred positions at or above the level of a department chair. It has fewer than 17k students enrolled. 3. Eliminate all competitive sports across all schools and colleges. This is just noise that nobody needs. 4. Reduce mandate of colleges and universities. No, a college is not supposed to decide whether an assault took place. Also, it makes no sense for a college to have to pay for campus police. Who came up with this nonsense idea? 5. Focus on reducing costs. Reduce if not eliminate most regulations state legislatures have forced on colleges and universities. Consider getting rid of freaking people soft to manage student records. Does it make sense that students have Employee ID numbers (EMPLID)? Who makes these decisions?

gammateam 8y ago
Greater passive revenues for the government is just a bandaid for a symptom.
Fomite 8y ago
A bigger factor than pretty much all of this, for state universities, has been that state support for universities has dropped through the floor. Washington State, for example, got state support cut by 50% during the 2008 recession. It's never come back. This also has an impact on one of HN's other favorite higher ed topics, the state of quality research. With state support cut, the two available levers are tuition and more federal research money. With the latter, the pool of money is - at best - stagnant, and there's increasing pressure to get grants, which means more people cutting corners.
jogjayr 8y ago
> 3. Eliminate all competitive sports across all schools and colleges. This is just noise that nobody needs. I wouldn't eliminate college sports entirely - it's useful for brand building, keeping alumni (ergo donors) and the local community engaged, school spirit etc. But the "student-athlete" concept seems like complete nonsense. They should pay the players proper wages, give them good health insurance etc. Right now it's scandalous the amount of money everyone makes in college sports, but none goes to players or cheerleaders. Ideally they'd license the college's image rights to a private organization that runs the team, and the players play on it full-time. Those who choose can study for a degree at the institution concurrently, or after they finish playing. Some players may get drafted into professional leagues and do so well they don't ever get their degree. The coaching staff are employees of the team's organization rather than the uni.
analog31 8y ago
>>> Also, it makes no sense for a college to have to pay for campus police. Who came up with this nonsense idea? Who should pay for police services on a college campus? I live in the shadow of a big ten university with the population of a small city and a huge number of public events including home football games. They college pays no property taxes. Paying for campus police, ultimately out of the state budget, is a way to cover the cost of that service, which has to come from somewhere. A community of that size needs a certain amount of police service.

by mcny 8y ago

gammateam 8y ago

Greater passive revenues for the government is just a bandaid for a symptom.

Fomite 8y ago

A bigger factor than pretty much all of this, for state universities, has been that state support for universities has dropped through the floor. Washington State, for example, got state support cut by 50% during the 2008 recession. It's never come back. This also has an impact on one of HN's other favorite higher ed topics, the state of quality research. With state support cut, the two available levers are tuition and more federal research money. With the latter, the pool of money is - at best - stagnant, and there's increasing pressure to get grants, which means more people cutting corners.

jogjayr 8y ago

> 3. Eliminate all competitive sports across all schools and colleges. This is just noise that nobody needs. I wouldn't eliminate college sports entirely - it's useful for brand building, keeping alumni (ergo donors) and the local community engaged, school spirit etc. But the "student-athlete" concept seems like complete nonsense. They should pay the players proper wages, give them good health insurance etc. Right now it's scandalous the amount of money everyone makes in college sports, but none goes to players or cheerleaders. Ideally they'd license the college's image rights to a private organization that runs the team, and the players play on it full-time. Those who choose can study for a degree at the institution concurrently, or after they finish playing. Some players may get drafted into professional leagues and do so well they don't ever get their degree. The coaching staff are employees of the team's organization rather than the uni.

analog31 8y ago

>>> Also, it makes no sense for a college to have to pay for campus police. Who came up with this nonsense idea? Who should pay for police services on a college campus? I live in the shadow of a big ten university with the population of a small city and a huge number of public events including home football games. They college pays no property taxes. Paying for campus police, ultimately out of the state budget, is a way to cover the cost of that service, which has to come from somewhere. A community of that size needs a certain amount of police service.