3 ms·
Does anybody know what are the major running costs involved in a university? What I found disturbing in the (public midwestern) university where I studied are t
by sn41 8y ago
Does anybody know what are the major running costs involved in a university? What I found disturbing in the (public midwestern) university where I studied are the luxurious sports complexes that kept popping up, whereas many classrooms were poorly heated and ventilated. As far as the staff is concerned, I hear that teaching and tenured positions are being reduced in favour of increasing administrative staff and corporate-style bosses. The peripheral processes seem to be eating up the core, much like one of those parasites which thrive as outer shells long after their host trees are gone.
- qaq 8y agothe ratio is shifting dramatically toward admin side
- ams6110 8y agoYes. Administrative staff, and spending on dubious things such as e-textbooks, LMS systems, online learning and IT in general is out of control.
- secabeen 8y agoDo you have a citation for this? The data I have shows that on a real basis, expenditures at state schools for administrative services are largely flat: https://nces.ed.gov/programs/digest/d16/tables/dt16_334.10.asp https://nces.ed.gov/programs/digest/d16/tables/dt16_334.10.a...
- qaq 8y agohttps://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/aug/21/universities-broke-cut-pointless-admin-teaching https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/aug/21/univer... I think looking at top level figures could be problematic because we don't really know how classification was done.
- secabeen 8y agoIntetresting. That's UK, which is a totally different system, but still neat.
- rossdavidh 8y agoI worked in a state university's accounting IT department, and one (not the only) factor is that most of the money in the budget was not money the president of the university had any say in spending. Most money, whether donations or from the state or the feds or anybody else, came in with strings attached. If I give you money on the condition you build a new stadium with it, you have to use it for that, you can't decide instead to renovate the building where Literature is taught, even though it is falling down. Any grant, government corporate or private, came with strings attached on what you were allowed to spend it on. And people like paying for new buildings, including sports, more than they like paying for upkeep.
- mcguire 8y agoBellmont Hall (https://www.utrecsports.org/facilities/facility/bellmont-hall https://www.utrecsports.org/facilities/facility/bellmont-hal...) was allegedly paid for out of academic building funds. It's the set of ramps up the west side of Darrel K. Royal Memorial Stadium.
- ams6110 8y agoAthletics facilities are normally paid for by donors, and their operational costs are budgeted out of athletics revenue which is separate from the overall University budget. Tuition dollars normally do not fund athletics in any way.
- watwut 8y agoAfaik, most athletic programs sped more then earn. Earners are an exception, not the norm.
- secabeen 8y agoSure. The department of education publishes this data: https://nces.ed.gov/programs/digest/d95/dtab336.asp https://nces.ed.gov/programs/digest/d95/dtab336.asp