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You wanted to commoditize higher ed and demand people have degrees just to essentially survive, yet you've defunded higher ed. This is exactly how a market func

You wanted to commoditize higher ed and demand people have degrees just to essentially survive, yet you've defunded higher ed. This is exactly how a market functions. Consumers no longer have the time nor money to waste on degrees which are poor returns on investments, either because they came from a college no one had ever heard of, or because the skillset that the degree endowed is not in-demand. Really this is just the market reacting so I don't feel like its a huge surprise. (I guess the article kind of expressed this sentiment already, but I feel its worth reiterating).

paulddraper 7y ago
> You Who? > defunded higher ed I am unaware of this. I thought public funding increased over the last decade or so.
- deleted 7y ago
  [deleted]
- Craighead 7y ago
  Not even a little bit.
  - paulddraper 7y ago
    Alright, looks like my "decade" time period was off. State/local funding for 2-4 year institutions did in fact increase 2% from 2007 to 2017 [1], but that figure is negative after adjusting for 18% cumulative inflation. It's been rising more recently though. 2012-2017 had a 15% increase (20% per student), with only 7% cumulative inflation. Either way, "defunded higher ed" is exaggerated. [1] https://trends.collegeboard.org/college-pricing/figures-tables/total-and-student-state-and-local-funding-and-public-enrollment-over-time https://trends.collegeboard.org/college-pricing/figures-tabl...
- midnitewarrior 7y ago
  State schools contributed less to tuition, pushing the burden on to students and parents. They used the money saved to build more impressive facilities to attract more students, and also raised costs. Students accepted that they will need huge loans to get an education, and institutions invested in more elaborate amenities (sports arenas, rec facilities, apartment-style dorms, huge athletic budgets) to attract the top students and their loan money.

paulddraper 7y ago

> You Who? > defunded higher ed I am unaware of this. I thought public funding increased over the last decade or so.

deleted 7y ago
[deleted]
Craighead 7y ago
Not even a little bit.
- paulddraper 7y ago
  Alright, looks like my "decade" time period was off. State/local funding for 2-4 year institutions did in fact increase 2% from 2007 to 2017 [1], but that figure is negative after adjusting for 18% cumulative inflation. It's been rising more recently though. 2012-2017 had a 15% increase (20% per student), with only 7% cumulative inflation. Either way, "defunded higher ed" is exaggerated. [1] https://trends.collegeboard.org/college-pricing/figures-tables/total-and-student-state-and-local-funding-and-public-enrollment-over-time https://trends.collegeboard.org/college-pricing/figures-tabl...
midnitewarrior 7y ago
State schools contributed less to tuition, pushing the burden on to students and parents. They used the money saved to build more impressive facilities to attract more students, and also raised costs. Students accepted that they will need huge loans to get an education, and institutions invested in more elaborate amenities (sports arenas, rec facilities, apartment-style dorms, huge athletic budgets) to attract the top students and their loan money.