Many people believe that a college or university is just like a business. Students pay a fee (tuition) for a service (education). However, there are components than just these things to take into consideration and things are not always as clear and simple as some believe. There are several organizational models from which businesses and schools can operate, but the nature of academic governance is a unique one, and a school cannot always be treated as a traditional business for many reasons.
One of the reasons the comparison between a university and a business is a complex one, and one of much debate, is that the educational world is distinctive unto itself. There are many factors to be considered, and whenever you have the combination of money and people involved, things become more complicated. E. Gordon Gee, the former president of Ohio State University, discussed the uniqueness of the educational arena in an April 29, 2008 interview. In his interview, Dr. Gee said that one of the problems with colleges is that they “all want to be like each other” when they cannot. (Gee, 2008). He said that sameness leads to “mediocrity” but that schools in a state should try to work together in order to create a “systemic approach” (Gee, 2008). In a state, universities are an “economic engine” and that if they work collaboratively, the universities within one state can take on a more active public leadership role (Gee, 2008). Dr. Gee believes that businesses and other organizations should take this approach and that it helps “create relevance” for an organization, especially a university (Gee, 2008). This view of collaboration led to Dr. Gee being appointed by Ohio Governor Kasich to lead a seven member commission tasked with d...
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...lines for a successful presidency. (Paul Fain, Interviewer) [Audio file]. Retrieved from The Chronicle of Higher Education website: http://chronicle.com/article/Audio-Gordon-Gees-Guidelines/63338/
Gee, G. & Association of Governing Boards of Universities and Colleges, W.C. (2006). A convergence of corporate and academic governance. Trusteeship, 14(6), 24-27. Retrieved from ERIC, EBSCOhost on November 26, 2013
Lohmann, S. (2004). Can’t the university be more like business?. Economics of Governance, 5(1), 9-27. Doi:10.1007/s10101-003-0067-1.
TEDxTalks. (November 18, 2011). TEDxLondon – Dougald Hine. Retrieved November 21, 2013 from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wqVrlUKltII
Winston, G. C. (1997, Sep). Why can't a college be more like a firm? Change, 29, 32-38.
Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com.proxy1.ncu.edu/docview/208057952? accountid=28180
To begin with, there are valid points made. For starters universities need to stop considering themselves as businesses and stop putting business first, and
Colleges and community colleges have their share of faults, and these three writers express what should be done to repair the broken system; if Carey were to attempt upholding his view that for-profits have their place in education, the result would be complete annihilation. Yes, for-profits benefit those who reap gains from the system, but Hacker and Dreifus and Addison would tear apart this view with the true meaning of education. Educated graduates with jobs that help create a better society are essential to the function of societies all over the world; therefore, colleges exist for the purpose of producing these graduates capable of making a difference. Students need education—students are the purpose of education. Although Carey’s claim—the government should not interfere with the success of for-profit owners—has integrity, Hacker, Dreifus, and Addison all believe that it is not in the right place. In their view, for-profits have no value to anyone but the owners. In sum, Carey would be shut down with the reality that an education system with the central purpose of earning profit does not value providing an education that benefits both students and society—the main focus is money. In turn, what is available could hardly be considered an education, according to Hacker, Dreifus, and Addison. However, the marketing scheme of for-profits still successfully entices people to enroll by offering accessibility with quick and easy degrees, which would infuriate Ungar and
College is marketed towards students as an essential part of building a successful future. The United States “sells college” to those who are willing to buy into the business (Lee 671). With the massive amounts of student debts acquired every year, and the rising costs of
On the other hand, I believe that parents and the students are the one that will create the new standards for colleges to be chosen. Why do I think this way and disagree with Kevin Carey? I disagree with him because business, whether for profit or non-profit, will not change a marketing strategy if they see it is working. Colleges will only change if they see that consumers are changing. Yes, colleges will try to distract consumers with amenities. But, if consumers look for the information they need colleges will give it to them. The reason this works is because students will go to a college that will supply them with their demands, the law of supply and
Baldridge, J.V., Curtis, D.V., Ecker, G.P., & Riley, G.L. (1977). Alternative models of governance in higher education. In G.L. Riley and J.V. Baldridge. Governing academic organization. Berkeley, CA: McCutchan Publishing.
What stands out about American universities today? Is it the academic opportunities offered to students, experienced faculty, or strong sense of community? Or...perhaps they have lost their focus. It is not uncommon for universities to focus their efforts and budgets elsewhere; by building state of the art gyms, for example, remodeling luxury dorms, grooming campuses, or creating more management positions. College students and professors alike are subject to the nationally occurring changes in higher level education. Colleges are becoming commercialized and tuition is rising, but is the quality of education improving? In “Why We Should Fear University, Inc.”, Fredrik DeBoer is able to provide a personal take on the issue of corporate domination
Financial exigency in the higher education industry is an equivalent to bankruptcy in the corporate world. Term Financial Exigency first appeared in 1920s in the draft of the Declaration of Principles on Academic Freedom and Academic Tenure of the Association of American Colleges (Berube, 2013, p.7) as a condition when it is possible to terminate tenured faculty. At that time, there was no clear definition or concise circumstances when universities can declare a state of financial exigency. Since then, this phenomenon has been covered in more details. In this paper, I will define financial exigency, its declaration process, causes, and possible short and long-term consequences and demonstrate it on the example of the University of Louisiana
The advertisements are everywhere -- on local television stations it is Everest Institute, or Brown Mackie College. On South Florida highway billboards, it is the University of Phoenix. All are selling a quick, convenient college education, and the dream of a better life. In this economy, people are buying, and in the process the schools -- built to make a profit -- are thriving. What is less clear, though, is how much students actually benefit. For-profit colleges, many with night classes and entire degree programs available online, are built to fit seamlessly into the busy life of a working adult.
The biggests explain I can think of is University Of michigan. They are famous for their football team. But do you know what else they are famous for? There science department. University Of Michigan get peoples attention only for football of science department what about other major? The major that could matter but don't get enough attention. This world of education is turning to only science majors and math or the football team. There classes like writing, speech, art and etc is turning into basic classes that supports science and math. The high the test score in these subject the better the rating for universities. What about the success rate of students? No college wants to rate themselves by the number of murders, suicides, failures, or dropouts. They all hide the negative side to attract the students to come to their college. Colleges are turning education into a business. They do this by adding classes that are not a part of their major, increasing the prices of books, and high tuitions that cause students to pile up with student
...sented themselves such as: lack of financial support, low graduation rates, and a non-existence of diversification. However, these issues can be changed by an increase in support from different places which would add to the existing importance of HBCU’S. People are inspired by the Institutions because they work hard to overcome obstacles placed in their way. Students, Alumni’s, and Parents see the motivation and determination of the schools to stay ongoing and I see it as well.
Throughout the years, America has always debated whether education is needed- if it helps people succeed or not. The argument in the past was always over high school education, which is now mandatory. That decision has helped the US rise economically and industrially. Today, the US is in the middle of the same debate- this time, over college. Some, like David Leonhardt, a columnist for the business section of The New York Times, think a college education creates success in any job. Others, such as Christopher Beha, an author and assistant editor of Harper’s Magazine, believe that some college “education” (like that of for-profit schools) is a waste of time, and can even be harmful to students. Each stance on this argument has truth to it, and there is no simple answer to this rising issue in an ever changing nation full of unique people. Any final decision would affect the United States in all factions- especially economically and socially. However, despite the many arguments against college, there is overwhelming proof that college is good for all students, academically or not.
College tuition is a hot topic these days. For a long time, people did not pay much attention to tuition. Today, things are changing. More and more, people are realizing how high tuition has gotten and now they want that to change. In the following essay, I have tried to tackle a very difficult topic. The problem with this topic was that, during research, I found that almost all of the information regarding it was attack after attack on the college administrations. I found no writings by college administrators even attempting to defend themselves. I discovered the awful truth about how much college tuition had gotten out of control over the years.
As colleges’ funds dry up, colleges must turn to the public to further support higher education. By raising state taxes, colleges can collect funds to help improve the school’s budgets. The state provides funds from the taxes for colleges to receive a certain amount for each student currently enrolled. All community and traditional four year colleges collect these funds in order to maintain the school’s budget. As reporter, Eric Kelderman states, “less than a third of colleges’ budget is based from state taxes”. The school’s budget is how colleges are able to provide academic support programs, an affordable intuition, and hire more counselors. Colleges must now depend on state taxes more than ever for public colleges. Without collecting more funds from state taxes, as author, Scott Carlson explains how Mr. Poshard explains to senators “our public universities are moving quickly toward becoming private universities…affordable only to those who have the economic wherewithal to them” (qtd. in.) Public colleges must be affordable to anyone who wishes to attend. If colleges lack to provide this to students, it can affect dropouts, a student’s ability focus, and cause stress. The problem of lack of funding is that colleges have insufficient funds. Therefore, the best possible solution for the problem of lack of funding would be increasing and collecting more funds from state taxes.
People have long assumed that university is the home of the educated and open minded people. People expand their personal horizons here. The public believes university students can deal with the cultural differences of human beings. The public believes students can deal with these differences because university students are exposed to a wide range of academic subjects including Humanities. Humanities exposes students to world literature, art, and geography. The public expects these subjects to aid university students in understanding cultural differences.Use of cultural differences should be emphasized in the universities. These differences should be emphasized not to humiliate or disgrace people but to influence students to accept and acknowledge cultural differences.
“Let us think of education as the means of developing our greatest abilities, because in each of us there is a private hope and dream which, fulfilled, can be translated into benefit for everyone and greater strength for our nation.” John F. Kennedy. The current state of the education system leaves much to be desired. The United States was once head of the class in respect to the effectiveness of the educational system. This has not been the case in recent years. There are a wide variety of reasons for this decline but what are the core requirements that need to be focused on to become the world leader in education again? The three key areas that are necessary for a successful educational system are support, structure, and ownership.