During the several years I spent as a university dean in Europe, part of my job was to manage costs. Tuition levels there are a fraction of what U.S. universities charge, but we did just fine. Our infrastructure was simpler and focused on education and need. Sports budgets were proportional to their importance, not overinflated for prestige and recruitment. I knew several college presidents in the U.S. in the 80’s, and their salaries made sense then – the average in the U.S. is now about $400K, with many above $1m and several above $2m.
Some believe that the outrageous tuitions our college’s charge are a result of low interest government student loans not being scrutinized. Perhaps colleges need more accountability. Managing college costs are a key issue on a micro-economic level for families and on a government level to keep the national future strong in the arts and sciences. We all know the unreasonable burden some twenty-two year olds have been saddled with during the last ten years (debt in the double and triple digits) can be a difficult elephant in the room when just starting out.
The following is an interesting story in the Christian Science Monitor this month. For those of you who don’t know this newspaper, it has nothing to do with Christian Science, but is an example of some of the finest journalism in our country – well worth following!
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“Recently, Alex Stenner, a sophomore at the University of Wisconsin – Green Bay, saved hundreds of dollars on tuition and hours spent in class. He signed up for a free online introduction to psychology course offered by Education Portal, of Mountain View, Calif.; crammed his studying into two weeks over the Christmas holidays; and then took the College Board’s College Level Examination Program (CLEP)…..”