Page 114 - Crisis in Higher Education

86 • Crisis in Higher Education

The following bullet points examine the impact of root cause 7,
“Expanding Student Expectations,” on the underlying problems listed
in Table 4.3.

• Problem 1. Cost increases: As student expectations increase and uni-
versities respond with more high-cost amenities, students pay more.
• Problem 2. Quality decreases: If donor funds could go to academic uses
and scholarships for students rather than for sports teams and their
facilities or other peripheral uses, educational quality could increase.
• Problem 3. Access decreases: As costs rise to support more amenities,
the burden on students increases and access declines.
• Problem 4. Graduation rate decreases: As fees rise to support more
amenities like bigger sports programs or fancy recreation centers,
the cost burden for students increases. As costs increase, students
feel the pressure to work more, which negatively impacts their grades
and may cause them to drop out or flunk out.
• Problem 5. Completion time increases: As costs rise to support more
amenities, the burden on students increases and completion time
increases.
• Problem 6. Job placement: No change.

4.10 HOW ERODING STANDARDS (ROOT CAUSE 8)
AFFECT THE UNDERLYING PROBLEMS
Most states provide funding to public colleges and universities based on the
number of students enrolled, which is usually measured by student credit
hours (SCHs)—the sum of all credit hours taken by all students. A subsidy
is paid per SCH, and the rate may be different between disciplines such
as engineering and business, between freshman-level, general education
courses and senior electives, and between undergraduate and graduate
courses. To address concerns about high dropout rates, some states have
redesigned their subsidy to consider course completion, graduation rates,
and degree completion time. This change puts pressure on universities
to have more successful students, which sounds like, and is, a good idea,
assuming that expectations for student learning are maintained.
Despite the economic recovery that began in 2008, many public universi-
ties face tight budgets. This is exacerbated by a lull in the number of high