Page 350 - Crisis in Higher Education

320 • Crisis in Higher Education

improvements. University leadership must engage tenured and profes-
sional faculty in these efforts to gain their buy-in and implement changes
to curriculum design and instructional delivery. University leadership
must show that it is committed to change by making significant cuts
in administration, especially to top managers and their direct reports,
because administration has grown much faster than tenured faculty posi-
tions and enrollment. 2
If these efforts are successful, market forces should compel private uni-
versity, both not-for-profit and for-profit, to respond with similar pro-
grams. Success would cause administrators to think differently about
their expectations, practices, and outcomes. Only well-endowed, private,
not-for-profit universities would be insulated from these changes, at least
as long as wealthy parents are willing to pay substantially more to educate
their children. Smaller, less well-funded, private, not-for-profit universities
would be forced to change, consolidate, or close. Private, for-profit univer-
sities are having serious problems with graduation rates and completion
time. They must improve or face backlashes from the federal government
as it denies funding and from applicants who choose not to enroll.

15.3.2 Role of Students, Parents, Other
Family Members, and Friends
When state subsidy is excluded, this group pays about 48% of the cost of
higher education, making it the largest payer. This does not include loans
taken and repaid by student and parents, which represent another 11% and
11
6%, respectively. To the extent this group pays state and federal taxes,
they pay a portion of those subsidies as well. This group must play a prom-
inent role in driving change in two ways.
First, as citizens and taxpayers, they have a right as well as a responsi-
bility to demand that state government take action to address the prob-
lems with higher education through their letters, phone calls, votes, and
other methods of communication. Governors and members of the state
legislature need their support to push back against the institutions and
their “well-heeled” alumni who can pressure politicians on behalf of col-
leges and universities. Second, as customers, this group can contact uni-
versity presidents and boards of trustees to let them know their concerns
about cost, completion time, and other factors that impact higher educa-
tion. In addition, they can choose educational options that offer the best
value. Creating statewide parent groups that can act as a voice directed