In my hometown, a local college decided to become a
university. Not that the institution was expanding; the draw was tuition money
from foreign students whose governments required that aid be given only to foreign
universities. So overnight, departments became colleges. The underlying
mentality, I submit, is that of forsaking what an institution is and so claiming
to be something it’s not in order to get more money. In short, the underlying
mentality is more, more, more, even
if this means being something an institution is not. The change comes off as
pretentious and greedy. The mentality is also in the mix when for-profit
colleges take advantage of the U.S. student-loan program to the extent that
they become financially dependent on the subsidized loans. Furthermore, some
for-profits turn non-profit as a way to avoid oversight without losing the
financial benefits of being for-profit. The trend points to an increasing
decadence in American higher-education. The good news is that between 2011 and
2016, the enrollments at the major non-profit schools dropped by more than
half; the “pullback came as the government clamped down on aggressive
recruiting practices and stricter policies intended to ensure that schools are
preparing students for gainful employment.”[1]
Even the assumption that the purpose of a college is to train students for jobs rather than educate to make students knowledgeable. I suspect that the latter
mission ironically makes for better hires among graduates.
The full essay is at "For-Profits Cutting Corners."
1. Mellisa Korn, “Loan Curbs Shut College,” The
Wall Street Journal, September 7, 2016.
