Another Posting About A College Education

I think that it was in my youth that the nation began thinking of college as a way to a better job, rather than a way to become better educated about life and living. In my old age going to the right college has become the be-all and end-all for many American parents of the 21st century. They spend a lot of money and time trying to get their children into the right school. They are willing to go into debt to make sure their child gets a proper education.

And, on the seller's side of the fence, colleges spend more and more money and time trying to convince people to come to their school. There is fierce competition to be listed high up in US News annual college surveys. It has become so important to be successful in athletics that college coaches are paid in six and seven figures; many are paid more than university presidents. Of course, I'm only talking about what we consider regular colleges, not places like the University of Phoenix which are in it for the almighty dollar. Interestingly, the for-profit places do not have sports teams.

The preceding is by way of introducing you to "Bad Education", an article by one Malcolm Harris, a writer from San Francisco. Harris disputes the notions that a college education is a good investment and an unmitigated social good. He argues that tuitions have increased 900% since 1978 but the quality of education has not. In fact, there are more courses taught "by someone who has started a degree but not finished it; was hired by a manager, not professional peers; may never publish in the field she is teaching; got into the pool of persons being considered for the job because she was willing to work for wages around the official poverty line (often under the delusion that she could ‘work her way into’ a tenurable position); and does not plan to be working at your institution three years from now". He attributes much of the problem to the fact that colleges have really become businesses and they pour money into administration and marketing rather than education.

A very interesting article.