Andrew Delbanco’s analysis of American colleges starts with a brief history of their development. Delbanco explores the changes in the university system. The biggest impact was the G.I. Bill after World War II. Thousands of young men who would have never thought of going to college (it was for the elite back then) changed college campuses forever. Later, during the Vietnam War, more young men who normally wouldn’t have considered college took the college-deferment. That swelled college populations. Now, parents and young people are saddled with thousands of dollars of debt from the ever-increasing college tuition. Delbanco is troubled by the sketchy curriculum (“Wine Tasting,” “Survey of the TWILIGHT Novels,” “Queer Theory,” etc.) many colleges and universities offer. Budget cuts, inflating class sizes, bogus online courses, and escalating costs threaten the access to a quality college education in the coming years. If you’re living in this nightmare, as I am, Delbanco’s book offers a refreshing view of possible options to improve the situation. GRADE: B+.
It seems plain to me that without intervention, class size in college will balloon to 100, 000 students in a remote class except for those who can afford better. And what a small group that will be. Horrible. One of the major reasons is that states can’t afford to support colleges at the rate they have in the past. Well, they could, of course, if people were willing to pay taxes.
My College is pushing online classes, Patti. The traditional classroom will be more and more remote for most students. Giving tax breaks to billionaires only exacerbates the problem.
Survey of the TWILIGHT novels? For real? Sheesh.
To me the biggest fallacy is the idea that everyone is college material. I was there at the beginning of the “open enrollment” days of the late ’60’s. It didn’t work then and it doesn’t work now.
My College is an “open enrollment” college, Jeff. If you have a pulse and a check you’re in.
Does Mr. Delbanco offer one option in particular that would be a good start towards righting the educational ship? It seems to be taking on water from every direction…
Delbanco offers several options to save our colleges and universities, Drongo. He points out the most fundamental problem: rising costs. The Feds and the States have cut back on their support of higher education (and lower education, too) and that means that students have to pay more to attend. And students graduating with $100,000 of student debt is Not a Good Thing.
Even attending a state university and using the state tuition-assistance program (called TOPS in Louisiana) and a school-specific scholarship, our oldest daughter (the only one of our three in college right now–but the two in high school aren’t far behind) will still have about $20,000 in student loan debt when she graduates. So much of that “extra” (in my mind) outlay of money is for areas that have been completely outsourced since I was in college (admittedly a long time ago)–dorms and meals. I had sticker shock when I saw how much it would cost for her for a dorm room and a meal plan. Yikes! Also, when did the cost of textbooks start equalling a mortgage payment?
/Must run to convenience store to purchase large number of lotto tickets.
When I started teaching around 30 years ago, a textbook cost $25. Now, most of our textbooks cost over $200 each, Deb. There’s a move afoot to sell ebook versions of textbooks, but I’m not too sure how that’s going to work out for accounting books and advertising books. As I pointed out to Drongo, the costs of college have gone up as the Feds and the States have cut back on their support. You have to make up the difference…which isn’t fair.
Yes, my daughter is an Accounting major. Her textbooks for the upcoming Fall semester cost over $1,000. Admittedly, some of those can be used for subsequent classes, but we’re still talking a thousand bucks for cryin’ out loud!
The professors’ hands are tied, Deb. All of the accounting books (or advertising books) cost the same outrageous amounts. But, as you say, sometimes a single book can be used for more than one course. My advice to all of my students is to sell (or trade) their books after the semester is over. The publishers bring out “new” editions on a regular basis that render the “old” edition worthless.
The problem is that that is the only way publishers will stay in business. If students can endlessly read used copies bought for pennies on amazon or do kindle versions, where is the incentive to publish books. It’s a vicious world. I see both ends of this since Phil has two or three textbooks in motion. No new edition means no new sales. There must be some solution to this.
Anyway you look at it, $1,000 for textbooks is ridiculous. That’s another reason being a geezer isn’t so bad. If I told you what Jackie and I paid to attend Hunter College – part of the City University of New York – it would make you cry.
It’s not just the text books. Anytime there is a captive audience it is happening. I had a doctor’s visit two weeks ago. I didn’t see an M.D., just a medical assistant who looked over my paperwork and answered couple of questions before sending me back out front to schedule an outpatient procedure. The office visit bill came: $535. I about died. There is no reason on earth that what they provided should cost that much, nor any the text books you are talking about should cost $100, let alone $1000.
B A H !!!!
It’s the people who don’t have health insurance who are generating part of that $535 bill, Rick. All those “free” Emergency Room visits and “free” clinics have to be paid by folks like you…and me.
Richard–Don’t get me started! I was in a doctor’s waiting room yesterday and every single place on the wall (that used to be covered with health and medical advice posters) was now covered in lists of prices and numerous warnings that no services would be provided until co-payments and previous accounts were paid. There was even a note that stated it would cost $10 (“in cash only”) for the doctor to complete a disability/leave of absence form (this was an OB/GYN office, so you know they are completing pregnancy leave forms all day long). At one point, I even heard the receptionist giving a patient directions on how to get to the ATM because she (the patient) had arrived with only a credit card and the practice only accepts cash or checks. The poor woman (who was pregnant and had a toddler with her) had to leave to get cash before she could be seen. Sheesh! It made me glad my child-bearing days are behind me.
Our health system is broken, Deb. And no one seems to want to fix it. That’s why I’m getting my new right knee next month. I shudder to think how bad things are going to get in the years ahead as the Baby Boomers need more medical services.
The late, great Molly Ivans used to say (a rough paraphrase here), you can’t make people’s heath a for-profit industry because then there’s no incentive to cure them or make them feel better, just to extract as much money as possible for on-going treatment and medication.
I agree, Deb. Molly Ivans had it right. Why should some healhcare company CEO get paid millions to say, “No.” Those millions should go to people who need medical assistance.