WVU Eliminating Degree Programs-Future of Higher Ed

U of Iowa has around a $3 B endowment fund and ISU approximately $1.5 B. I’ve wondered how that plays into the Regents decisions. If the managers of those funds are successful, that should produce some returns that should help keep tuition affordable. But I have no idea how the Universities annual returns from those funds are used toward operating expenses or if they go to some brick and mortar upgrade.
 
I guess I don't understand your point here.


The study below says that 33% of recent grads are working in a field that doesn't require a college eduaction of any kind. So if my math is right, the answer to your question is about 1/2? So 1/3 of college grads are not making use of their degree in any way.


the key word there is 'recent'. Not all college grads.

Not all find placement in their desired degree right away. I know engineers who had to work retail for a bit out of college but eventually found their way into engineering-related fields.
 
I get real tired of the argument that everyone should just go to community college or trade school. Not everyone is made that way. There should be no stigma for trade careers (and honestly there are more people that complain about there being a stigma than actual stigma....). But people should also be able to reasonably afford a 4 year degree.

I have no mechanical sense at all. I couldn't be a plumber or a ditch digger. I needed to be an accountant. And I should be able to pursue that without going into thousands of dollars of debt. And you know what? Back from 1997-2001, I was able to do that. In-state tuition room and board was reasonable, I had saved a small amount of money growing up with the expectation it was for college, I got a few small scholarships, and I had loans totaling $16,000. My parents were unable to help much at that time, but I obviously had them to fall back on if things had gotten scary. Even 20 years ago $16,000 was a reasonable amount of money pay off. I paid $100 per month for 15 years because I had an incredibly low interest rate and I was finished.

I'm a firm believer in people being smart about their college education. I think they should think about future careers and earning ability and all of that. I majored in accounting because I figured that was the most versatile and it would be easier to get a job. But I would have lost so much had I not been able to go to a 4 year school and do the whole college experience. And kids today should be able to attend Iowa State for a reasonable amount of money (i.e. not what they have to pay now) without getting told that they should go to trade school just because their parents don't have money. And there is. difference in community college and a university. One is not better than the other, but there IS value in a university education for some people.
What do you consider reasonable now for student loans? Your 16k amounts to 27.7k today. That is basically the median student loan debt now. The projections I’ve read say average should be 37.7k, but when you dig deeper, it estimates students going 5 years. Seems 5 years is now a rarity for bachelors. Shave that down to 4 years and assuming that the last year isn’t the heaviest debt load year (would logically seem to be) and that puts the average at 30k. (Average not median).

So jsb, you were basically average when you graduated and would be average now for debt load.
 
U of Iowa has around a $3 B endowment fund and ISU approximately $1.5 B. I’ve wondered how that plays into the Regents decisions. If the managers of those funds are successful, that should produce some returns that should help keep tuition affordable. But I have no idea how the Universities annual returns from those funds are used toward operating expenses or if they go to some brick and mortar upgrade.
Some of that endowment is endowed scholarships I believe.
 
I’m sure it’s minuscule, and I haven’t looked into it at all, but it’s always bothered my OCD brain that we need to fund accounting programs (for example) at all 3 public universities.
 
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The funding cuts for the Iowa Regent Universities have been going on for a number of years, It's not like this has just started happening. At some point it seems safe to assume that the people of the state are ok with the spending cuts, or that other things have higher priority.

And that directly correlates to the price of tuition going up.

And it also shows the stupidity of large amounts of Iowa voters because “education bad” mantra, which has also created a brain drain in this state.
 
I guess I don't understand your point here.
The point is a University does not develop scientists who rise to the top without having other students who don't rise to the top. That model not only would be unsustainable, but would eliminate people who felt under-qualified, but had a desire to compete and wanted to succeed, and found themselves. (ie Einstein)
 
Colleges Spend Like There’s No Tomorrow. ‘These Places Are Just Devouring Money.’

Sorry if it's behind a paywall, but this WSJ article last week does a good job covering the updated numbers that some of you were looking for earlier in the thread.

Drops in state funding definitely play a part in these issues, but seems to be an excuse for over the top increases in tuition and overspending in areas that aren't needed for a lot of schools.
 


Colleges Spend Like There’s No Tomorrow. ‘These Places Are Just Devouring Money.’

Sorry if it's behind a paywall, but this WSJ article last week does a good job covering the updated numbers that some of you were looking for earlier in the thread.

Drops in state funding definitely play a part in these issues, but seems to be an excuse for over the top increases in tuition and overspending in areas that aren't needed for a lot of schools.
I’m sorry, but playing a part isn’t accurate. Removing state funding is directly correlated to higher tuition.
 
Seems like defunding by the state combined with easy loans have combined to create a mess. Personally think they need to tighten up the loans and increase state funding. Currently these schools act like big business recruiting students with sonar signs in their eyes.
 
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I guess I don't understand your point here.


The study below says that 33% of recent grads are working in a field that doesn't require a college eduaction of any kind. So if my math is right, the answer to your question is about 1/2. And 1/3 of college grads are not making use of their degree in any way.

??????
 
I’m sorry, but playing a part isn’t accurate. Removing state funding is directly correlated to higher tuition.
Sure it is, that's what I said. But you can't blame the full rise of tuition solely on that.

From the article:
"Public university leaders often blame stingier state funding for the need to raise tuition revenue. And three-fourths of states did cut their support, undermining a longstanding principle that schools educated the populace with government backing. But universities generally didn’t tighten their belts as a result. Rather, they raised prices far beyond what was needed to fill the hole.

For every $1 lost in state support at those universities over the two decades, the median school increased tuition and fee revenue by nearly $2.40, more than covering the cuts, the Journal found."
 
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Sure it is, that's what I said. But you can't blame the full rise of tuition solely on that.

From the article:
"Public university leaders often blame stingier state funding for the need to raise tuition revenue. And three-fourths of states did cut their support, undermining a longstanding principle that schools educated the populace with government backing. But universities generally didn’t tighten their belts as a result. Rather, they raised prices far beyond what was needed to fill the hole.

For every $1 lost in state support at those universities over the two decades, the median school increased tuition and fee revenue by nearly $2.40, more than covering the cuts, the Journal found."
So the cuts don’t include what would have been a growth in support each year?
 
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Boomer logic is a handful of students getting useless degrees and a recent trend in building a few new buildings to replace ones from 1930 is what is causing a 50+ year nationwide trend or costs rising.
Ouch!
 
Colleges Spend Like There’s No Tomorrow. ‘These Places Are Just Devouring Money.’

Sorry if it's behind a paywall, but this WSJ article last week does a good job covering the updated numbers that some of you were looking for earlier in the thread.

Drops in state funding definitely play a part in these issues, but seems to be an excuse for over the top increases in tuition and overspending in areas that aren't needed for a lot of schools.
They can both be true. And it can vary greatly from department to department. There is definitely some fat that needs to be trimmed.
 
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