mo degrees mo problems
TRANSCRIPT
Presenter’s Contract Is there a higher education crisis?
Why do we have more degrees and less social and economic mobility?
Tweet me, quote me, question me, argue with me vehemently
Higher Education Is In Crisis!
Shifting Higher Ed Landscape
More college students than ever before
1990–2000, total college enrollment grew by 11 percent
2000-2010, total college enrollment grew by 41 percent
Over 5 million more college students in 10 years
Tuition increases across all sectors of higher education
Financial “aid” shifted from grants to student loans
Economy replaced “good” jobs with McJobs
Increasing inequality = Mo’ Degrees, Mo’ Problems
More Education, Less Mobility
Pew Economic Mobility Project. 2010.
Today’s College Student?
Today’s College Student
Constrained Choices
Where are Minority Students?
Hing, Julianne. July 2012. “Here’s How Students of Color Fit Into Higher Ed’s Shifting Ecosystem” Colorlines. http://colorlines.com/archives/2012/07/the_shifting_higher_education_ecosystem_and_how_students_of_color_fit.html
B.A. from Harvard in 2010 = $145,220 in 2010
B.A. from ITT Technical Institute = $110,848
The Price-Prestige Index has been broken
Students from all walks of life borrow a lot of money for a shot at a good job.
Especially true for women, mothers who are already at or below the poverty line.
If we care about the cycle of poverty we must care about how and where women are being educated and for what ends.
So What?
How Did We Get Here? Traditional colleges abandoned any pretense of egalitarian
service
Private sector shifts human capital development to individuals
Neo-liberal education policy = more loans, fewer grants
Decrease in state subsidies of public education
Labor market: expansion of service economy
There are fewer good jobs and fewer avenues to get there
Solutions? Massive Open Online Courses
Coursera, 2Tor, Private-public partnerships
More for-profit colleges
More job-focused degrees
IT’S THE ECONOMY, STUPID
Degrees don’t create jobs. JOBS CREATE JOBS!
www.tressiemc.com@tressiemcphd