There is an informative article in the WSJ,
Community Colleges Try to Revamp Image to Keep Students In Bid to Boost Graduation Rates, Schools Add Housing and Other Perks
Their approach may be ok, but I wrote that I worry, since “The shortest path to more graduation is littered with less education. That’s the path many four year schools took in the 70’s when they were afraid of losing students. Let’s hope this drive for more graduation is accompanied by a drive for more education. Ensuring that is not so easy.”
I also replied to Tom Taggart, who made this observation,
“How depressing for the PHD ego to end up actually teaching at West Podunk
Community College! Let’s build dorms, a rec center, create new administrative
positions such as wellness facilitator, and leave the teaching to some poor
schmuck high school shop teacher we bring in evenings.
Then drop
“community” from the name, and hire more PHD’s for the administrative staff so
we can spend our days lobbying for more state money”
I replied:
“You are very close. Here is what happens. (I know. I have seen it firsthand.) Irresponsible (and sometimes just unscrupulous) professors at major universities grant PhD’s to people that should not even get a master’s degree. They do this for many reasons. Those PhD’s are ill prepared to teach well, so they cater to the wants (not the needs) of the students, and, society. I’m not sure that this happens so much at community colleges, at least not right now, but I have seen it first hand at regional state schools.
The problem starts at the top with the people at the major schools, who should know exactly what is going on, but prefer not to think about it. You can read more on my blog, inside-higher-ed.comand thanks for you excellent observation.”
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