Higher ed: debt to death

This article gives "8 reasons why college tuition is the next bubble to burst." It makes many good points. Most revolve around the effect easy credit and expanding student loan programs have had on skyrocketing tuition rates. But a closer look is in order at reasons 4, 6 and 7:

- Colleges are on a non-teaching staff hiring spree that far outpaces enrollment
- Schools are spending on luxurious amenities to lure in more students
- College president salaries are sky high, even in a historical economic downturn

By and large, the university system in this country has lost the focus on academic excellence. Certainly, there are outstanding teachers here and there, and the occasional school that swims against the tide. But there's a lot of money spent on positions and accessories that have little to do with the core mission of a school: education.

Ironically, the great success America had in opening up opportunity for education may have been a key factor in decreasing its effectiveness. The attractiveness of a diploma 50 or 60 years ago was based on the achievement it represented -- a fairly rigorous academic standard that not only required absorption of certain information but a demonstrated ability to employ that information in a useful manner. With fewer schools and even fewer students who could afford them, the entire higher education concept was a much more serious prospect. Thus, employers could make certain assumptions about those who possessed a degree.

Today, the focus is less on the education and more on the "experience." Students go to college not to find knowledge and wisdom, but to "find themselves" (which often is just an exercise in finding out what others think they ought to be...). Far too many go there, and stay as long as possible, to delay actually taking on adult responsibilities. The student is exalted over the subject, and in catering to the "customer," universities have watered down or eliminated the very value of the diplomas they issue. Even Harvard, it seems, has a hard time upholding a standard.

The end of easy credit is but one factor that will cause tuition rates to plummet. Another will be increasing recognition that for many "graduates," the time represents little more than warming a seat and scribbling a few notes in between auditioning for the eventual remake of "Animal House." Employers already claim they have to hire foreign workers because Americans lack the skills. Yet we spend enormous sums on public education at every level. Clearly, something's amiss.

The final nail in the coffin, though, will be the easy availability of education to anyone who truly desires it. The web is already a treasure trove of do-it-yourself study. The key will be when employers finally stop making any assumptions whatsoever about a slip of paper in a fancy frame, and it ceases to be a prerequisite to get a shot at showing what you can actually do.