At many universities, tuition rates have soared, and the gap between bachelors and high-school degree earners’ income has decreased. Amid accusations of ideological capture in higher education and the inapplicability of college training and degree programs, universities face challenges to long-standing funding structures and growing public distrust. Universities and colleges around the country are closing their doors en masse, and others are freezing funds or implementing other stopgaps to remain above water.
In this project, I develop a model of education which would allow universities to maintain diversified and relatively certain funding, make undergraduate education a necessary and beneficial process for any professional organization or individual, and select students without regard for financial need and with regard to the benefit of society or community. I argue that modern educational programs, particularly bachelor of arts programs, ignore the differences in the products and services of the university system and in so doing make them ineffective.
I expand upon the basic model, revealing specific, actionable steps toward this goal. This project provides methods to recenter the university on service, reinvigorate public interest and investment in universities, and ensure universities provide the maximal benefit to society.
-
Science is in crisis. Universities are facing unprecedented challenges to their financial stability, and a significant portion of public opinion is against scientific institutions in challenges to grant funding issued by governments. Trust in science is faltering, and for good reason: the university system has failed to meet the demands of society. This paper investigates what universities should do, using fundamental economic models. The solution proposed is to supply demand and charge for the services and goods provided. Though seemingly obvious, I demonstrate the ways universities fail to do this in a discussion of the business model for each product or service provided. This same discussion reveals how universities can move forward, creating self-sustaining, diversified income, providing opportunities to early-career researchers and those from underserved communities, and better benefit the societies they serve.
-
Science is in crisis. Universities are facing unprecedented challenges to their financial stability, and a significant portion of public opinion is against scientific institutions in challenges to grant funding issued by governments. Trust in science is faltering, and for good reason: the university system has failed to meet the demands of society. This paper investigates what universities should do, using fundamental economic models. The solution proposed is to supply demand and charge for the services and goods provided. Though seemingly obvious, I demonstrate the ways universities fail to do this in a discussion of the business model for each product or service provided. This same discussion reveals how universities can move forward, creating self-sustaining, diversified income, providing opportunities to early-career researchers and those from underserved communities, and better benefit the societies they serve.
This project is ongoing and will be published here soon!
-
Universities primarily employ liberal faculty members, but this is not the result of a strategic political agenda. Instead, conservatives (who tend to be risk-averse) avoid academic positions, which often come with an unstable and unpredictable career path. Extensive interview, employment, and census data suggest that conservatives lead lives and have goals that are largely incompatible with academic lifestyles.
This project is ongoing and will be published here soon!