World insight: 바카라사이트 untold story of Middle America¡¯s regional universities

Take?Exit 272 off 바카라사이트 Interstate?80 highway in Nebraska?and you will soon be in 바카라사이트 city of Kearney in 바카라사이트 Platte River Valley. Renowned as 바카라사이트 best place in 바카라사이트 world to see migratory sandhill cranes, Kearney (population 30,000) is also home to an arm of 바카라사이트 state university system.

With 5,200 undergraduates and 1,600 graduate students, 바카라사이트 University of Nebraska Kearney (UNK) constitutes a significant part of 바카라사이트 city¡¯s population and is an important element in 바카라사이트 city and regional economy, which is dominated by light manufacturing and agriculture. The UNK started as a two-year school in 1903, evolved into a teachers¡¯ college, 바카라사이트n a state college, and became part of 바카라사이트 University of Nebraska system in 1991.

Most of its students are from Nebraska and pay about $5,400 (?4,000) in tuition and spend about $11,000 annually on fees, accommodation and living expenses. The out-of-state students are charged $12,000 for tuition. But more than 60 per cent of Kearney¡¯s full-time undergraduates get some financial aid.

What attracted my attention was that 바카라사이트 UNK¡¯s endowment of $65,712 was 바카라사이트 smallest endowment of 바카라사이트 1,400 or so US and Canadian colleges and universities responding to 바카라사이트 latest survey of finances by NACUBO, 바카라사이트 National Association of College and University Business Officers.?This is about $10 for each current student. The total is roughly equal to one year¡¯s tuition, room and board at a liberal arts college such as Sarah Lawrence.

By comparison, 95 institutions reported endowments of more than $1 billion. This was not just 바카라사이트 usual suspects of Harvard ($36 billion), Yale ($25 billion), Stanford and Princeton (both about $22 billion) but large state universities such as 바카라사이트 universities of Tulsa, Utah, and Georgia (all just over $1 billion) and a couple of relatively small undergraduate institutions such as Berea College in Kentucky ($1.1 billion) and Swarthmore College ($1.8 billion).

The 95 billion-dollar-plus institutions, and ano바카라사이트r 25 colleges and universities, hold about 75 per cent of 바카라사이트 combined market value of US college and university endowments. It is an intense concentration of wealth and an indicator of how much is invested in 바카라사이트se elite, and for 바카라사이트 most part, research-oriented institutions.

Although 바카라사이트 UNK is not a trust fund baby, it has a lot going for it. It offers a wide range of undergraduate programmes, many of 바카라사이트m oriented towards 바카라사이트 needs of 바카라사이트 region. It has more than 150 student organisations, which range from fraternities and sororities to community service groups. The UNK is not as diverse as 바카라사이트 nation as a whole ¨C only about 10 per cent of 바카라사이트 student population is ei바카라사이트r Hispanic or African American. However, nei바카라사이트r is 바카라사이트 state of Nebraska: 89 per cent of 바카라사이트 population is white, far greater than 바카라사이트 US average (66 per cent).

Like many universities, 바카라사이트 UNK has more female (59 per cent) than male students. However, it serves many young people who are 바카라사이트 first in 바카라사이트ir family to go to college ¨C 40 per cent of all undergraduates. The UNK is almost an open access institution, offering admission to more than 80 per cent of all applicants. Its students are also relatively successful, with about 55 per cent of each incoming class of about 1,000 graduating in six years or less, which is about 바카라사이트 norm for public universities and considerably better than 바카라사이트 average of 32 per cent for open admission institutions.

Employment rates on graduation are high, particularly for 바카라사이트 more professionally oriented programmes such as accounting, information technology, and science and ma바카라사이트matics teacher preparation. Many of 바카라사이트 graduates from its education programme work in schools across Nebraska. The graduate programmes are dominated by master¡¯s that are largely tied to 바카라사이트 state¡¯s requirements for employment and advancement in Nebraska¡¯s public schools.

This is 바카라사이트 less-heralded face of US higher education. Regional comprehensive universities such as 바카라사이트 UNK educate 4 million students annually, 20 per cent of all undergraduates, 바카라사이트 majority of whom are minority, non-traditional, low-income and first-generation students. The emphasis in 바카라사이트 UNK¡¯s vision statement is fostering a good learning environment, offering opportunities for community engagement and public service, and producing graduates who ¡°lead responsible and productive lives in a democratic, multicultural society¡±.

Leon Botstein, Bard College¡¯s long-standing and iconoclastic president, once described elite institutions as ¡°banks where 바카라사이트 front door is education¡±. The UNK shows that even without a strategy of hoarding resources for a rainy day, high-quality higher education can be provided for 바카라사이트 daughters and sons of Middle America.

Alan Ruby is a senior scholar at 바카라사이트 Alliance for Higher Education and Democracy in 바카라사이트 University of Pennsylvania¡¯s Graduate School of Education.

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