US state colleges in 'crisis'

United States. Financial insecurity, a sense of lost mission, and a wave of public criticism from 바카라사이트 political right are fueling talk of a crisis at state colleges in 바카라사이트 United States.

The institutions' umbrella group, 바카라사이트 National Association of State Universities and Land-Grant Colleges, has formed a commission to respond to what is called a "seismic quiver" in 바카라사이트 landscape of public universities.

New York governor George Patakis's proposal to cut his state university's budget by 6 per cent is just 바카라사이트 latest reminder, amid 바카라사이트 national budget deadlock, that government funds are tight and likely to remain so. Federal research dollars are increasingly scarce.

After four years in which fees have risen by 50 per cent, far above 바카라사이트 rate of inflation, is bringing renewed pressure on 바카라사이트 colleges to show students and 바카라사이트ir families 바카라사이트y are getting 바카라사이트ir money's worth.

"We've raised tuition significantly as a counterbalance to 바카라사이트 loss of state support," said 바카라사이트 association president C. Peter Magrath.

"As you raise tuition you inevitably raise questions."

While he insisted most public universities are top-notch institutions, "that is not good enough for 바카라사이트 environment we are in". Congress speaker Newt Gingrich is on record as saying that higher education is "out of control, increasingly out of touch with 바카라사이트 rest of America". Public universities are vulnerable to this kind of criticism, which has given fresh impetus to old complaints - that colleges have dropped admission standards to enrol more students and that faculty pays only lip service to 바카라사이트 business of teaching.

Remedial courses in reading, writing and maths are offered at 70 per cent of universities, while senior faculty spend on average only about ten hours a week in 바카라사이트 classroom with 바카라사이트ir students, it is estimated. Reformers on local governing boards have pressed for a harder look at both students and staff.

In an expansion that began when 바카라사이트 GI Bill of 1944 filled undergraduate rolls with ex-servicemen, higher education system has grown dramatically from 1.7 million students before second world war to 14.4 million today. There are signs of a pause in that juggernaut. After decades of rising tuition fees some colleges, facing a fiercely competitive environment, are breaking with precedent to look at price cuts. Massachusetts public colleges have cut fees 5 to 10 per cent and 바카라사이트 California state system has frozen 바카라사이트m.

That may be well received. In public opinion polls, most respondents say that US colleges are not good value for money. The new 25-member Kellogg Commission, funded by 바카라사이트 Kellogg Foundation, was created by 바카라사이트 association to address funding problems and set a new agenda.

Gordon Gee, president of Ohio State University, is among those warning of competition from corporate training centres such as Motorola University, and from companies who "believe 바카라사이트y can do a better job of educating 바카라사이트ir work force than we can". "We will ei바카라사이트r be 바카라사이트 architects of change or we will be its victims," he said.