ACTA's Must-Reads

The American Council of Trustees and Alumni (ACTA) exists to empower trustees, alumni, and policymakers who share our concern for academic freedom, academic excellence, and accountability in higher education. On this blog, we highlight important current happenings on those issues for our constituents.

Opening up a back door to mediocrity

The people of Wisconsin know about the fundamentals. Much of the state is farm country, and farmers understand the importance of doing things the right way instead of the easy way. It looks like the state's higher education system could learn from its residents.

After evaluating hundreds of public colleges and universities in all 50 states, WhatWillTheyLearn.com ranks Wisconsin's state higher education system dead last at requiring foundational college courses. Of the seven courses we identify as crucial to a well-rounded liberal arts education, Wisconsin's state-supported institutions require only 1.9. The national average for public schools is 3.3.

Of the 12 University of Wisconsin schools evaluated (UW-Stout was not included as it is primarily a technical college), only four require a college-level math class, only six require a college writing class of all students, and not a single one required either a US History survey or a basic class in economics.

Only one campus (Madison), receives credit for requiring a foreign language; the reason for that reveals something about the way some schools try to preserve the appearance of high standards while actually giving students an easy way out.

Traditionally, the B.S. degree has been for majors such as Physics or Chemistry, while B.A. degrees were granted for humanities majors like History or English. Some schools only require students pursuing the B.A. to take foreign language classes. While ACTA believes all students should become competent in a foreign language, we have nonetheless given credit to schools who only require intermediate foreign-language skills from B.A. students.

However, a number of schools have created a loophole. They require a foreign language of their B.A. students, but then offer a B.S. degree alternative, even to majors that are not remotely science-based. Thus, as contradictory as it sounds, UW-Eau Claire will let you earn a Bachelor's of Science in ... Art. Similar systems are in place at UW campuses at Oshkosh, Stevens Point, and River Falls, which offer a B.S. option for all but a handful of majors.

Defenders will no doubt point out that the B.S. option often requires students to take another science or math class, but that misses the point: schools are taking an essential and making it a mere option, inviting students choose whichever door is easiest.

As any dairyman will tell you, that's no way to run a farm.

Posted by Eric Markley on August 30, 2010 at 05:20 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

Closing down the worst kind of factories

Earlier this summer, the Obama administration announced its intent to change the rules concerning eligibility of for-profit colleges and universities for federal student loans. The administration is concerned that too many for-profits are becoming "dropout factories," where students are saddled with debt and get an inadequate and far too often incomplete education. Its latest proposals are focusing on for-profits to ensure their students meet targets for loan repayment and job placement. Schools who fail to meet government standards will run the risk of being declared ineligible for federal student loans -- a death sentence for most.

There is no question that abuses occur in for-profit schools; students can be exploited, drop out and receive a shoddy education. As the Washington Monthly points out, though, there are dozens of public and non-profit private schools that are also dropout factories, enrolling thousands of students and graduating only a fraction -- sometimes less than one in ten. These schools are all over the country, urban and rural, large and small, religious and secular, and they deserve to be "named and shamed" every bit as much as ineffective for-profits.

Whatever steps the government takes, they should address both for-profit and non-profit institutions. It's dead wrong for corporations to leave students with debt in return for half a degree; it's just as wrong when it's done by State U.

Posted by Eric Markley on August 30, 2010 at 09:57 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

In memoriam

Lovers of history and America have lost a great friend. David Wolper -- who produced Roots, The Thorn Birds, and other remarkable films -- has left this mortal coil. What he has also left behind is a remarkable legacy of professional and voluntary achievements that offer a model for all of us. It is just barely a year ago that Mr. Wolper wrote a letter to college and university trustees around the country. He was deeply disturbed about historical illiteracy and its troubling consequences for a nation that relies on an educated citizenry. In his honor and to press his point, I am pleased to reprint his letter. It highlights, so well, Mr. Wolper's energy, passion and love of country. All of us at ACTA are saddened by his loss, but uplifted by his example.

Posted by Anne D. Neal on August 23, 2010 at 11:50 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

Making sense of tough economic times

Everyone knows that the economic downturn has hit midwestern states hard. States like Ohio and Michigan are struggling with high unemployment and are in desperate need of economic renewal as they face the challenge of remaining competitive in the 21st century marketplace. Moving into the future, they need citizens and leaders who understand the basics of economics.

Unfortunately, when ACTA looked at the catalogs of over 120 colleges and universities in the Great Lakes region -- Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota -- we found that not a single one requires its students to take an introductory course in economics.

There is, of course, no guarantee that ensuring all students understand the fundamental laws of markets will lead to economic renewal -- but it is imperative citizens be able to understand the economic challenges their states are facing.

Posted by Eric Markley on August 20, 2010 at 02:31 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

Prioritize funding for teaching and learning, not management

ACTA has been saddened to report that in the four states we have graded so far in our report cards (Georgia , Illinois, Missouri, and Minnesota), far too many institutions got the proverbial "big fat F" for administrative costs that outstripped instructional spending. A new report from the Goldwater Institute, "Administrative Bloat at American Universities: The Real Reason for High Costs in Higher Education," now provides some truly alarming statistics for 198 of America's leading universities on runaway administrative costs. In a word: "Inflation-adjusted spending on administration per student increased by 61 percent during the same period, while instructional spending per student rose 39 percent." Even allowing for the objection that some support staff categories are integral parts of instruction, the administrative bloat is unconscionable.

Author Jay P. Greene and his colleagues at the Department of Education Reform at the University of Arkansas have given trustees an important tool and powerful motivation in these hard economic times to ensure that they put student learning first at their institutions. Trustees will also find helpful the suggestions in ACTA's new guide on cost cutting as the new college year begins.

Posted by Michael Poliakoff on August 19, 2010 at 12:09 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

We laugh because it's so near the truth

A lot of people insist that ACTA is wrong to insist on strong core requirements -- that students should always be free to study whatever and however they wish.

We'll let The Onion answer that.

Posted by Eric Markley on August 19, 2010 at 10:49 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

Lone Star state stands out

Some Texans are prone to making big claims about how their state is the best at nearly everything, from football to ranching to music. Now it seems they can add "Liberal Arts education" to the list.

No state did better than Texas in ACTA's expansion of WhatWillTheyLearn.com. The state is home to six "A" schools -- Baylor, Midwestern State, Lamar, the University of Dallas, and two Texas A&M campuses, College Station and Corpus Christi. No other state had more than two. Texas A&M-College Station teaches that excellent core curriculum while maintaining a very good graduation rate of 78%.

The commitment to general education was widespread: of the 38 Texas institutions included in the study, only seven got less than a "B," and only two less than a "C." Texas colleges and universities required an average 4.5 of the seven requirements we looked at, well above the national average of 3.0. Its public schools were even better, averaging 4.7.

It seems some things really are bigger in Texas -- commitment to quality curriculum being one of them.

Posted by Eric Markley on August 19, 2010 at 10:12 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

Regents making a difference in Tennessee

One of the key findings of WhatWillTheyLearn.com is that a famous name and a high tuition do not guarantee a commitment to a solid core curriculum. Another is that trustees can make a difference in ensuring a good curriculum at the schools they oversee. Both of those facts are on display in Tennessee.

Vanderbilt is the state's big-name, big-money institution, enjoying a stellar reputation and attracting outstanding students from across the country. Alas, those students can avoid many important subjects once they arrive on campus: They don't have to take a math class if they don't want to; they aren't expected to take any foreign language beyond what they had in high school; and staples of higher education such as history or literature surveys are replaced by "distribution requirements" that allow students to select any class they like from a very long list. Thus, students may take "American Art 1865 to 1945" as their sole history class, and in place of a broad survey of literature they may choose "Almost Human: Robots and Cyborgs in German Fiction and Film."

However, less than two miles away from Vanderbilt -- literally on the other side of the train tracks -- lies Tennessee State University. TSU is an unheralded, historically black state school, whose students' SAT scores are well below those at Vanderbilt. Yet it is Tennessee State, not Vanderbilt, that requires their students to study a foreign language beyond the elementary level. It is Tennessee State, not Vanderbilt, that requires a college-level math class of all students, as well as survey classes in literature and US history. Thus, it is Tennessee State, not Vanderbilt, that gets an "A" grade in our report.

Credit for that "A" goes to the Tennessee State faculty and administration for holding their students to high standards. A big assist, though, goes to the State's Board of Regents. The Board created core curriculum standards that apply to all of the schools they govern. The result: the five Board of Regents schools (East Tennessee, Middle Tennessee, Memphis and Austin Peay are the others) earn two "A"s and three "B"s. Of the seven requirements ACTA looked for in the study, the Tennessee Board of Regents schools required an average of 5.4, compared to 3.3 at Tennessee's other institutions.

Furthermore, since the Board of Regents requires a similar general education core at the thirteen community colleges it oversees, they have streamlined transfers between the system's two- and-four year schools. Effective, efficient core curricula improve educational quality while lowering cost of instruction. The basic general education core that every student needs can be delivered much more cost effectively than the array of boutique courses so often offered in lieu of a well-defined core.

As Charles Manning, Chancellor of the Tennessee Board of Regents System, explained to us: "I have worked hard, along with my colleagues, to ensure every graduate of our universities receives a solid general education. A strong core curriculum has been important in every generation, but in today's environment of global competition, it has never been more vital."

We couldn't agree more.

Posted by Eric Markley on August 18, 2010 at 11:25 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

California dreams -- and nightmares

WhatWillTheyLearn.com shows that it's often the most prestigious colleges that do the poorest job of providing a broad-based general education core. For an example, consider the contrast between the famous University of California system and blue-collar Cal State.

While most Cal State schools earn a "B," none of the ten UC schools earn higher than a "C" -- and five earn an "F." Every CSU school requires a college-level science class, and 75% require college-level work in math. In contrast, only four of the ten UC schools require science and only two require math.

Most stunning of all: in spite of California state law requiring that all public universities teach a class in United States History or Government, not a single University of California campus received credit for that subject in ACTA's study (17 of 20 CSU schools did). Instead, UC schools allow students to get out of the requirement by taking classes in high school or by posting mediocre SAT scores. Failing that, students can take niche classes like "The Golden Age of Piracy," "History of Sexuality in the United States," "Recent U.S. Foreign Policy," or even "Radicalism in Contemporary Life" in place of standard history surveys.

All told, the 20 CSU schools (Cal Poly and Cal Maritime were not studied as they are primarily technical schools) required an average of 3.7 of the seven core subjects, compared to only 1.9 at the UC schools.

The economy of the last few years has encouraged a lot of consumers to bypass expensive brand names in favor of cheaper, but just as good, generics. The customers of California's higher education might want to join that trend.

Posted by Eric Markley on August 18, 2010 at 09:49 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

Another kind of military intelligence

When people hear the term "liberal arts" they may think of ivy-covered halls, tweed-coated professors with pipes, and casually-dressed students studying on the quad. But What Will They Learn.com suggests that the best place to get a liberal arts education is ... a military school. The study gives only 16 "A" grades in the nation, and two of those go to the US Military and Air Force Academies. The Naval Academy in Annapolis barely misses and finishes with a "B."

It may not be surprising to see military schools requiring math and science; but something is going on when it's West Point, not UC Berkley, that requires students to take a literature class, or when the Air Force Academy is more insistent that their students take a writing class than Yale is.

Even state-run military colleges such as The Citadel do well in the study; all told, the eight Senior Military Colleges included in the study (a list that includes the three academies, The Citadel, Virginia Military Institute, Texas A&M, Virginia Tech, and North Georgia) require an average of 4.9 of the seven classes, well above the national average of just 3.0.

Posted by Eric Markley on August 17, 2010 at 05:56 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

Perfect seven and no tuition increases

Not only is Thomas Aquinas College the only school on WhatWillTheyLearn.com to score a perfect seven, but they also didn't raise their tuition this year!

Posted by David Azerrad on August 17, 2010 at 03:39 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

Too many colleges not making the grade

When students and parents are thinking about the all-important question of which college to attend, they find schools eager to talk about how many PhDs they employ, how good the basketball team is--even about the student cafe's new panini maker. Universities generally are not quick to talk about coursework or academic requirements. College rankings are no help, either: none of the major college guides address the question of what students are required to study -- which is why ACTA created WhatWillTheyLearn.com a year ago.

Today, we unveiled the 2011 edition of that resource. The website now evaluates and grades the general education requirements at 714 major colleges and universities nationwide.

What it reveals is that America's colleges and universities have by and large abandoned a coherent, broad-based curriculum. Over 60% of the institutions studied receive a grade of "C" or worse, and 103 earn an "F." Less than 20% of the universities studied required a broad survey class in US Government or History, and less than a third require anything more than elementary study in a foreign language. Only 16 schools nationwide earned an "A" grade.

The situation is particularly bad at private schools: despite the prestige and reputation they often enjoy, over half of private colleges and universities do not require their students to do a single college-level math class, and almost that many fail to require English Composition.

The report also reveals that at far too many institutions, eroding standards are accompanied by rising tuition. The average tuition at those 103 "F" schools is a pricy $28,200 (in contrast to $13,200 at the "A" schools). What Will They Learn.com provides trustees, policymakers, parents, students, and guidance counselors with information available in no other college guide. It looks past reputations and awards and finds out whether or not colleges and universities are giving students the education they need to succeed in the 21st century.

Nearly all colleges and universities claim to regard a strong core as essential; until more of them live up to their words, expect ACTA to keep asking "What Will They Learn?"

Posted by Eric Markley on August 16, 2010 at 05:41 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

Economic engines don't run without a core

Imagine nearly half a million college grads ready to enter the workforce and energize the economy.

With over 400,000 students, the State University of New York stands in a unique position to create that workforce. And employers are looking to SUNY for many of their new hires -- a step that seems to confirm Chancellor Nancy L. Zimpher's new slogan, "The Power of SUNY."

But effective workers capable of vitalizing the economy do not appear out of thin air -- they need to have a strong foundation of skills and knowledge. ACTA has praised the SUNY system for its strong core which requires all students to take classes in natural and social sciences, mathematics, foreign languages, Western and world civilizations, American history, humanities and the arts, information management, critical thinking and communications.

Keeping the focus on a substantive core will be crucial for SUNY's aspirations to be the economic engine that powers New York.

Posted by Brianna Edelblut on August 04, 2010 at 04:24 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

Case closed?

While the University of Illinois's decision to reinstate Professor Kenneth Howell -- who had summarily been dismissed after a student anonymously complained about an email he had sent -- marks a step in the right direction, the university still has a long way to go to ensure the intellectual climate on campus is open to the free exchange of ideas. As we noted in a letter to the University of Illinois Board of Trustees, sent before the reinstatement had been announced: "the decision to terminate Professor Howell's employment marks the latest in a series of disturbing episodes in which UIUC [University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign] administrators have demonstrated a disregard for free speech and intellectual diversity." ACTA's recommendation that the Board "undertake a systematic review of university policies and practices regarding free inquiry, free speech and academic freedom" still stands.

Posted by David Azerrad on August 03, 2010 at 03:05 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

The other way to deal with the crisis

Colleges and universities across the country are feeling the pinch: endowments have tumbled, donations are down and states appropriations have been drastically reduced. The standard response at most colleges and universities has been to raise tuition. But tuition costs have more than quadrupled over the past 30 years. Surely there must be another solution.

In comes ACTA with a new short guide that tells trustees that reflexive tuition increases are no longer tenable and that they must learn to do more with less by cutting costs. Cutting Costs: A Trustee's Guide to Tough Economic Times outlines ten areas that trustees should look into to reduce expenses and provides examples of creative ideas that have been successfully implemented at different colleges and universities. It is being sent to more than 10,000 trustees at some 600 colleges and universities across the country.

Posted by David Azerrad on August 02, 2010 at 06:21 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)