ACTA's Must-Reads
« Becoming an Educated Person | Main | AAUP Watch »
Disappointing
The Commission on the Future of Higher Education has met for the last time--and all but one of the commissioners has signed its watered down and disappointing report. David Ward, president of the American Council of Education, did not sign; Richard Vedder did--though he was less than thrilled with what the Commission ultimately put forward. Here is what Vedder had to say about both Ward's abstention and his own decision to put his name on the report:
The big news, if there was any, from yesterday's final meeting of the Secretary of Education's National Commission on the Future of Higher Education was not the relatively bland nature of the recommendations, but rather the failure of David Ward, the President of the American Council of Education, to support it. Of the 19 commissioners, Ward was alone in his dissent.As I said prior to voting, accepting the report was a tough decision for me --only because I thought it was not hard-hitting enough, not mentioning many key factors (e.g., grade inflation, curricular incoherence) at all, and also being only moderately strong on the issues closest to CCAP --- affordability, efficiency, and productivity. But in the final analysis, the report did make some important and useful recommendaitons, so I supported it.
David Ward, an amiable and thoughtful man who is truly the chief Mandarin of DuPont Circle and the titular head of HEE (the Higher Education Establishment) in his role as President of the American Council of Education, was in a tough position, since several organizations of colleges opposed the report, in some cases almost rabidly, while one or two showed cautious support. As head of the umbrella organization that covers the entire establishment, David was in a bind, and his vote was understandable.
Yet this points out the problem. A large part of the higher education community just doesn't get it: Americans are increasingly fed up with the indifference of universities to issues such as soaring tuition costs. The Ward vote is a sign that, on average, universities are going to fiercely support the status quo, fight innovation, oppose accountability and transparency --yet still demand our financial support. It is time to tie public support for higher education (which is increasingly indefensible, in my judgment, on the basis of any rational analysis) to performance --keeping costs down, showing signs of learning improvements, etc.
Earlier this month, Vedder announced his intention to sign, and outlined his reluctance to do so in ways that dovetail with ACTA's own strong reservations about the report. Among its other failings, Vedder notes,
It does not acknowledge that many students do not work hard, or even mention, much less condemn, grade inflation. Intellectual intolerance and a frequent scorn for diversity of opinions is not condemned. While some mention of inadequate learning occurs, the shameful state of student learning (or, better, lack of learning) about our own heritage is not discussed, nor is graduate education or research (except tangentially). No discussion exists about over-specialization, or a lack of a coherent core curriculum.
ACTA urged the Commission repeatedly to incorporate these issues into the report. It's hard to imagine how higher education can be substantively improved without addressing them--and it's beyond disappointing to witness the Commission's refusal to take up the problems that arguably lie at the core of America's problems with higher education.
Posted by acta online on August 13, 2006 at August 13, 2006 09:25 AM
Trackback Pings
TrackBack URL for this entry:
http://www.goactablog.org/blog/mt-tb.cgi/203
Comments
Face it, there is no consensus inside or outside higher education on these issues. On each of them, with the possible exception of the lack of intellectual diversity, the country is deeply conflicted.
Core curriculum? A great many people couldn't care less, think the present freedom of choice and smorgasboard of options is just fine, would hate the idea of a core curriculum.
Grade inflation? Sure, it's a problem, but ask any professor how often the students ask for a steeper curve. Ask any parent with a struggling student (which is most students some of the time) if they'd like to see harder grading when it might cost their dear one the degree. Ask any legislator if they'd like to see toughened standards and a lower rate of college completion.
ACTA, don't expect some federal commission to put things right in higher education. Deconstruct your acronym and go to the trustees, legislatures, and alumni and make your case with them!
Posted by: Michael Kellman at August 13, 2006 11:51 AM