From the AP’s Josh Boak, more on rising student debt loads and the long term effects on families: “America’s crushing surge of student debt, now at $1.2 trillion, has bred a disturbing new phenomenon: School loans that span multiple generations within families. Weighed down by their own loans, many parents lack the means to fund […]
Over the past few weeks, we’ve talked quite a bit about the rising cost of tuition here at USC. We’ve also discussed how that money might not be going to the places you think. Like the classroom. As the price of tuition continues to climb, USC has driven down the cost of instruction by […]
Fed up with a higher education system that prioritizes profits above all else, students and faculty are fighting back against exploitation in universities across the country. From Salon: “Per-course pay for adjunct faculty averages around $2,800. Three courses is typically considered full-time. Trevithick is teaching six. At the average rate, if he did that in […]
Emily Maloney at the Georgia Political Review outlines the real problems faced by faculty and students when universities drive down the cost of instruction through the use of cheap academic labor: “At the end of the day, adjuncts all over the country are often highly educated, compassionate, effective teachers that make a difference in their students’ […]
Last week, the Daily Trojan highlighted a very real problem on campus – a sharp increase in high-paying administrative positions that has “substantially outpaced increases in faculty hiring and (student) enrollment”. This focus on the business of education, rather than student learning, is part of a disturbing trend in higher education that has […]
In the Tampa Bay Times, Kym O’Sullivan speaks out about academia’s dirty little secret: “Students are often clueless about the situation, believing all professors to be full time, but adjuncts are so disconnected from campus life that the classroom experience is diminished. For instance, we don’t have our own offices, so we must cart our supplies in […]
A great piece from The Atlantic’s Laura McKenna: “While income inequality in higher education isn’t as high as Chipotle, it does rival that of other publicly traded corporations, including Nike, IBM, and Motorola. State schools with the highest-paid presidents seem to be offsetting their administrative bloat with cheaper labor.” Just a reminder: USC President Nikias raked […]
From the Daily Trojan: “Amid concern over rising tuition, USC has seen a 305.8 percent increase in hired administrative employees over a 25 year period, while the number of enrolled students has only increased by 66.3 percent, according to a study by the New England Center for Investigative Reporting and the American Institutes for Research […]
Fall semester is in full swing, and our campus is buzzing with activity. The first weeks of back on campus are always an exciting time for students and faculty, and this year is no exception. This year, however, we’re paying special attention to university priorities, and working hard to ensure university resources are going to […]
Caroline Fredrickson of The Atlantic writes: “That colleges and universities have turned more and more of their frontline employees into part-time contractors suggests how far they have drifted from what they say they are all about (teaching students) to what they are increasingly all about (conducting research, running sports franchises, or, among for-profits, delivering […]