Here we see new colleges rising or existing colleges growing larger. But population is not declining in urban areas or in suburban areas around big cities. Where population is declining steadily, it becomes harder to make the case for the local college. We do hear a lot of talk about mergers in recent years, and some of the regional public universities in rural areas are definitely struggling. There’s always been a small number of colleges that close every year-usually fewer than a dozen-and more are opened for the first time than closed. We do see some colleges closing and more colleges merging. For those who finish, their diplomas do provide a boost in the labor market, more for quantitative fields than for other fields.Īt a time when we see stories of colleges closing, why is it that you argue that higher education is doing quite well?
Students hone interpersonal skills on campus, make contacts that can be useful for instrumental purposes as well as ends in themselves. The latter are more important for many students than classroom studies. Students will receive a smattering of general education in lower-division and will have opportunities to participate in extra-curricular activities.
The great majority of the 3,000 or so four-year colleges and universities are primarily devoted to teaching students, mainly in occupational fields that in theory equip graduates to obtain jobs. I do not talk about community colleges in the book, though I did write a book on community colleges early in my career. The aims of community colleges are very different from those of research universities. Today, we would have to start by recognizing the fundamental fact that the purposes of higher education are highly differentiated by the stratum in the system institutions occupy.
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