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Amber Johnson of Accredited College Online thought that BioJobBlog readers might be interested in an article that she authored entitled “10 Big Ways that the Recession is Hitting Higher Ed.”  It is an informative piece that might be of interest to high school and undergraduate students and parents who have kids in college.

10 Big Ways the Recession is Hitting Higher Ed

From elementary to college, schools around the nation have felt the recession in many different ways. As the economy sinks, the educational demands rise. Teachers are holding on to dear life for their jobs, students are struggling to pay for college and the states are running out of school funding. But even with all of these economic woes, there are still people eager to teach and happy to learn.

1. Budget Cuts. Since the beginning of the fiscal year, the U.S. has suffered a 5 percent drop (about $4 billion) from the amount of money state governments apportioned for higher education, according to a U.S. News & World Report article. This is directly affecting universities across the country, who’ve seen larger class sizes, less professors and counselors, as well as canceled courses, which experts say could "threaten the quality of education."
2. Spike in Tuition. College tuition has been an inevitable hurdle for many students and families for years, but in this recession, it stings that much more. Since 1982, college tuition and fees have increased 439 percent, which is about three times higher than the increase in family incomes, according to an ABC news report. In some cases, tuition increases are the school’s response to more financial aid requests, but these scholarships may not be enough to cover soaring prices.
3. Decline in Aid. Many states are cutting college financial aid programs when students need it most. An increase in unemployment and financial losses has caused 620,000 more students to apply for federal aid in the first quarter compared to last year. An Associated Press article reports that without financial assistance, students may be forced to drop out, transfer or be laden with debt.
4. Decline in Endowments. A major factor in these educational downturns is the decline in college endowments. Big and small donors simply aren’t giving back right now, which has caused hiring freezes, cutbacks on financial aid and halted construction projects, according to a Wall Street Journal article.
5. Graduate in Three Years.Graduating in three years is a surefire way to slash college costs. American colleges are now starting to offer three-year college degrees, which is the normal time frame for many British and Canadian students. It’s an upcoming trend, according to CBS MoneyWatch, that could make "elite education" more affordable.
6. More Kids Are Going Public. According to a CBS News report, private school enrollments have declined as many students make the switch from private to public schools. While some continue to pay top dollar for private school tuition payments, others have had to transfer to less prestigious schools to save money.
7. Arts Programs Suffer. With devastating budget cuts on the agenda, college art departments are the first area to be altered. According to a New York Times article, students can expect to see fewer teachers, programs and courses in the arts when they return to campus in the fall. While some colleges are phasing out programs altogether, others, like Louisiana State University, are holding off on new computers, production technology and traveling for conferences to lessen their demand for funding.
8. Growth and Decline of Majors. For college students, choosing the right major during the recession may secure a stable career in the future. Certain industries, such as journalism, entertainment and finance should be avoided, according to a report by College Finance 101, because they have seen the most turmoil during the recession.
9. Higher Community College Enrollment. With the recession at its peak, many college students have opted for the more affordable institutions — community colleges, according to The Chronicle of Higher Education. However, this influx of students has caused some community colleges to turn them away, claiming there’s not enough room, teachers and accommodations at these campuses.
10. Distance Learning is More Desirable. A big thing hitting the economy is online education. Whether people have lost a job, are fearful of losing one or want a degree, online colleges have open seats. A CNN report, titled "Riding out the recession in a virtual classroom," touches on the idea of investing in education during troubled times to have a back-up plan and find the right career path for you.

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The compensation packages for CEOs of many publicly held companies have recently, (for obvious reasons), come under intense scrutiny. This has spilled over to the chief executive offices of many not-for-profit organizations including private colleges and universities. While the compensation packages for most university presidents and administrators are substantial in many instances, there are a few university employees who sometimes earn substantially more. 

According to an article in today’s New York Times, there were 88 private-college employees who made $1 million or more in 2007 (only 11 were college Presidents or chief executive officers). These were the results from an analysis conducted by The Chronicles of Higher Education of the compensation packages of more than 4,000 employees at 600 private colleges. The two top earners were Pete Carroll, the head football coach at USC and Dr. David N. Silvers, a Columbia University dermatologist both of whom made almost $4.5 million last years. Coach Carroll’s compensation packages was almost four times that of the university’s president whereas Dr. Silver’s salary of $4,332,759 compared with $1 411,894 earned by Lee C. Bollinger, Columbia’s president. Another Columbia professor, Dr. Jeffrey W. Moses, earned a paltry $2,532,713 last year. Check out the salaries of the top ten earners!

While the pay for college and university presidents has risen sharply in the last decade the same hasn’t been true for many faculty members. Not surprisingly, over the same period, the gap between administrator and professor salaries has substantially widened. This parallels what has been taking place in the private sector where CEOs typically earn hundreds of times more than their employees. The disparity in administrator and faculty salaries led Patrick M. Callan, the president of the National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education to muse: “It may be reasonable for these people to be well paid but if faculty’s getting 2 per cent raises, I don’t see why senior administrators, who are already high-paid, should get much larger increases. It reflects a set of values that is not the way most Americans think about higher education.” The Chronicle survey found that on average, university and college presidents make about $500,000 annually.

This poses an interesting question: Unlike administrators, are most university and college professors overpaid? Based on my own experience as a medical school faculty member—absolutely not! Nevertheless, over the 10 years or more, there has been a growing disparity in the salaries of research faculty members as compared with teaching faculty. Typically, the researchers, who bring in large sums of money from grants and other extramural funding, command much higher salaries than faculty members whose primary function is teaching. While this may seem reasonable from a financial/business perspective, it raises a fundamental question about higher education: What is more important—making money or teaching? 

Until next time…

Good Luck and Good Training!

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Bruce Charlton, a professor of theoretical medicine at the University of Buckingham and Editor in Chief of the journal Medical Hypotheses recently published in Oxford magazine and his blog a provocative and controversial article entitled “Why Scientists Are So Dull”

The article, which caused a firestorm in the UK was crafted to get the scientific establishment to rethink its parochial approach to scientific training and career development for young scientists. Because of the blunt nature and in-your-face tone of the article, Dr. Charlton may have alienated some would-be supporters who unfortunately failed to see the intended humor and call-to-action of the article. Unfortunately, in my experience, the public perception of scientists is consistent with Dr. Charlton’s claim—that, we as a group, are dull.

Throughout my career, I have routinely been asked by non-scientists (after meeting them in social situations) “You’re not really a scientist—are you?” Invariably, they say something like “You are too funny and too much of a character to really be a scientist.”

I know that stereotyping is inherently dangerous and wrong, but stereotypes usually originate from commonly observed, shared characteristics (traits) exhibited by members of a particular group of people. That said, maybe it is time for us to let the lay public know that not all scientists are dull, “eggheads” types and that many of us are very insightful, creative people. In my opinion, the only way for us to lose the ‘dull’ moniker is to publicly promote the importance and creative aspects of science whenever we can. To that end, it is time for us to log off of our computers, leave our laboratories and let the world know that—contrary to public opinion—we aren’t DULL people!!!!

Until next time…

Good Luck and Good Job Hunting!!!!!!!

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