{"id":11284,"date":"2024-06-20T19:52:10","date_gmt":"2024-06-20T19:52:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wifamily.news\/?p=11284"},"modified":"2024-06-20T20:07:24","modified_gmt":"2024-06-20T20:07:24","slug":"crisis-in-wisconsin-higher-education-innovate-or-close","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wifamily.news\/?p=11284","title":{"rendered":"Crisis in Wisconsin higher education \u2013 Innovate or close\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"

This post originally appeared at https:\/\/www.badgerinstitute.org\/crisis-in-wisconsin-higher-education-innovate-or-close\/<\/a><\/p>\n

Universities can cash in on faculty brainpower and inventions<\/em><\/strong><\/h4>\n
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The University of Wisconsin system earlier this month recommended downsizing its two-year branch campuses<\/a>. That same week, Concordia University announced it is exploring downsizing or shutting down its Ann Arbor campus<\/a> after recent downsizing<\/a> at its Mequon campus. This comes after the closing of Cardinal Stritch University<\/a> last year and a recent announcement by Marquette University of a $31 million budget cut<\/a> by 2031. <\/p>\n

The list goes on.<\/p>\n

Alverno College just announced<\/a> plans to cut 37 faculty and staff, while Northland College<\/a>, Marian College<\/a>, and St. Norbert have all faced financial challenges.\u00a0<\/p>\n

There is a crisis in higher education, brought about by costs and demographics. There are, however, ways for colleges to adapt, overcome and improve \u2014 if they\u2019re willing to take advantage of technology and the brainpower already in-house. Perhaps it is time to innovate.<\/p>\n

Fewer students<\/em><\/h6>\n

The \u201cdemographic cliff\u201d contributing to the problem was foreshadowed by Nathan Grawe at Carleton College in his book \u201cDemographics and the Demand for Higher Education<\/a>.\u201d We can expect a decline in the number of college-aged students of as much as 15% in the coming five to 10 years<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

More colleges and universities will need to close or downsize.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Increasing cost and questionable value<\/em><\/h6>\n
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There has been a continuous increase in the cost of higher education since at least 1998, far outpacing inflation and matched only by the rising cost of healthcare (Fig. 1).\u202f Richard Vedder<\/a> has argued that at least one contributing factor is the federal government\u2019s increase in aid (especially Pell grants), which increases the demand for college and leads to both higher debt for students and higher tuition.<\/p>\n

Of course, the other reason tuition is so expensive is that universities have spent too much on physical and administrative infrastructure that students have been enticed into paying for with a lifetime of long-term debt they can hardly grasp at a young age. We can\u2019t eliminate or diminish the campus experience. The social and human experience of college is vital. But do we really need so many nice buildings and amenities for students who are looking primarily for an education and not for a country club experience they will be paying off for the rest of their lives?<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Fig. 1<\/strong><\/p>\n

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