Universities ‘ don’t worry about trying to put individuals in jobs ‘ or setting them up’ for achievement,’ report co-author says
According to a recent report from a traditional Ohio think tank, Ohio’s higher education system immediately needs reform to address rising expenses, student debt, and struggling programs.
The Buckeye Institute report shows issues with managerial money, level requirements, tenure policies, and workplace licence. Additionally, it asserts that operational “bloat” has caused an increase in college tuition overall.
The federal government’s subsidies of institutes are a major cause of these problems, co-author Greg Lawson claimed in a telephone interview with The College Fix.
According to Lawson, the federal government’s role in the” subsidization game” through student loans has contributed to the rise in operational costs since 1976.
These student loans “are not deductible by bankruptcy, therefore colleges get the cash up front”, Lawson said. They are” no interested in ensuring that people are prepared for victory and trying to put individuals in work.”
He linked the state’s rise to a connect between the national government’s investing opportunities and those of colleges and universities.
More applications are created that require money as the government invests more money, and more administrators are hired to oversee the programs, creating operational bloat.
From the president’s view, “if there’s a concern with the debt load that a student has, well that becomes that person’s trouble with Uncle Sam down the road”, Lawson told The Fix.
Compounding this issue, Ohio currently spends over$ 2 billion subsidizing higher education, which community colleges only receive a quarter of, despite teaching over 35 % of the state’s students, according to the report.
Additionally,” Ohio’s funding method relies heavily on old graduation rates with little regard for post-graduate income or success”, the statement says.
” If the state continues in its misguided preference to fund schools rather than students, policymakers should at least reform the state share of instruction ( SSI) subsidy to prioritize post-graduate metrics, such as debt-to-income ratios, job placement statistics, and loan repayment rates”, it states.  ,
One such example of misguided preferences is the Ohio College Opportunity Grant Program, a state-funded financial aid initiative. According to Lawson, it is currently “broken” because it funnels the majority of its funding to four-year institutions, which would otherwise prevent some students from obtaining a community college degree. Community college students are exempt from OCO Grants.
According to Jeff Robinson, a spokesman for the Ohio Department of Higher Education,” We would not be able to comment on the report at this time because we are in the midst of budget development.”
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Lawson suggested preventing students from receiving an OCO grant if their tuition is covered by a Pell Grant. This could make it possible for community college students to receive OCO Grants, helping to cover unexpected costs that might prevent them from paying for a college education.
This administrative bloat doesn’t just inflate costs. It also undermines the benefits of tenure, according to the report.
Lawson said that when appropriately taken advantage of, tenure has long-term benefits, allows free and innovative thinking, and expands various fields of knowledge.
However, universities hire “insulated” professors who are unwilling to properly teach students, work with students or “produce” anything in their field of knowledge. Students then end up learning from lower-level professors or even teaching assistants, especially in entry-level courses, he said.
Tenure is meant to be a protection, but not an allowance, Lawson said. He thinks reevaluating tenure should not be “unduly punitive,” and institutions might be starting with a “tenure review track” for faculty members who consistently receive poor reviews.
As one of the most pressing challenges facing recent college graduates in today’s job market is gaining the right skills as the economy shifts toward a tech-centric future, Lawson told The Fix. This lack of quality education makes broader issues worse.
” Ohio has not really fully adjusted to these changes”, Lawson said, adding that other states face similar struggles. He suggested updating the current economy’s workforce training to reflect declining demographic trends and resizing the higher education system’s infrastructure.
Furthermore, unnecessary bachelor’s degree requirements pose a “holistic, broad-based challenge”, as employers have been recently seeking candidates with a “skills-based background” rather than just a degree, he said.
” We have a deficit of skilled trades”, or roles that don’t necessarily require four-year bachelor’s degrees, he said.
In the past, the four-year degree indicated to employers that individuals had the necessary credentials for a job. People today have access to more ways to acquiring the skills that some employers are looking for.
According to Lawson, credential inflation has made it more important for employers to hire candidates with higher degrees than they have in the past. They “weed out” candidates without doing the research to determine whether they are a good fit, which turned out to be a “lazy way.”
However, businesses are now experiencing labor shortages. Companies should assess what employees actually need, according to Lawson, and steer clear of overstating expectations.
The report recommends removing unnecessary bachelor’s degree requirements for state employment and having Ohio regulatory bodies check job requirements to make sure they match the level of experience and training needed for applicants.
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