Sign of a bubble #1,683: when prices rise by “record” amounts, demand…….also rises by “record” amounts. From the Denver Post on Aug 29th:
“…enrollment continues to rise this fall despite record tuition hikes at many Colorado campuses, prompted by cuts in what the state allocates to colleges and universities…”
…”At the University of Colorado, tuition rose 9.3 percent. At Colorado State, the increase was around 20 percent. Tuition at Metropolitan State College of Denver rose 22.6 percent”
“Colorado Mesa in Grand Junction projects a fall enrollment of about 8,900, up about 14.8 percent increase from 7,751 in 2010. “If projections hold, this will be the third consecutive fall with a double-digit percentage increase,” said Colorado Mesa spokeswoman Dana Nunn.
In Alamosa, Adams State welcomed more new freshmen this week than it had in 40 years. Total enrollment as of the first day of classes for the fall is 3,225, up almost 9 percent from 2010, according to Michael Mumper, who oversees the college’s enrollment…. Over the past four years, enrollment at Adams State has grown 34 percent.
On the other end of the state, Colorado State University welcomed an estimated 4,500 freshmen this week, the largest freshman class ever on the Fort Collins campus, said spokesman Brad Bohlander.
“The University of Colorado Colorado Springs campus set a record for the size of its incoming freshman class, with 1,400, compared with 1,156 in 2010.”
“At Metro State, it came despite the college’s effort to put a lid on student growth, at least until several construction projects are completed next fall and there is more space…. 9 percent enrollment growth this fall, said Judi Diaz Bonacquisti, vice president for enrollment.
I remember reading an article last year of an interesting phenenomon. It seemed that when a college raised its tuition, the number of applications increased. The article stated that deluded applicants were under the impression that higher prices automatically meant higher quality. That brings to mind the old saying, “He knows the price of everything and the value of nothing.”
Given the poor economy, I wonder how much of the increased enrollment is due to kids going to college because they can’t find a job. I’ve heard some recent graduates are going on to graduate school because they can’t find a job. All many are accomplishing is delaying the day when they have to being repaying their student loans but they’re making their debt much larger in the process. Nothing like doubling down on you debt, is there?
Next stop: Zombie colleges.
…where, instead of nourishing the brains of their students, the professors consume them.
Oh, wait — that’s pretty much the norm, at least in the liberal arts.
This might seem like an off-topic diversion, but it’s actually related. Yesterday I found a link to an article about an interesting certification program proposed as an alternative to college (the link is below). Some businesses are starting to use the program as a way of evaluating potential employees who don’t have college degrees, since the program assigns ratings in many different categories of possible value to employers. Naturally the government bureaucrats and social engineers hate the idea of any sort of independent program outside of the existing educational establishment. The Obama administration is threatening to sue over “disparate impact.” Now where have we seen that phrase before? Well, in the article about the housing bubble, of course (the banks were pressured to make bad loans to avoid what was defined as “racism” by the “disparate impact” of using standard financial means for evaluating applicants). I think that’s just more evidence that what’s called the “higher education bubble” is caused largely by government policies…
Bingo. Requiring that your applicants have a college diploma in even an unrelated field is the closest employers can get to giving an IQ test without getting sued for discrimination and losing. Not sure how that happened; is effectively adding a wealth test to the IQ test supposed to be *better* for underprivileged minorities?
Roystgnr–you wrote: “Not sure how that happened,” I’ve always read that degree requirements in lieu of other kinds of qualifications were a consequence of the Supreme Court decision in Griggs vs. Duke Power Co.
You’re right; what I’m not sure about isn’t how test requirements got banned, it’s how degree requirements *didn’t* get banned. Requiring a college degree certainly has a “disparate impact” on your applicants! I suppose an outright general ban, which would have e.g. outlawed requiring engineering degrees for prospective new engineers, would have been too obviously nonsensical. So maybe the ability to require “journalism studies, sustainability, whatever” degrees for prospective new clerical staff just slipped through the cracks.
roystgnr,
Actually its a myth that tests are banned for hiring. The reality is that you simply must link the tests to the job description firms are hiring for. But since this requires some knowledge of algebra, and the need to do a validation study, most HR Departments skip it.
I’ve crossed prospective employers off my list for requiring a completed personality test to be submitted with the resume.
Of course, that was a few years ago…
The IT field has long had a series of certification tests such as A+, MCSD, OMG and a host of others. Many college graduates are taking the tests to put the certifications on their resumes to show they have more than a generic MIS, IT or related degree. While passing the test doesn’t automatically mean you know how to do the job, it demonstrates you know enough to pass a recognized standard of knowledge. Given grade inflation, just having the degree doesn’t mean very much unless you have a body of work to prove what you know.
As for the “disparate impact” complaint, that’s typical. They’re expecting equal outcomes for everyone and that’s nonsense. Each of us is a unique mixture of abilities and disabilities, strengths and weaknesses. Unlike what schools are teaching now, the real world does keep score and designate winners and losers based on results. Otherwise, everyone should be able to participate in the London Olympics next summer and get a gold medal.
There are a few colleges that offer 2 year degrees in janitorial studies. Before I was able to get back into CAD Mech. Design, I was seriously considering going for the degree, since I was working two full time janitorial jobs at the time. A growing number of companies are requiring the degree for their housekeeping staff. Mind you, the degree doesn’t get you a better rate, and 20 thousand in student loan debt still has to be paid off.
Sign of a bubble #1,683: when prices rise by “record” amounts, demand…….also rises by “record” amounts. From the Denver Post on Aug 29th:
“…enrollment continues to rise this fall despite record tuition hikes at many Colorado campuses, prompted by cuts in what the state allocates to colleges and universities…”
…”At the University of Colorado, tuition rose 9.3 percent. At Colorado State, the increase was around 20 percent. Tuition at Metropolitan State College of Denver rose 22.6 percent”
“Colorado Mesa in Grand Junction projects a fall enrollment of about 8,900, up about 14.8 percent increase from 7,751 in 2010. “If projections hold, this will be the third consecutive fall with a double-digit percentage increase,” said Colorado Mesa spokeswoman Dana Nunn.
In Alamosa, Adams State welcomed more new freshmen this week than it had in 40 years. Total enrollment as of the first day of classes for the fall is 3,225, up almost 9 percent from 2010, according to Michael Mumper, who oversees the college’s enrollment…. Over the past four years, enrollment at Adams State has grown 34 percent.
On the other end of the state, Colorado State University welcomed an estimated 4,500 freshmen this week, the largest freshman class ever on the Fort Collins campus, said spokesman Brad Bohlander.
“The University of Colorado Colorado Springs campus set a record for the size of its incoming freshman class, with 1,400, compared with 1,156 in 2010.”
“At Metro State, it came despite the college’s effort to put a lid on student growth, at least until several construction projects are completed next fall and there is more space…. 9 percent enrollment growth this fall, said Judi Diaz Bonacquisti, vice president for enrollment.
http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_18777516
I remember reading an article last year of an interesting phenenomon. It seemed that when a college raised its tuition, the number of applications increased. The article stated that deluded applicants were under the impression that higher prices automatically meant higher quality. That brings to mind the old saying, “He knows the price of everything and the value of nothing.”
Given the poor economy, I wonder how much of the increased enrollment is due to kids going to college because they can’t find a job. I’ve heard some recent graduates are going on to graduate school because they can’t find a job. All many are accomplishing is delaying the day when they have to being repaying their student loans but they’re making their debt much larger in the process. Nothing like doubling down on you debt, is there?
Next stop: Zombie colleges.
…where, instead of nourishing the brains of their students, the professors consume them.
Oh, wait — that’s pretty much the norm, at least in the liberal arts.
This might seem like an off-topic diversion, but it’s actually related. Yesterday I found a link to an article about an interesting certification program proposed as an alternative to college (the link is below). Some businesses are starting to use the program as a way of evaluating potential employees who don’t have college degrees, since the program assigns ratings in many different categories of possible value to employers. Naturally the government bureaucrats and social engineers hate the idea of any sort of independent program outside of the existing educational establishment. The Obama administration is threatening to sue over “disparate impact.” Now where have we seen that phrase before? Well, in the article about the housing bubble, of course (the banks were pressured to make bad loans to avoid what was defined as “racism” by the “disparate impact” of using standard financial means for evaluating applicants). I think that’s just more evidence that what’s called the “higher education bubble” is caused largely by government policies…
http://www.mindingthecampus.com/originals/2011/10/check_out_this_alternative_to_.html
Bingo. Requiring that your applicants have a college diploma in even an unrelated field is the closest employers can get to giving an IQ test without getting sued for discrimination and losing. Not sure how that happened; is effectively adding a wealth test to the IQ test supposed to be *better* for underprivileged minorities?
Roystgnr–you wrote: “Not sure how that happened,” I’ve always read that degree requirements in lieu of other kinds of qualifications were a consequence of the Supreme Court decision in Griggs vs. Duke Power Co.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Griggs_v._Duke_Power_Co.
You’re right; what I’m not sure about isn’t how test requirements got banned, it’s how degree requirements *didn’t* get banned. Requiring a college degree certainly has a “disparate impact” on your applicants! I suppose an outright general ban, which would have e.g. outlawed requiring engineering degrees for prospective new engineers, would have been too obviously nonsensical. So maybe the ability to require “journalism studies, sustainability, whatever” degrees for prospective new clerical staff just slipped through the cracks.
roystgnr,
Actually its a myth that tests are banned for hiring. The reality is that you simply must link the tests to the job description firms are hiring for. But since this requires some knowledge of algebra, and the need to do a validation study, most HR Departments skip it.
I’ve crossed prospective employers off my list for requiring a completed personality test to be submitted with the resume.
Of course, that was a few years ago…
The IT field has long had a series of certification tests such as A+, MCSD, OMG and a host of others. Many college graduates are taking the tests to put the certifications on their resumes to show they have more than a generic MIS, IT or related degree. While passing the test doesn’t automatically mean you know how to do the job, it demonstrates you know enough to pass a recognized standard of knowledge. Given grade inflation, just having the degree doesn’t mean very much unless you have a body of work to prove what you know.
As for the “disparate impact” complaint, that’s typical. They’re expecting equal outcomes for everyone and that’s nonsense. Each of us is a unique mixture of abilities and disabilities, strengths and weaknesses. Unlike what schools are teaching now, the real world does keep score and designate winners and losers based on results. Otherwise, everyone should be able to participate in the London Olympics next summer and get a gold medal.
There are a few colleges that offer 2 year degrees in janitorial studies. Before I was able to get back into CAD Mech. Design, I was seriously considering going for the degree, since I was working two full time janitorial jobs at the time. A growing number of companies are requiring the degree for their housekeeping staff. Mind you, the degree doesn’t get you a better rate, and 20 thousand in student loan debt still has to be paid off.