Common Sense On Higher Ed
WHY SOUTH CAROLINA’S IVORY TOWER ELITES NEED TO BUY A CLUE
FITSNews – August 24, 2008 – In case you missed it, we were pretty hard on South Carolina’s higher ed leaders in our first installment of this year’s “Palmetto Power 100″ list. Frankly, we think it’s inexcusable the way they’ve been jacking tuition and fees on our state’s citizens in recent years, particularly while they’re hiding multi-million dollar slush funds (in Clemson’s case) or gobbling up real estate like the Wehrmacht (in Carolina’s case).
Of course, like their K-12 counterparts, these ivory tower blowhards always blame tuition increases on “budget cuts,” despite the fact that South Carolina grew government at obscene levels over the last four years and continues to spend more than 16% of its state budget on higher ed (compared to the national average of around 10%).
Anyway, here’s what the Greenville News had to say this morning about our universities’ latest tuition hikes:
The state had the highest in-state tuition and fees for public colleges in a 10-state Southern region, according to a report last year by the College Board. In fact, the state ranked No. 8 in the entire nation for the in-state tuition cost of attending a public four-year university.
In this relatively poor state, college tuition and fees should be among the lowest in the nation, not among the Top 10. Those costs almost certainly will force South Carolina’s college students to take on overwhelming debt or put higher education out of the reach of some South Carolinians from low-income families.
All that’s true, of course, but the News predictably failed to point out why we’re faced with such an unprecedented fleecing of our citizens – namely, the fact that South Carolina is currently paying for 33 colleges and universities (including over 80 campus locations, some so close to each other that they share parking lots).
For a state of only four million people, that’s preposterous – not to mention why we consistently blow a much higher chunk of our budget on higher ed than other states. But local lawmakers do love their pork – particularly gleaming new facilities at all those small-town campus locations – and in a legislatively-dominated state with no entity governing our higher ed system, there’s nothing to stop them from getting what they want.
Comments
By Earl Capps on August 24th, 2008 at 8:53 am
The Blogland ain’t surprised. This is what happens when your education system policy-making is driven by turf and career-making decisions, instead of being “customer focused”.
As part of our ongoing efforts to “sell out to the education establishment”, we’ve repeatly pointed out the problems caused by a lack of strong central governance of our higher education efforts, as well as the USC two-year campus system which needlessly competes with our state’s robust technical college system.
If anyone doubts the parking lot sharing, just go to the USC Sumter/CCTC complex. Either side of the parking lot, there’s an Associate’s Degree waiting for you … and on both sides, a pack of career educrats who love their turf and their jobs.
By Catherine on August 24th, 2008 at 9:06 am
Higher education in this state is a political afterthought. We also seem to think that the Lottery has solved all the financing problems. We have a “Commission” that refuses to share data or publish research — so the public and officials are left without any actual knowledge. Guess that’s the way some people like it. Those of us who want change are left beating our heads against walls, and not those of the institutions, but of the politics as usual environment in Columbia. I can’t even get an agency to print a guide designed to help the situation — for anyone interested.
By Bill on August 24th, 2008 at 9:37 am
It ain’t about the higher ed. It ain’t about the children. It is about the Benjamin’s.
These places are princedoms (except at the majors where they are kingdoms) and the riches are beyond the imagination of the average working South Carolinian.
We are a poor state and with the money we are spending we should be elevating out populace, not enriching educated interlopers as the pick our tax pockets in the name of academia.
Stay on them Will. Real power is exercised in the birth of movements, and your spotlight on higher ed has the potential to make a real difference in this state.
By utah on August 24th, 2008 at 9:24 pm
those two girls in the middle have big knockers.
By Toyota Kawaski on August 25th, 2008 at 7:22 am
It cost for higher education if not you end up like MANdee working for this site.
By baked on August 25th, 2008 at 8:57 am
it cost?
By Rob W. on August 26th, 2008 at 8:41 am
Georgia has an excellent system to keep their costs in check. Their lottery scholarship, HOPE, simply pays the tuition for an in-state school instead of giving you a lump sum scholarship. This means that the people who decide on the tuition hikes (the Board of Regents, I think) are really increasing tuition on their own lottery fund instead of the costs being directly passed on to the eligible students.