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| Better just take History. |
Under the plan, approved by the governing board and believed to be the first of its kind in the nation, the two-year college would create a nonprofit foundation to offer such in-demand classes as English and math at a cost of about $200 per unit. Currently, fees are $36 per unit, set by the Legislature for California community college students. That fee will rise to $46 this summer.
The classes would be offered as soon as the upcoming summer and winter sessions; and, if successful, the program could expand to the entire academic year. The mechanics of the program are still being worked out, but generally the higher-cost classes would become available after state-funded classes fill up. The winter session may offer only the higher-cost classes, officials said.
I assume I'm not alone in thinking that faculty won't be getting paid extra for these courses, and that if (once) they take off, there's going to be pressure to extend the differential pricing model as far as they can. On the other hand, given the dire financial picture the story paints, I wonder what other alternatives are out there.
ReplyDeleteI just don't get the notion that education should turn a profit -- or break even for that matter. Paid forward social benefits? Greater good of the commonweal? Compete with the Chinese? Etc.
Exactly what I was thinking. I really, really hope that we get to a point sometime soon when "market forces" operate at least a bit in students' and faculty's favor. If the cost of faculty goes up, then the university will either have to raise the price (thus making their private competitors look more attractive to cost-per-credit-shopping students) or rethink the idea that core courses should be cash cows (which leads to a consumer mentality on students' part, which leads to more misery for those of us teaching the courses).
DeleteActually, I'm surprised that the cash-cow courses aren't in the health sciences, or at least prerequisites for programs in nursing, physical therapy, et al. (bio, anatomy, chemistry, etc.) Maybe students, knowing they will have to pass licensing exams, are less likely to view those through a consumerist lens?
That's where our cash cow courses are, Cassandra. We have "differential tuition" for three of our most popular programs simply because we can. The waiting list for each ranges from a year and a half to two and a half years. They pay regular tuition for their prerequisite courses, but once they are in the major program, they must pay the extra tuition, as well as numerous special supply fees. Administration is looking at doing this for at least two other programs now. In at least one of them, they'll be setting themselves up for failure because the students attracted to it won't have the money, even with financial aid, to pay, so they'll take their studies elsewhere.
DeleteI really, really hope that we get to a point sometime soon when "market forces" operate at least a bit in students' and faculty's favor.
ReplyDeleteWell, the money and the demand are there. But the supply of profs/teachers is high enough to cancel that out, at least in part. The rest is sucked up by admin and marketing weenies.
So, basically, if you can't pay, leave.
ReplyDeleteand then we wonder when academics are seen as elitist bastards...
So, basically, if you can't pay, leave.
ReplyDeleteand then we wonder when academics are seen as elitist bastards...
Like they don't already resent having to take English and Math???
ReplyDelete