Universities not investing in faculty

Unless U.S. universities begin to centralize power to include faculty members, higher education institutions will lose sight of their main function: supplying the society with “intellectual capital,” said Gary Rhoades, general secretary of the American Association of
University Professors.

Current trends suggest university student enrollment is increasing without signs of stopping. To accommodate changes, infrastructure and “human capacity” must be expanded. If not, the quality of education and, in effect, the quality of graduates decline, Rhoades said at his “What’s wrong with this picture?” presentation in Baldwin Hall, Friday, Oct. 16.

Many professors are approaching retirement age, Rhoades said. Although there are new faculty members including newly graduated educators, Rhoades said the lack of the middle-age group will effect the passing-down of information as well as the process of easing into positions left vacant by retiring professors.

“There are more people who are willing to design rather than teach design,” said Dale Murray, a professor in the College of Design, Architecture, Art and Planning. But also, those who are willing to teach might not have the qualifications required for a position.

Government funding changed in the last few decades so that, and currently , federal money is not going to universities in the form of grants, but it is going directly to students in the form of loans. This lack of government grants puts U.S. universities’ administrators in search of ways to make more money. State governments giving less money to public universities only worsens the problem, Rhoades said.

“We’re shifting the burden from the state to an excise tax on students,” Rhoades said. “The problem is the aid hardly ever stays in sync with tuition increases.”

Factoring in inflation, universities are receiving less money than before. To make up for budgets tightening gradually, universities are investing in things that appeal to students directly – recreation centers, technologically advanced dining and residence halls and others. This rerouting of funds causes a disinvestment in educators.

Universities are targeting more out-of-state students in order to ensure a greater influx of funds. In doing so, they have attracted students who are willing to pay, but might have lower test scores with “frills,” Rhoades said.

Although some universities stress the “fun” lifestyles that come with attending it, it is difficult to gauge the intellectual attractiveness of a facility, Rhoades said.

Approximately 20 people listened to the presentation. The majority was made up of UC faculty.

“There’s a lot of disinformation out there,” Rhoades said. “It’s hard to be a smart consumer. There aren’t any consumer reports on universities.”

By allowing faculty to take a more proactive role in their university’s administration, Rhoades says the “recalibration” back to an education-centered establishment can take place.

“Academicians are creators of value, not just labor and they are the ones who would help students realize the American dream,” Rhoades said. “[Administrators] are blocking the students from the American dream.”