College Costs: I Can’t Afford My Kids Anymore!!!
by Matthew Gauntt
As a proud father of two, I am typically more excited for their successes in life than in my own.
They are a constant source of joy and pride. Trouble is, I can’t afford them anymore. They’re cute kids, so if anyone wants to make me a good offer, I’ll consider it.
Why have I come to this conclusion? Well, I saw this article today regarding a proposed 8% increase in tuition at the University of Illinois.
I am terrified. The first of my two little treasures will start college in about 5 years. If none of you can come up with the appropriate funds to purchase them, I will need to consider living in a cardboard box down by the railroad tracks so I can afford to send them to a fine college. If you want to consider making an offer, please send me a copy of you tax return from last year, and a 10% deposit and I’ll send you a picture of the little darlings for your consideration.
(By the way – to you pointed headed liberals and government types, I’m only joking about selling the kids, so don’t call DCFS)
The conventional wisdom would probably point to two possible solutions:
The State can kick in more tax dollars, or
Us parents can pay more money
I would like to consider a third, controversial, shocking, and potentially earth shattering solution: THE GOVERNMENT SHOULD QUIT WASTING MONEY!!!!
Over the last 25 years, the cost of university education has increased by 100% at private universities and 83% for public universities adjusted for inflation. What are the primary reasons for these inefficient increases? Well, several come to mind.
- Number of non-instructional employees. According to a report by Richard Vedder, in 1976 the percentage of non-instructional staff to instructional staff at all institutions of higher education was only about 45%. By 2005, this percentage had risen to about 79%.
- Instructional Hours per Professor. Looking through a Google search regarding the teaching load of university professors, the range of “contact hours” by most professors is around 9-15 hours per week, as reflected by surveys like this one.
- Public Aid Does Not Necessarily Reduce Student Costs. Just because the government gives more money to Colleges and Universities in the form of student aid, it does not mean that the costs to the student decreases. As former Secretary of Education stated,
increases in financial aid in recent years have enabled colleges and universities blithely to raise tuitions, confident that Federal loan subsidies would help cushion the increase.
The hallowed halls of academia are generally considered taboo for questions of efficiency and accountability. Similar to primary education when we get calls of “you can’t put a price on teaching your children”, professional academicians talk about the platitudes of a secondary education, the training of our workforce, and the general benefits to society.
Here’s an idea: When you start teaching my children in 5 years, how about educating them by example. Be responsible with money, work hard, and provide a value for the dollars that you receive. If my children learn this from their time in college, they will grow to be great adults.