Quote:
Originally Posted by Jim in CT
"Why would people at the top of their field work for less in education, than they can command in the private sector?"
Because teaching is supposed to be a calling.
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I love building things, always have, are you suggesting I should do it for free?
Just how much, now that you are an admitted communist, would you set education professionals compensation at?
You seem to have a problem with markets setting prices only in this case.
The higher ed market is currently thinning itself out, teaching jobs in colleges are much scarcer than they were 15 years ago.
Thinking that professors salaries drives the cost of higher ed is incorrect, here is one retired dean's take on it.
Students in the USA (unlike in other countries) have come to expect MUCH more from college than just education. They want an active social life, a luxurious (or at least very comfortable) room in the domitory, high quality food in the cafeteria, lots of fun sports, fraternities and sororities—FUN, FUN, FUN. They also want a beautiful campus with lots of lovely buildings and state of the art equipment, etc. All of this is expensive.
Can we significantly lower the cost of higher education? Absolutely. Eliminate all the frills and provide high quality teaching—ONLY. Nothing else. Do some or all teaching online (teaching online has become very sophisticated and very effective). This eliminates the need for huge costly campuses that require massive maintenance. A single building where administration resides, some classrooms are available, and testing is done should be enough. And eliminate the formula for government subsidies for tuition. Give students a fixed sum instead of a percentage of tuition to help with costs.