seven bad ideas about how to cut costs in higher education

In a piece in the Chronicle of Higher Education, William Coplin suggests 7 Ways Colleges Can Cut Costs in Their Classrooms. Each of his seven suggestions proposes an alternative to professors, or even PhD students, actually teaching classes. They cost too much, apparently. It'd be more efficient to outsource or rely on adjuncts and undergraduates to cover the teaching load.

My first reaction was, "this is ridiculous!" One of the best parts of my Dartmouth education has been working closely with professors -- a rare privilege for an undergraduate these days. I like TA's, I think peer tutors provide a valuable service, and I agree that a little bit of real world experience enriches a college education - but to suggest that students teach themselves or that the organizations and companies they intern for take responsibility for their education entirely ignores the subject-matter expertise professors have to offer.

My second reaction was, "this is RIDICULOUS!" Academia is not just about preparing students for the work world (Coplin is also the author of the book "10 Things Employers Want You to Learn in College" ). Academia serves as a forum for advancing human knowledge and understanding. Our society needs a stronger, not a weaker, academic voice to inform the social, political, economic and scientific choices we make. For example, respected academics Larry Diamond and Juan Cole agree that the disastrous outcome in Iraq could have been avoided had the Bush administration paid attention to what was common knowledge to academics who study the Middle East, democratization, political development, and civil war. Cutting into research budgets, cutting back on tenured faculty positions, and reconceptualizing professors as "managers of their students' education" would dangerously weaken that voice.

My third reaction was, "this is offensive!!!" Our country has its share of problems, but a shortage of resources is not one of them. If we are really concerned about opening up college opportunities to those who can't afford to pay tuition at its current levels, wouldn't a better strategy be to increase state support for education rather than lessen the quality of the education those students will be able to access? Where a society puts its resources says a lot about its values, and it's about time we started valuing education and deliberative discussion on issues of great relevance to society more than we value the efficient production of good employees.