Trends in Operating Costs in Higher Education

Friday May 08, 2009

This past week the Chronicle of Higher Education reported that support-staff jobs in higher education have doubled in the past 2 decades -- a pace far ahead of the growth in student enrollment and instruction.

The growth of support staff -- people who do student loans, computer work, institutional research, and numerous other non-teaching jobs -- is just one of the many reasons why higher education costs have risen over the rate of inflation for more than 20 years.

Institutions have to keep up with state and federal mandates, new technology and other drivers. But this trend of simply expanding the number of non-teaching employees has run up against current economic realities.

It is time to change our paradigms.

Higher Education IS still a good investment in terms of earning higher income and achieving a better quality of life, and in terms of our collective national good. But higher educational institutions will have to rethink and reprioritize ways to produce a leaner process of delivery.

Source: Chronicle of Higher Education, April 24, 2009. Page 1,16.

Category: Higher Education

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