I was caught off guard when my son initially brought up the idea of not going to college. His mother and I attended undergrad together. He was a baby on campus when I was in grad school. He then he earned a doctorate.
“What do you mean 'not go to college'?” I pretended to ask.
My tone said, “You're leaving.” (He did.)
opinion columnist
LZ Granderson
LZ Granderson writes about culture, politics, sports, and living life in America.
Children of first-generation college graduates are not supposed to backpack (insert destination here). They are supposed to continue the climb, especially considering that higher education was unattainable for many people for so long. The thought of not sending my son to college was a regression for our family. In retrospect, our conversation said more about the future.
A study from 2023 Of nearly 6,000 human resources professionals and leaders in American companies found that only 22% required applicants to have a college degree.
Labor shortages are one aspect of the conversation. The change in the place of academia in society is more significant.
I'm sure that sounds like a good thing for young people entering the workforce. As an educator, my concern is what would happen to a society if only the rich pursued higher education. Oh, that's right: we already did that, before the middle class existed… and paid vacations.
Although it must be said that the reduction of hiring requirements is not the only threat to the university experience.
The academy has publicly abused Tensions on campus and student protests. which started after the Hamas attack against Israel on October 7, and that certainly hasn't been good for academia either. He hasn't done it either Cancel commencement speakers… or the graduation ceremony itself.. Add the increasing costs: up almost 400% in 30 years compared to 1990 rates – and, well, the university bubble hasn't completely burst, but it is bleeding.
Forgiving student loan debt, whether you agree with the idea or not, addresses the past.
The future of universities depends on the future of work. If employers are making it easier for corporate America to enter without a degree, then universities must adjust the amount of money they try to extract from students and their families, because the return on investment will be falling.
University enrollment now been declining for a decade, and it's not because Americans have become less ambitious or less willing to invest in their children's future. It is due to the erosion of confidence that a degree guarantees a better quality of life.
Imagine your high school senior is interested in going to college and wants to major in education, communication, or the arts. The sticker price of tuition, even at a public school, will seem quite high. If your child is headed toward a degree in engineering or business, that same tuition might seem like a better option.
There is no reason why tuition rates cannot vary to reflect this reality. Colleges and universities must set tuition rates for classes based on the earning potential of the discipline studied.
If our grocery stores can find a way to charge us more for organic products, then surely this great nation can come up with a system for setting college costs that account for future profits.
For example, according to the National Education Association, the The starting salary for a teacher in California is about $55,000., the fourth highest in the country. For California residents, the cost to attend UCLA It amounts to almost $35,000 a year, without financial aid. That math just doesn't work.
It's easy to see why 20% of the country's teachers work a second job during the school year to make ends meet. Between 2020 and 2022, the nation lost around 300,000 educators, and we are facing a shortage of teachers. To address the issue, Several states have relaxed teacher certification. rules to make it easier to get more bodies in the classroom, which sounds… less than ideal.
Instead, why not reduce the cost of credit hours for college students pursuing a degree in education? Wouldn't parents feel more comfortable knowing that the people in the classroom set out to teach and earned the credentials?
If universities don't find ways like this to reduce costs for at least some students, higher education will become a relic. Just as cord cutting reshaped the economics of the television industry, the trend of corporate America away from degree requirements will put pressure on universities to make big changes.
Tectonic changes have already occurred in a short period of time. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Universities lost international students.who once supported many institutions paying higher rates than Americans.
American assistance is plummeting forecast starting next year. Due to low birth and immigration rates, the United States will have fewer young people in its high school graduating classes after 2025.
And perhaps most importantly, our trust in the university is declining. In 2015, when my son graduated high school, Gallup found that nearly 60% of Americans had “a lot” or “quite a bit” of confidence in our higher education system. It was below 50% in 2018. It was below 40% last year.
It is not known what that number is today.
Which is sad because there is still a lot to value – beyond career options – in a liberal arts education. Given the way we live, college is one of the few places we have left in the United States where young people from different walks of life can come together. This is important for the health of a nation as diverse (and segregated) as ours.
Universities will naturally shrink due to demographics, and they can use this time to also adjust their business models and charge fairer prices. We need young people to be able to replenish all professional fields, and that includes art, music and education. It is time to rethink the economic approach so that they are not burdened with debts that these careers cannot pay.
