Oscar Wilde once said that a cynic is “a man who knows the price of everything and the value of nothing.” Ohio Gov. John Kasich would appear to be that cynic. He believes that he has found an easy way to dealing with high tuition costs in college — cut the college education itself. In a move that would be a disaster for the quality and standing of Ohio universities and colleges, Kasich wants schools to reduce college educations to three rather than four years to pump out more graduates in a shorter time.
I have long opposed a similar proposal in law schools to reduce the three year curriculum to two years — a proposal by deans who want to convert legal education into a factory operation.
Kasich ordered state universities to investigate ways for students to get a bachelor’s degree in three years and has called for a crackdown on what he views as lazy college professors who do not teach enough. He is getting support from Matt Mayer of the Buckeye Institute — a conservative “think tank” that (on its website) bills as its “vision” “a revitalized Ohio that ranks among the top ten states in high household wealth, low taxation, and low government costs.” Mayer states in the article below that “If we really kind of strip down higher ed and the four-year degree down to a really rigorous three-year process, for many kids that would be a great road to get their skills, get their knowledge base, graduate and then become productive members of society.” Add a second cynic to the list.
What is missing from such analysis is the process of learning and maturation that occurs in a four-year program. College is not primarily about getting a degree to get better jobs — at least not for educators. It is about producing well-educated individuals with an appreciation for a wide array of knowledge. It should be a time of intellectual awakening for students who are exposed to great ideas and great writers. This exploration can lead students into new fields or simply open up a lifetime interest in learning. “Stripping down” education suggests that some knowledge or course are merely frivolous distractions as opposed to the core classes needed to be functional in society. You can strip down a lawnmower and it will still produce a sharp cut. When you strip down education, you just get a dull graduate.
The desire to rank the “quality” of schools based largely on tuition produces absurd results, as shown in the discredited Forbes rankings.
As for those lazy academics, this seems part of the growing trend of demonizing intellectuals in contemporary politics, particularly among some conservative leaders like Sarah Palin and Newt Gingrich. Colleges benefit from professors continuing research and writing to keep new ideas and works flowing through their classrooms. They are not shop teachers who just teach a single unchanging skill. The quality of teaching depends on teachers remaining intellectually productive.
If Kasich succeeds, the standing of many fine Ohio schools will decline dramatically. The academic standing of schools will plummet in academic rankings and the quality of students will decline in response. The result is a downward spiral where Kasich will be able to show “success” in cranking out more degrees but his state will become a second-rate educational center. As the standing of Ohio schools fails, top professors are likely to go elsewhere as are businesses who want the best and the brightest graduates.
Kasich needs to have someone explain the difference between the price of education and the value of education.
Source: NPR
Jonathan Turley
It gets better. Kasick says one of Ohio’s problems is we aren’t “cool” enough. If we could just be “cooler” more people would want to live here.
This comes from one of the uncoolest people around. Although I do believe when he was a congressman he hopped on the stage with the Eagles. He figured they would be thrilled to jam with him. Apparenntly not as they had Security kick Kasick off their friggin’ stage.
The Prof called it in his original article … “demonizing intellectuals in contemporary politics”
Under the guise of budgeting Kasich is really only appealing to the prejudices of his teabagging supporters … but then one needs to have an education in order to recognize that ….
Mr. Kasich just wants to rid the State of those commie pinko college professors who have too much time on their hands to write factually nasty things about Kasich and the rest of his radical crowd.
Brian, He became a disciple of Ayn Rand. Some would say that is preferable to the former democratic governor that had a streak of blue dog in him. There are a few good private colleges in Ohio. Maybe they will thrive in the move to privatization.
In a society in which a deluded elite oligarchy acts (through established traditions?) as though most other people are their expendables, is any greater threat to the socioeconomic status of the oligarchs possible than a competently educated citizenry, capable of understanding and effectively resisting oligarchical tyrannies?
If Gov. Kasich was born with the ability to be functionally mentally-competent, what could possibly have happened to him?
Blouise,
You can’t have another generation of well-educated citizens.
Why that just might lead to democracy just spontaneously bustin’ out all over the place.
Blouise, I agree on the dumbing down. Under his plan, the idea is that professors have too much free time, so they should teach a full load, like high school teacher do.
Cut out all that nonsense such as research, time to think, and grading papers. Just hit the ground running at eight in the morning and teach five classes every day.
I completed my BA in Music in three years by taking all the required “general” courses in the summer and all the music classes fall through spring.
The motivated and mature student can do it with ease. I also worked part-time all year which is almost a requirement for musicians developing their performance skills.
I had no problem getting into graduate school … in fact having done the 4 years in three was a plus.
But that isn’t what Kasich is talking about is it? He wants to “dumb down” the degree … idiot.
good grief…….good grief…….HELP!!!!!
this country has turned into a freak show!
You could also finish in 3 years if you took summer semesters for two years. Just like this proposal, that would still cost you the same amount of money but you would be done a year earlier.
Given that they are working hard to make retirement an impossibility for us old farts that means an extra year of living in your folks basement but you did get your degree in 3.
I agree entirely with the sentiments expressed in the post regarding the value of education. But may I point out that a path already exists for top students to complete their degree in less that four years: AP units.
Top students at all elite schools enter with enough AP units that they are almost sophomores. I don’t have any stats to prove or disprove that these students enroll in as many classes as the “regular” students who do not enter with AP units. I suspect they don’t. They either graduate early or take a much lighter load.
I don’t have a problem with someone completing a four year degree in less time. Quite the contrary, I’m usually impressed when I hear about it. It shows drive and determination (offset by the lack of a need to hold a job while in school). But I think institutionalizing the practice probaly would lead to significant dumbing down.
Really, if they would just strip out all the unnecessary crap and only teach kids the skill they need for whatever job they think they might want to take they could boil it down to 2 years!
THAT’S THE TICKET! Get your Bachelors degree in 2 years. AH, wait! Don’t they already have schools like that? Yeah but you can’t get a BA there so this is better! Sort of like “This one goes to 11!”
This is beyond embarrassing …
He also doesn’t think funds for job retraining should be wasted on the unemployed but used for training workers who already have jobs … he calls them “incumbent workers”.
“I don’t like the current system. That’s typical government,” Kasich said. “That’s a Disneyland North philosophy.” … go ahead, try to figure out what he means by that statement.
As far as K-12 education, Kasich wants to double the number of scholarships to allow students in underperforming public schools to attend private schools.
A cap would be lifted on the number of community schools, which receive state funding but are privately operated, bonuses would be provided to high-performing teachers and the dismissal process streamlined for poor-performing ones.
Oh … by the way … He wants to sell five prisons to private operators to raise $200 million that was covered in the last state budget with federal stimulus dollars. (Yeah, he lost those stimulus funds!)
So there you have it … Kasich’s “jobs budget”! Irony …
We will soon be Mississippi North. If our house ever sells we are planning to relocate to the United States of America.
Kasich ordered state universities to investigate ways for students to get a bachelor’s degree in three years and has called for a crackdown on what he views as lazy college professors who do not teach enough.
The Professor is spot on in his analysis — the Governor wants to turn prestigious universities into community colleges whose professors teach five classes rather than two and don’t do any research or write any books.
This seems like a systemic attack on liberal intellectualism — Conservative ideas would do just fine because there is a conservative think tank system in place. People who
care about history in-and-of-itself rather than to serve a partisan agenda (and who frequently debunk conservative myths)? People who serve as a check on the scientific claims made by corporate interests? They will find themselves teaching so many classes they don’t have time to “meddle” in politics any more.
Elaine M.,
“One has to wonder what “kind of stripping down” higher ed would mean.”
Not all who Dance make money….or marry well….
I heard this discussion on NPR yesterday.
From the NPR article: “If we really kind of strip down higher ed and the four-year degree down to a really rigorous three-year process, for many kids that would be a great road to get their skills, get their knowledge base, graduate and then become productive members of society,” Mayer says.
*****
One has to wonder what “kind of stripping down” higher ed would mean.
Good luck on your kid getting into medical school, or for that matter, any graduate school, unless the kid is a sparkling genius with a 150 IQ who could soak up enough information in the three years to get past the GRE, MCAT or LSAT.
Oh, why the hell not….at this rate….why not just give them the High School Diploma…say when turning 15….