Ouster of UVa's President and the Future of Public Higher Ed

"Sanskrit. You're majoring in a 5,000-year-old dead language? Hmmm...Latin. Best I can do."

 

To promote the general welfare, sez Jefferson of public education:



Whereas it appeareth that however certain forms of government are better calculated than others to protect individuals in the free exercise of their natural rights, and are at the same time themselves better guarded against degeneracy, yet experience hath shewn, that even under the best forms, those entrusted with power have, in time, and by slow operations, perverted it into tyranny; and it is believed that the most effectual means of preventing this would be, to illuminate, as far as practicable, the minds of the people at large, and more especially to give them knowledge of those facts, which history exhibiteth, that, possessed thereby of the experience of other ages and countries, they may be enabled to know ambition under all its shapes, and prompt to exert their natural powers to defeat its purposes; And whereas it is generally true that that people will be happiest whose laws are best, and are best administered, and that laws will be wisely formed, and honestly administered, in proportion as those who form and administer them are wise and honest; whence it becomes expedient for promoting the publick happiness that those person, whom nature hath endowed with genius and virtue, should be rendered by liberal education worthy to receive, and able to guard the sacred deposit of the rights and liberties of their fellow citizens, and that they should be called to that charge without regard to wealth, birth or other accidental condition or circumstance; but the indigence of the greater number disabling them from so educating, at their own expence, those of their children whom nature hath fitly formed and disposed to become useful instruments for the public, it is better that such should be sought for and educated at the common expence of all, than that the happiness of all should be confided to the weak or wicked:...[1]



www.monticello.org/site/research-and-collections/bill-more-general-diffusion-knowledge

 

Why? CU tuition is about $13,000 per year.

A full time student only goes to class 15 hours per week. That leaves plenty of time for studying, and employment.

There's additional time to work in the summer.

Parents have at least 18 years to save for college. At even $100 per month, that's $21,600 saved by the time a child reaches college age. And, that assumes no interest. With educational IRA's parents can fund these savings with pre-tax dollars.

There's no reason a student can't take a year off between high school and college to save some money. They can go to school part time if necessary. They can start out at a community college for a year or two before transferring to a four year institution.

There's also no reason a student can't work after school during high school to save money for his/her own college education.

If education is truly important, and truly a priority, then it can be done.

But, it's not an actual priority for many, yet we subsidize it for them anyway. That's not an investment, that's throwing money down the drain.

 

Sounds like a smart guy. He should run for office.

My youngest brother is proud to be a fellow alumnus of William and Mary.

 

The corporatists want to shut it down lock stock and barrel. They don't want to pay one fuckin' nickel of tax money on education for anybody.

The billionaires will get a great education because they can pay for it. Everybody else will be fucked out of luck.

Unfortunately for the corporatists, it don't take much book learnin' to know how to throw a brick through a window.

 

Your certainty about the aims of an unidentifiable cohort is admirable.

 

But as Jefferson himself points out, that's been the struggle from the beginning.

The 'elites,' whether by heredity or holdings, don't harbor much love for a well-educated electorate.

 

When has a college education ever been though to be a part of the community's obligation to educate the populace? And, when has the responsibility ever been on the Federal government to provide it, or any education?

We have 50 states. If education is an "investment" and leads to more jobs, draws businesses, and increases the tax base, then states and localities can choose to increase their spending on education.

The City University of New York (CUNY) is still the third largest public school system in the nation. Only California's University system, and New Your State's (SUNY) are larger.

I might suggest that other city's could copy New York City's success, but then we'd have to determine if it has been a success, I suppose.

 

And it might be a profit center in any case:

http://chronicle.com/blognetwork/edgeofthewest/2012/06/18/on-the-university-of-virginia-and-moneychangers-in-the-temple/?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

 

Larry Sabato, director of UVa's Center for Politics and possibly the most well known and influential person at the university, had this tweet.

I know the Faculty Senate statements and individual professors aren't going to change anything, but it's telling just how angry everyone here is right now.

 

When the community, through its legislature, granted land for the creation of its state university. Hence 'land grant' university.

 

Never intended to be universal education.

And, done on the state level, not the Federal level.

States should do what they want. It's not a Federal issue.