The Moral and Intellectual Bankruptcy of Academia

[MathGeek]

I had long felt called to be a college professor, so in 2002 I left my cushy, high-paying engineering job to accept a position as an Assistant Professor of Physics at a local community college in the mid-west. The college seemed excited to have me and soon asked me to forward my curriculum vitae and course syllabi to the college partnership office which was negotiating for credits in the community college courses to transfer toward engineering degrees at a nearby four year university...

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[ratherbefishing186]

Not surprised at all. I hear so many stories from my little sister about not being allowed to fail students in public schools.

I just want to know where the hell were these prof's during my drunken first freshmen year! 8)

[MathGeek]

Originally Posted by ratherbefishing186

Not surprised at all. I hear so many stories from my little sister about not being allowed to fail students in public schools.

I just want to know where the hell were these prof's during my drunken first freshmen year! 8)

It's too bad your sister gets push back.

The experience of colleagues and I is that (with occasional exceptions for athletes) most college profs can fail some students at most schools. The real issue is whether there is a defacto tolerance level. If the administration will only allow 1% of students to fail, and only 80% earn passing grades, then 19% get passed without earning it.

When that kind of deal gets combined with admissions policies (often including affirmative action) that allows a flood of students into a school and then enrolling in courses for which they are woefully unprepared, there is a lot of pressure on profs to pass students who have not really earned degree credit by becoming proficient in learning objectives.

This tends to snowball in math and in courses that require math (physics, chemistry, and engineering). If 50% of the students in Calculus, Physics, Chemistry, or Engineering classes do not have the math skills to succeed, and there is no way the college will allow a prof to fail them all, then there must be a wholesale lowering of standards.

[B-Stealth]

Originally Posted by ratherbefishing186

Not surprised at all. I hear so many stories from my little sister about not being allowed to fail students in public schools.

I just want to know where the hell were these prof's during my drunken first freshmen year! 8)

Ohhh yea the system is screwed up, it's now difficult and very time consuming to fail a student. Much easier for the teacher to let the student slide on by.

No child left behind.....

[wishin i was fishin]

My daughter came across this pic on Facebook last night. Thought it fit this post quite well.

[mcjaredsandwich]

I'll say this...We thought the financial collapse was bad in 2008 when the low interest rates for mortgages caught up with people who couldn't pay their debts.


Now, every 18+ year old coming out of high school is told their only way to succeed is to get a college degree. Tuition rates are increasing yearly and college textbook prices are through the roof. A kid graduates from school, some are passed through with failing grades, and the kid is told they have to have a college degree to be successful.

Colleges are more than willing to hand out a student loan to some kid studying an art degree, general studies, business, agriculture, economics, engineering, etc., and MOST students are middle of the road students. We have kids spending upwards of 100k on a BACHELORS degree with no real job opportunities coming out of school. 100k to pay back is a hefty sum, I don't have a doubt in my mind that the government backing student loans will be the next major financial crisis.

[redchaserron]

Great write up MG. Obviously, as you noted, it starts with students not being prepared in high school. It's a real catch 22 though. We want schools and teachers to be accountable, but I truly believe that our current system of "grading" schools incentivizes teachers and faculty to award grades that may not be earned. Heavy standardized testing also leads to students being taught to pass the test rather than how they may apply the material they are learning in professional and real world situations.

[simplepeddler]

Originally Posted by mcjaredsandwich

I'll say this...We thought the financial collapse was bad in 2008 when the low interest rates for mortgages caught up with people who couldn't pay their debts.


Now, every 18+ year old coming out of high school is told their only way to succeed is to get a college degree. Tuition rates are increasing yearly and college textbook prices are through the roof. A kid graduates from school, some are passed through with failing grades, and the kid is told they have to have a college degree to be successful.

Colleges are more than willing to hand out a student loan to some kid studying an art degree, general studies, business, agriculture, economics, engineering, etc., and MOST students are middle of the road students. We have kids spending upwards of 100k on a BACHELORS degree with no real job opportunities coming out of school. 100k to pay back is a hefty sum, I don't have a doubt in my mind that the government backing student loans will be the next major financial crisis.

X2.........been saying it for years

[MathGeek]

Originally Posted by mcjaredsandwich

I'll say this...We thought the financial collapse was bad in 2008 when the low interest rates for mortgages caught up with people who couldn't pay their debts.


Now, every 18+ year old coming out of high school is told their only way to succeed is to get a college degree. Tuition rates are increasing yearly and college textbook prices are through the roof. A kid graduates from school, some are passed through with failing grades, and the kid is told they have to have a college degree to be successful.

Colleges are more than willing to hand out a student loan to some kid studying an art degree, general studies, business, agriculture, economics, engineering, etc., and MOST students are middle of the road students. We have kids spending upwards of 100k on a BACHELORS degree with no real job opportunities coming out of school. 100k to pay back is a hefty sum, I don't have a doubt in my mind that the government backing student loans will be the next major financial crisis.

Great points, but in Louisiana, it is not so bleak, due to the TOPS program which will pay 100% if the tuition at Louisiana colleges and universities for high school graduates meeting certain requirements, which are not that tough. For students who can live at home while attending college, they's have to work really hard to accrue anywhere near 100k in debt on these programs.

See:

https://www.osfa.la.gov/TOPS_O.htm

https://www.osfa.la.gov/TOPS_T.htm

The TOPS Opportunity Award pays for tuition and certain fees at any of the Louisiana Public Colleges and Universities. If a student attends a college within the Louisiana Association of Independent Colleges and Universities, the award amount will be the weighted average tuition of public-degree granting schools.

Standard Eligibility Requirements

- Minimum High School GPA of 2.50 (GPA computed on core courses only)
- 19.0 Core Units
- Minimum ACT Score (or SAT Equivalent) of the prior year state average; Currently 20
- Must enroll full time as a first time freshman, by the first semester following the first anniversary of high school graduation
- Be a US citizen or permanent resident
- Meet TOPS Louisiana residency requirements

*BESE-Approved Home Study Eligibility – ACT/SAT Score of 2 points above standard – Currently 22
*Louisiana Residents graduating from an eligible out-of-state/country high school – ACT/SAT Score of 3 points above standard – Currently 23

Renewal Requirements

- Minimum 2.30 GPA at the end of the first Academic Year(between 24-47 hours of earned credit) 1
- Minimum 2.50 GPA at the end of all other Academic Years (once 48 hours have been earned) 1
- Maintain steady Academic Progress at the end of all other semesters/terms (2.00 Cumulative GPA) 1
- Student must be enrolled full-time as of the 15th class day at a semester institution or as of the 10th class day at a quarter institution and maintain continuous enrollment2
- Earn at least 24 Credit Hours for Academic Year (the TOPS Academic Year begins with the fall term of the award year and concludes immediately before the next fall term commences. All intersessions and summer sessions are included)
- Hours earned during the Intersession between Fall and Spring Semesters will be counted toward meeting the 24 Hours Annual Requirement but not toward Full-Time Enrollment
- For more information on courses that will and will not fulfill the 24 Hours annual requirement click here.

1 Suspended Award will be reinstated if appropriate GPA regained within 24 months.
2 Failure to enroll full time, maintain continuous enrollment or earn 24 hours results in cancellation of award and it cannot be reinstated without an Approved Request for Exception to the Initial, Continuous, Full-Time Enrollment and/or 24 Hour Requirement.

[MathGeek]

A number of factors have caused my wife and I to lose confidence in the ability of Louisiana universities to educate our children, and we are making great efforts to provide for their college educations at institutions where the academic rigor does not appear to have declined so rapidly such as Texas A&M, Ga Tech, Florida, UGA, Clemson, Baylor, Rice, etc.

However, my wife and I have given consideration to how parents in Louisiana might help their children get good educations at Louisiana Universities if other options are prohibitedly expensive. Here is our advice:

1. Just because students can pass without learning, does not mean they have to. If continued support is contingent on earning As and Bs, there is a much better chance a student will make the reasonable efforts that are needed to gain the added value from real learning.

2. Drinking and drug abuse are two huge factors that work in concert with lower academic standards to produce students who have learned very little that increases their value in the workforce. Parents know their children and need to consider what kinds of encouragements and discouragements are needed to steer them away from these destructive behaviors so they get more value added from their college experiences.

3. Different young adults respond differently to financial support. Some will work much harder for educational opportunities they are working to pay for. Others may find the requirement to pay their own way a burden that detracts from study time. Parents would do well to give this trade-off due consideration when making their choices. For our own children, we will make sure they have the necessities paid for, but most lifestyle upgrades will need to be earned, hopefully through merit-based scholarships with high GPA maintenance requirements and on-campus jobs in laboratories.

4. Not all majors add equal value to the college graduate. In addition to having GPA or grade requirements for ongoing financial support, it makes sense to require majors be approved by the parties paying the bills and that changing majors from high value areas to lower value areas be discussed and approved by the financial supporters. Parents should be less enthusiastic about paying for degrees in art history than degrees that are in great demand.

5. Don't believe your children are ready for college because of grades received in Louisiana schools. You will most likely be deceived. Read some of their essays to personally assess their english and composition skills. If their intended college major requires any math courses, use the online ALEKS program to assess (and remediate, if needed) their math skills. If their intended college major requires any chemistry, use the online ALEKS program to asses (and remediate, if needed) their chemistry skills. Independent verification of their education in these key areas will be some of the best effort and money you will ever spend on your children's education.

6. If available, make use of opportunities to expose them more gradually to college level work through dual enrollment programs where students can take 1-2 real college courses at a time during their junior and senior years of high school. This allows more gradual acclimation to college level expectations without the sudden and insurmountable jump that can occur for less-prepared freshmen. If scheduling or travel constraints do not allow attending real college courses in person, accredited distance learning courses are available and are a better choice than AP courses which often are watered down and cater to ongoing high school habits.

[swglenn]

As the husband of a wife that taught Math and Physics in high school, a graduate engineer, and the father of two engineers I totally agree with your position.

My wife had a number of students come back after graduation to tell her current students she was a tough teacher but if she hadn't prepared them as well as they were they would have had a much rougher time in college.

She retired when the administration wouldn't support her when the parents came to school complaining little Johnny didn't get the support from her that he needed. This is after she made her self available to anyone before and after school. Little Johnny wouldn't do his homework, wouldn't study for tests, and wouldn't make any effort to learn in class much less come after class for one on one.

[MathGeek]

Originally Posted by swglenn

As the husband of a wife that taught Math and Physics in high school, a graduate engineer, and the father of two engineers I totally agree with your position.

My wife had a number of students come back after graduation to tell her current students she was a tough teacher but if she hadn't prepared them as well as they were they would have had a much rougher time in college.

She retired when the administration wouldn't support her when the parents came to school complaining little Johnny didn't get the support from her that he needed. This is after she made her self available to anyone before and after school. Little Johnny wouldn't do his homework, wouldn't study for tests, and wouldn't make any effort to learn in class much less come after class for one on one.

Thanks for sharing this.