Seven Myths About Public Investment in Private Education

The October 31, 2008, issue of the Chronicle of Higher Education has a very interesting commentary that identifies seven myths that people generally have about the lack of willingness (or ability) of government to invest in private education.  The commentator suggests that understanding these myths may be the first step in overcoming them.  The seven myths are listed below.  But first, here is an excerpt from the commentary:

Why is public education the poor pupil of public investment? Part of the explanation is political: A quarter-century of culture wars has undermined the egalitarian values and tax-based public infrastructure that made America a mass middle-class society after World War II. Since 1980, stratification by income has steadily worsened, and higher education has been caught in an ideological crossfire between traditional supporters and conservative elites who want to set that broad middle-class majority back. It is easy to blame the sponsors of the culture wars in particular, and the country’s political leadership in general, for turning the public away from an inclusive social vision and the public institutions that make such visions real.

But after spending nearly a decade serving on and leading faculty committees for planning and budgets, participating in countless budget discussions, and working on two large-scale budget reports, I’ve concluded that the fault lies not only with the usual suspects but also with ourselves. Many public-university administrators are incapable of convincing political and business leaders of the need for financial support because they are no longer fully convinced themselves. They have systematically, if unintentionally, deprived themselves of their best arguments and have adopted a series of myths about public investment.

The seven myths, many of which involve the willingness of the populous to accept a higher tax bill in exchange for better and more accessible higher education,  are:

Myth 1: The public hates taxes now more than in the past.

Myth 2: The public rejects tax-based support for higher education.

Myth 3: Privatization of public higher education has been happening for years and is an established practice.

Myth 4: State cuts have no effect on educational quality or student outcomes.

Myth 5: Revenues from industry can replace lost public money.

Myth 6: Privatization won’t hurt public universities because revenues from philanthropy can replace public support.

Myth 7: Cutting higher-education support is a national trend that cannot be stopped.

For the entire commentary, see “Public Universities at Risk: 7 Damaging Myths” in the October 31, 2008, issue of the Chronicle of Higher Education.

DAB