Page 4—Smoke Signals, Wednesday, March 14, 1973
Dean Reviews Problems Facing Higher Education
DR. B. FRANKLIN LOWE, JR.
Dean of the College
A report prepared by Dr. B.
FYanklin Ix)we, Jr., Dean of the
College, at the request of Dr.
Bruce E. Whitaker, President of
Chowan College, for the Board of
Trustees and Board of Advisors.
Every segment of higher
education—public, private, two-
year, four-year, universities—is
facing a staggering array of
proUems. In this brief time today
we must limit ourselves to a few
of these that have special
relevance to jH'ivate colleges, and
in particular, to private two-year
colleges.
Perhaps one of the most vexing
problems facing higher education
today is that of enrollment. While
declining enrollments have
perhaps posed a more serious
problem for private higher
education, the problem in some
degree affects every element of
higher education. For example,
consider the following statement
which appeared in the January
19,1973, edition of the 15-Minute
Report;
“Enrollments at state-
supported colleges and univer
sities appear to be leveling off, or
in many cases, declining. A close
analysis of federal statistics for
this past fall shows that 20 states
had fewer students at their public
universities than they did the
year before; 21 states had
decreases at their public four-
year colleges. Overall the state
institutions had a one percent
gain.”
The enrollment problem is
further compounded by the fact
that while enrollment is leveling
off or declining, and while some
institutions are being forced to
close, new institutions are
opening at an alarming rate. For
an example, the new listing by
the U.S. Office of Education
shows 2,686 colleges and
universities in the U.S. and
territories, a gain of 60 over the
1971-72 listing. The net gain in
cludes 41 new public institutions,
and 19 new private ones. Of the
new public institutions, 32 are
community or junior colleges
(ref. p. 6, Higher Education and
National Affairs, January 19,
1973).
According to a report issued by
the research division of the
National Education Association,
enrollments in higher education
will continue to grow very
moderately for about six years,
after which they will decrease
each year for at least seven
years. The researchers noted
that the increase of 180,000
students between fall, 1971, and
fall, 1972, reported by the
National Center for
DEducational Statistics is the
smallest annual increase
reported since 1957. The total 1972
fall enrollment was 684,000 less
than projected last year by the
U.S. Office of Education, (ref. p.
6, Higlier Education and National
Affairs, January 12, 1973).
Projected enrollments in
higher education simply are not
materializing, and the per
centage of college age population
enrolled in degree credit courses
has leveled off or decreased
slightly since 1971.
“First-time freshman
enrollment in degree credit
pi ograms is smaller in the fall,
1972, than it was in either of the
two preceeding years. At the
same time the population aged 18
tias grown by 140,000,106,000 and
80,000 during the past three
year.s. As a result, the percentage
of age 18 population represented
by first-time enrollment in
degree credit programs has
decreased each year since 1969.
(ref. p. 6, Higtier Eduaction and
National Affairs, January 12,
1973).
This phenomenon is at
variance with what has occurred
previously in the U.S. The nation,
historically, has had a trend
toward an increasing proportion
of coUege-age population enrolled
in resident degree-credti
programs—rising from 1.7
percent in 1969-70 to 50.3 percent
in tall, 1969. Recent enrollment
data show that this trend came to
a standstill in fall, 1971, and
regressed slightly in fall, 1972.
(ref. p. 6, Higher Education and
National Affairs, January 12,
1973).
One of the factors which has
contributed to declining
enrollments involves recent
dianges in draft laws. As a result
of these changes, students may
no longer use college as a four
year haven from military ser
vice. Thus, those persons who
were at one time attending
college only for the purpose of
escaping the draft are no longer
enroUing. Under current law, if a
student’s number comes up and if
he is called to military service, he
is permitted only to finish the
quarter or semester in which he
is enrolled prior to induction. And
now there are indications that the
draft will virtually come to an
end as the result of the cessation
of the conflict in South East Asia.
While this has cut into college
enrollment, it has also been a
mixed blissing. It has eliminated
from the campus many of those
who are not serious about the
matter of a college education and
who have consequently served as
a disruptive element.
Another factor affecting
enrollment revolves about the
debate over education versus
training. The aim of education is
emancipation. This is what
separates education from
training. Education aims to free
man from his prejudices, his
preconceptions; it aims to help
men think and attempts to give
them the “tools” to become a
wise decision maker.
A recent television
documentary which was aired
nationally—“College—Who
Needs It?”—emphasized a
declining job market for college
graduates and seemed to be an
appeal for more people to con
sider blue collar occupations that
do not require a college degree. It
is unfortunate that the report
contained just enough elements
of truth to make it dangerous.
It is true that all men do not
need college in order to gain the
tools and skills to make a living.
But I propose that most people of
at least average intelligence can
benefit from some of the
traditional college disciplines
simply to prepare them for living
in our mdern society and for
contributing to it as responsible,
thinking citizens. We expect so-
called professionals (lawyers,
teachers, ministers, bankers,
business men, etc.) to gain a
liberal education before they
piu'sue their specialized graduate
training. Should not many of the
blue collar workers follow the
same pattern? These people also
need to understand human nature
and to be able to cope with the
complexities of our society.
There should be no question ol
education or training. Rather
there should be both, and this
(Jiowan attempts to provide in
those vocational programs which
it offers.
Related to this whole con
troversy of education versus
training is the fact that there has
apparently been a sharp drop in
the public’s confidence in
educators. According to a recent
survey by the Louis Harris
falling organization, only 33
percent of the American public
has “a great deal of confidence in
educators”. This figure,
measuring confidence in
educators at all levels, is down
from 37 percent in 1971 and 61
percent in 1966. This is a situation
which education can ill afford
since it affects both enrollment
and funding. While it is not
possible in this brief time to
discuss the causes of this decline
in confidence, it is obvious that
educators (including such per
sons as Advisors and Trustees)
must do a better job of presenting
their institutions to their various
constituencies. And this we can
do only if we have a good produc*.
to offer.
If it is any comfort, this drop
appears to be part of an overall
decline in confidence in the
leaders of most public and
private institutions in this
country. These appear to Iw
times in which the U.S. public
views the leaders of almost every
sector of the American establish
ment with skepticism. In
cidentally, ranking lower than
educators were leaders in
psychiatry (31 percent), religion
(30 percent), retail busine.ss
(28percent), U.S. Supreme Court
(28 percent), federal executive
branch (27 percent), major U.S.
companies (27 percent).
Congress (21 percent), the press
(18 percent), television (17
percent), labor (15 percent), and
advertising (12 percent), (ref. p.
1, Chronicle of Higher Education,
December 4, 1972).
Related to all that has gone
before is the problem of inflation
and rising costs. For the last few
years the total cost of higher
education has been increasing at
about 12.5 percent per year.
Fortunately this seems now to be
leveling off somewhat. This year
will see total costs amounting to
$27.7 billion, about 7-8 percent
above last year’s total cost of
$25.0 billion. This slowdown in the
rate at which costs are increasing
is due primarily to more
stringent cost controls at all
levels, (ref. p. 12, College
Management, January, 1973.)
While this is good news, if we
look closely we will note that the
costs of running the nation’s
colleges is still escalating at
about twice the rate of the
nation’s inflation. Everywhere
the colleges turn they encounter
increasing expenditures—
salaries (to include higher
minimum wages), electricity,
social security, fringe benefits,
and on and on ad infinitum.
The total deficit for all in
stitutions of higher education this
year will amount to $435 million
(roughly $48 per student—
whether degree or non-degree).
While this deceleration in
spending may not save all the 150
or so schools which are repor
tedly facing bankruptcy over the
next few years, it may help some
of them survive.
In a recent national survey
conducted for College
Management by Market Data
Retrieval, Inc., responses were
received from some 732 two-year
and four-year colleges enrolling
2.6 million students. These
represent 21.8 percent of all U.S.
institutions of higher education
and 28.1 percent of enrolled
students. Of the responding in
stitutions, 29.4 percent report
income lagging behind ex
penditures. (ref. p. 12, College
Management, January, 1973).
Apparently for many, deficits are
becoming a way of life. Cliowan is
indeed fortunate that it has been
able to maintain a balanced
budget, but this has been ex
tremely difficult and required
close planning and budgeting-
including no salary increases for
the current academic year.
Total income for all institutions
will amount to $27.3 billion for
1972-73, or $2,932 per student.
Nearly one-half of this amount
(49.5 percent) comes from the
government. On the average the
two-year college receives almost
twice as much from public funds
as do four-year institutions—77.9
percent as opposed to 44.8 per
cent. (ref. p. 12, College
Management. January, 1973).
This is obviously an average with
all two-year institutions lumped
together. In the case of Chowan
where virtually no public funds
are received, almost 90 percent of
revenue for operating expenses
must come from student fees.
This means that we must
maintain an adequate enrollment
if we are to operate in the black.
We are in direct competition with
the community colleges where
tuition is virtually nil due to the
amount of public funds received.
In these two year public colleges
only about 15 percent of the in
come comes from tuition and
fees.
Nevertheless, all institutions of
higher education are having to
struggle for support. Tuition and
fees in all types of schools have
doubled in the last decade. The
private schools (both two-year
and four-year) are increasing
tuition in a real battle for sur
vival and at the same time
running the risk of pricing
themselves out of existence.
Not all private schools will win
the battle for survival. Each year
sees a report of college closings.
As a clear example, we saw
Southwood College in this state
close at the end of the fall
semester of the current academic
year and Mitchell College is in
the process of going over to state
control. In Tidewater Virginia,
(liesapeake College is in the
process of being merged into the
Community College System,
following the example two years
ago of Fredrick College.
As a result of trying to balance
budgets and due in many in
stances to declining enrollments,
numerous institutions, both
public and private are cutting
back on various services and
sometimes on faculty and staff.
The September 25, 1972, issue of
the Chronicle of Higher
Education carried a brief article
to the effect that New York
University planned to eliminate
200 faculty positions in an effort
to help cut a $14 million deficit in
half by next year. Hardly a week
goes by that we don’t receive at
least one letter from someone
looking for a faculty or staff
position because his position had
been eliminated in a cut-back.
For example, on Friday, January
26,1973,1 received a letter from a
faculty member at Miami Dade
Junior College, indicating that
his was one of 56 positions being
eliminated. And (iiowan has not
been able to excape this problem.
We also are trimming our faculty
in an effort to bring the total
number of faculty into line with
projected 1973-74 enrollment and
in order to maintain a balanced
budget.
To be sure, these are only a few
of the problems that vex
education today. The list is
almost without end and any at
tempt to do justice to them would
fill volumes. Simply for the sake
of illustration there are such
matters as: the need for ad
ditional scholarship funds; the
need for additional endowment;
the question of tax reform as it
might affect philanthropy; the
need for additional state in
centives to private higher
education; the possible adverse
affect of a proposed restructuring
of the student financial aid
system by the Federal govern
ment; the need for constant
evaluation of curricular offerings
in light of changing trends and
needs; the question of faculty
tenure; the trend toward
collective bargaining in in
stitutions of higher education;
the questioning of college em
ployment practices by the
Federal government; and
countless other needs and
problems.
As we at Chowan College face
these problems, we will tighten
our belts, but we have too much
going for us to die. And we will
survive as a private institution
offering quality Christian higher
education. We will not survive
unless we do maintain quality.
By Dr. B. F. Lowe, Jr.
Dean of the College