Harvard’s former president Derek Bok once said, “One thing that exiled royalty, gambling addicts and college presidents have in common is that there’s never enough money.” Long ago, college leaders tried to keep costs down for students, but nowadays, the model president focuses on hauling in as much money as possible and spending it on stuff to make the school appear more attractive and “prestigious.”
In today’s Martin Center article, Ashlynn Warta looks at the spending habits of private and public colleges and universities in North Carolina. The evident feature is the lack of restraint.
She writes:
These institutions aren’t just spending money on professors and education; instead, they are tricking out their campuses with the latest student attractions. Why does need a ropes course and a bouldering wall? Perhaps to compete with Duke’s indoor climbing wall? NCSU’s basketball dorms “cost roughly four times as much per bed than other campus living quarters.” From lazy rivers to movie theaters, institutions now aim to meet students’ every desire on campus.
I rarely agree with former UNC-CH Chancellor Holden Thorp, but he’s right that the state’s institutions of higher education have lost their focus on educating and need new leaders who will get back to basics.