Inside Higher Ed has a piece on the sad story of UC-Merced today. Merced is the most recent addition to the University of California, a research university tucked away in one of the most beautiful spots on earth. It admits almost everyone who applies (more than 90 percent) and still is far behind enrollment targets.
This is obviously another instance of the political urge to spend money on education just because more education is presumed to be beneficial. Since the politicians are spending other people’s money, they have no incentive to think through the probable costs and benefits.
The most distressing part of the piece is the statement by the politician turned “adviser” most responsible for this blunder, Cruz Bustamante. The article quotes him as saying: “You know what I say? Shame on us. Shame on us that we haven’t continued to make education a priority. Shame on us for not meeting or exceeding the original goals.”
Huh? You build too many universities and the problem is not making education a priority? Only politicians talk like that.