The Pew Research Center is out with two new studies, one of 2,142 American adults, the other of 1,055 college presidents. Highlights: "A majority of Americans (57%) say the higher education system in the United States fails to provide students with good value for the money they and their families spend....At the same time, however, an overwhelming majority of college graduates (86%) say that college has been a good investment for them personally." Maybe they attended before the tuition got as high as it is now.
The college presidents had a rosier view of the education they were providing, with 76% saying the higher education system is providing either excellent or good value for the money that students and their families are spending. The big news from the survey of college presidents is this: "Only a quarter (24%) of presidents say that, if given a choice, they would prefer that most faculty at their institution be tenured. About seven-in-ten say they would prefer that faculty be employed on annual or long term contracts." A poll of the faculty might come up with a different result, but even so, this has got to be good for sales of Naomi Schaefer Riley's new book The Faculty Lounges: And Other Reasons Why You Won't Get The College Education You Pay For.