Administrative Bloat at American Universities: The Real Reason for High Costs in Higher Education

[Twana Blevins]

Goldwater Institute

Jay P. Greene

Goldwater Institute Policy Report

August 17, 2010

Executive Summary

Enrollment at America’s leading universities has been increasing dramatically, rising nearly 15 percent between 1993 and 2007. But unlike almost every other growing industry, higher education has not become more efficient. Instead, universities now have more administrative employees and spend more on administration to educate each student. In short, universities are suffering from “administrative bloat,” expanding the resources devoted to administration significantly faster than spending on instruction, research and service.

Between 1993 and 2007, the number of full-time administrators per 100 students at America’s leading universities grew by 39 percent, while the number of employees engaged in teaching, research or service only grew by 18 percent. Inflation-adjusted spending on administration per student increased by 61 percent during the same period, while instructional spending per student rose 39 percent. Arizona State University, for example, increased the number of administrators per 100 students by 94 percent during this period while actually reducing the number of employees engaged in instruction, research and service by 2 percent. Nearly half of all full-time employees at Arizona State University are administrators.

A significant reason for the administrative bloat is that students pay only a small portion of administrative costs. The lion’s share of university resources comes from the federal and state governments, as well as private gifts and fees for non-educational services. The large and increasing rate of government subsidy for higher education facilitates administrative bloat by insulating students from the costs. Reducing government subsidies would do much to make universities more efficient.

We base our conclusions on data from the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS), which is sponsored by the U.S. Department of Education. Higher education institutions report basic information about enrollment, employment and spending in various categories to IPEDS, which then makes this systematically collected information publicly available. In this report, we focus on the 198 leading universities in the United States. They are the ones in IPEDS identified as four year colleges that also grant doctorates and engage in a high or very high level of research. This set includes all state flagship public universities as well as elite private institutions.

Read Administrative Bloat at American Universities: The Real Reason...

Read Appendix B here

Media Coverage of Administrative Bloat in American Universities

ASU Statement Misses the Mark

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I received this from a great patriot in email today:

Hey, if you want your child to really be indoctrinated in the right way 
in protecting and defending your Constitution, then see if they have 
what it takes to apply and get into and through West Point.  

When your student knows who they are they know what they believe in, 
they won't want to be in that mind bending atmosphere anyway because 
they will know the difference!

It is OUR job to instill Values and Principles into our children and 
young adults, so that when they do go out into the world, they know 
what is right.  If is also OUR money, spend it wisely and pick a school 
of values and principles. Yes, they are out there, you must help your 
student find them.

Skip schools that get state and federal money - go private, they usually 
have more "donation" grant money to share.

deb
9-12

Alert - Glenn Beck says take your kids out of college, they are ind....

"Duty, Honor, Country; Do Not Lie, Cheat or Steal, Nor Tolerate Those 
Who Do! Liberty Cannot Be Preserved Without General Knowledge Among The 
People."
John Adams

Home Of The Free * Because Of The Brave

[gene r swank]

Everyone should look at Hillsdale College in Michigan or Liberty University. This is not only a problem with Colleges. When I went to High School in Michigan we had a Superintendant, 1 Principle, 3 women in the High school office and 2 in the middle school office and 2 in the elementery office. This was a class A school with around 400 students graduating each year. Yes a very large school. In the late 80s my childrens middle school had a principle, 3 vice principles and abot 7 women working in the office, the Principle drove a new Mercedes and made 74k a year while a new teacher made 34K a year. Even the janitor made more then the teachers. They suspended my daughter because she dyed her hair blond!!! When I threatened to sue they let her come back as long as she didnt dye her hair again, which is a violation of her rights. I removed her from the school and put her in a private Christian school.

[Billy Bowlegs]

From a real live perspective, I had spend many years working with Developmentaly Disabled Individuals, and have sponsored their improvement, in Public Schools, and in Private Homes (managed care).

I have witnessed a College Graduate with a Degree in Electrical Engineering that could not write ligible enough to read and understand the comments. I witness many with partial degrees, and high school student graduates, who tried to perform. Most were functionally illiterate. KFC, with Cash Register, give a clerk $22.15 for a $17.15 cent box of KFC. Could not make change of $5.00 correctly, accused me of trying to cheat them. Manager of same KFC (35+ years old) could not understand the mathematics of the transaction. Same KFC, closed doors in less than 1 year later. Where did these people get their education (U.S. of A. Public Education). And, the cost of education is high because of the Federal Department of Education. Do completely away with that bunch of MORONS and return the money to the tax payers.

We would almost see economic recovery instantly. May even have a generation of students graduating in less than 1 Decade that can read, write, and make change.

Do not take this writing as gospil. THe next time you go to a grocery store, if there is a young person stocking the milk coolers, ask the individual what a SOY COW looks like and suggest they put up a picture of a SOY Cow on the cooler so you can recognize what breed of COW that SOY Milk products comes from!! (The respones are hillaric).

Have a NICE COW ID Day folks. Think about this one.

[Shane Christiansen]

Here in Alaska you have some of the highest paid teachers in the country and in the last national rating we are the 4th from the BOTTOM (DUMEST).
I fought the school district tooth and nail to get my kids thru the system with some form of education.

[Twana Blevins]

That is a good question

[Twana Blevins]

Judith, what union do you belong to?

[Ann]

I am a proud Home School Parent who has a son currently at West Point and another who will finish college next year as a Marine Officer. They get it!

"Duty, Honor, Country; Do Not Lie, Cheat or Steal, Nor Tolerate Those
Who Do! Liberty Cannot Be Preserved Without General Knowledge Among The People." John Adams

[Jerry White]

"Whiile ths may be a big part of it, there is another key thing hiking expenses: the masses of kids going into college who are not prepared for it because they never study, never read, and can't write well enough for college work. "

So if the kids graduate HS,and really don't have the skills it required,how did they pass? And how is that their fault?

[Tish]

@Judith:
"whose job largely consists of beating the teachers on the theory that then the students will be genuise, generating and requiring more and more paperwork, which is a waste of teim."
Judith, you may want to consider another occupation!lol

[Billy Bowlegs]

Gross Stupidity: 144 Federal Workers trying to make a decision.