BuckeyeBlog

Ohio University professor Richard Vedder discusses how government policies to make college more affordable have actually made it much more expensive:

Earlier this year, the Buckeye Institute released a study written by Dr. Vedder and me critiquing the Ohio Board of Regents plan for Ohio’s higher ed future.

Reason TV has a new video out on the folly of President Obama’s proposed higher education entitlement:

Dr. Richard Vedder and I sounded many of the same themes in our critique of the Ohio Board of Regents’ higher education plan.

There will be a new report coming out this summer that shows how well for-profit colleges do in educating at-risk students. In fact, from preliminary reports, this study will show these for-profit colleges do better than other types of institutions for this at-risk group.

This research bolsters two studies the Buckeye Institute released earlier this year. The first, Which Way for Higher Education in Ohio, is a critique of the Board of Regents plan to expand higher education institutions in Ohio. Specifically, there is a desire to locate a new community college in Youngstown. As the report discusses, there is little need for a community college in that town due to its shrinking student base as well as the presence in Youngstown of for-profit education institutions. As the new research shows, these for-profit institutions may actually be better for the area than a new community college.

The second report, Higher Education Vouchers in Ohio: Towards a CollegeChoice Program, outlines a new way to fund higher education in the state. Ohio students would receive a voucher they can spend at any Ohio higher education institution, including for-profit schools. This would be especially beneficial for at-risk students in Ohio.

The Cleveland Plain Dealer reported that Ohio State University administrators won’t get a raise this year. Don’t worry about how they will pay their bills, though. Your tax and tuition dollars are funding some pretty lavish salaries even without any raises or bonuses this year. As the Plain Dealer reported, 288 OSU staff make over $200,000 a year. The Provost makes a base salary of $500,000. As the Buckeye Institute noted earlier this year, the total compensation package for the university president is between $1.6 and $2 million.

I find it interesting that with all the attention on CEO salaries we are not seeing more attention on the salaries of higher education administrators. After all, CEOs work for private companies and are paid for out of business revenue (that is, until they become welfare recipients by signing up for federal bailout funds). There really is no public policy rationale in capping their salaries besides pure envy. Higher education administrators, at least the ones at public universities, are being paid for, in large part, by your tax dollars. Where are the Congressional hearings on this issue?

To see how much the top OSU employees are making, the Buckeye Institute has a searchable database here.

Dr. Rich Vedder talks with David Hansen on how Ohio’s higher education policy has gone astray on the latest edition of Buckeye Voices.

Check out our latest two pieces on higher education.  First, a critique of proposed policy by the Board of Regents found here, and then an alternative that funds students’ educations, not institution’s peragatives – found here.

The Columbus Dispatch passes on the news from Ohio State University that outgoing House Minority Leader Joyce Beatty has a $320,000/year job waiting for her when she leaves the legislature this year due to term limits.  This position as Senior Vice President of “Outreach and Engagement” was created just for Beatty, it appears.

OSU President Gordon Gee is quoted as saying  “Joyce is one of the most accomplished public servants I know…”  Well, the rest of us can take a look at Rep. Beatty’s resume and accomplishments and decide for ourselves.  My own thought is that Dr. Gee should get out and meet some more public servants:  Beatty’s resume is decidedly run-of-the-mill for politicians, populated largely with the kind of recognition that falls your way when you spend other people’s money.