JasperSlaff

Writing2010

Richards

HigherEducation
HigherEducationandthediscussionsurroundingitisawidelyknownsubject.Themain
pointsonthissubjectincludetheempiricalendeavorsofcorporatecontrol,reformationstothe
qualityofeducationandhowpeopleperceiveit,andpersonalfactorssuchasdemographicsand
thebeliefthatyoucansucceedinacollegesituation.Theseideasaredisplayedinmany
academicarticlesspreadthroughouttheuniversitycommunity.
Corporateinvolvementinuniversitiesisgoodtoapoint.However,accordingtoBonewits
andSoleyinResearchandtheBottomLine,ithasbecomepervasive.Research
universitiesin
otherstatesarefollowingasimilarpatternoftakingonresearchthatseemsbasedlessona
scholarlyagendathanonpromotingtheirfundersagendas(SoleyandBonewits,3).Corporate
organizationspourfundingintouniversitiesandthreatentoremovesaidfundingifresearchis
notmetontheirownagenda.Thiscorporateinfluenceextendspasttheboundsofsimply
researchfunding.Chairmembersofuniversities,collegeprofessors,andmorecanallbefunded
byabusiness.Acorporatizationcanfundanindividualtositontheboardofuniversitiesand
pushforideasandreformsthatbenefitthebusinessanditspersonalgainandlesstheeducational
qualityoftheuniversity.Collegeprofessorscanbepushedtoteachlessandperformmore
researchthisleadstoparttimeprofessorswhodontdedicatetheamountoftimeneededto
teachingtheirstudents.Duetothisfundinguniversitiesaretakingontoomanyrolesandnot
meetinganyofthemwell.SoleyandBonewitswouldagreewithKezaronthisverypoint.
Kezar,inObtainingIntegrity,pushesthatneoliberalismisbestforuniversitiesandthat
littletonocorporateinvolvementinthefundingofuniversitiesisthebestthingforthem.
This
closerconnectiontoeconomicandprivategoalshasresultedinseveralbenefitsforhigher

educationincludinggrowthinthenumberofinstitutions,increasedfunding,moreopportunities
forresearch,andthelike.However,socialcommentatorscautionthatthesetrendshavenow
overbalancedtheotherpurposesofhighereducationandthatwholesaleadaptationtomarket
pressurescompromisesthelongertermpublicanddemocraticintereststhathavealways
characterizedhighereducation.(Kezar,3).Thisquotetiesdirectlyinwiththenotionthat
collegesaretakingontoomanyrolesandtryingtomeetacriterionthatistoohigh.Duetothese
unreasonablyhighgoals,thequalityofeducationthatisofferedhastakenaseriousturnforthe
worst.Toreformandchangethistrend,wemustchangethewaywethinkabouteducationand
takeactionagainstthecorporateinvolvementthathasembeddeditselfinhighereducation.
JeffreyWilliams,inDeconstructingAcademe,TheBirthofCriticalUniversityStudies,
wouldagreethatweneedtostartreformations.Hisideaofreformations,however,isdifferent
thanthatofKezarandBonewitsandSoley.Heclaimsthatweneedtochangethewaywethink
aboutuniversitiesandhighereducation.Williamscoinsthephrasecriticaluniversitystudies
whichdescribestheprocessbywhichacademiccriticsseektoimprovethestandardsofhigher
education.
DavidFosterWallaceinThisisWater,wouldagreewiththisconcept.Heclaimsthe
firststepinreformandchangingthewayuniversitiesoperateisbeingawareandquestioningthe
worldandourselves.Wemustremindourselves,thisiswater,thisiswater(Wallace).This
quoteisremindingusthatsometimesweneedtobelessabsorbedinourownworldand
recognizetheexistenceofothers.
BobHankeandAlisonHearnalsotouchupontheideaofthinkingdifferentlyinorderto
bringaboutchange.Intheirarticle,OutoftheRuins,theyclaimthattheshiftfromquality

nondependenthighereducationtoprivatelyfundededucationhasalreadyhappenedandthatwe
needtoobservethischangeandmakesmallchangestoperfectit.ThisissupportedbyHacker
andDreifusin,AreCollegesWorththePriceofAdmission.Theysaythatcollegesaretaking
ontoomanyrolesandweneedtocutbackinthespectrumofresearch.Inthisarticletheyuse
specificexamplesofuniversitiesthathavetakenontoomanyrolesandarefailingtheirstudents
inawaythatisunacceptable.ThisrelatesdirectlytotheideathatKezar,Soley,andBonewitsare
emphasizing.Theybelievethat,becauseofcorporatization,collegesaretryingtodotoomuch.
Kezar,Soley,andBonewitsallagreethatitisthecorporatizationthatistoblameforthis
distractionofresearchandvaryingspecialties.HoweverHackerandDreifussaythatitislessthe
corporateandmoretheuniversityitself.Howevertherearesomethatwoulddisagreewiththis.
SylviaHurtado,inLinkingDiversitywiththeEducationalandCivicMissionsofHigher
Education,woulddisagreethatitistheuniversitythatistheproblem.Shebelievesthatpersonal
factorssuchascultureanddemographicscanplayalargeroleinthequalityofeducation.

Individualsneedtorecognizecognitiveconictsorcontradictions,situationsthatpsychologist
DianeRuble(1994)suggestsleadtoastateofuncertainty,instability,andpossiblyanxiety.Thus,
withtherightamountofsupportandchallenge,thesemomentsofinstabilitycanleadtomany
dimensionsofgrowth.(Hurtado,7).ThisquoteisportrayingHurtadosmainpoint.Shebelieves
thatincreasingtheamountofdiversityandcultureinschoolswillhelptoimproveeducational
quality.Thoughincreasingdiversityinschoolsisntalwaysthesimplestaccomplishment.
Studentstendtochooseschoolsthattheyfeeltheywillbeacceptedin.Thisiscounterproductive
inlightofincreasingtheamountofdiversity.DianeReay,JacquelineDavies,MiriamDavidand
StephanJBallalltouchonthisveryideaintheirarticleChoicesofDegreeorDegreesof

Choice?Class,RaceandHigherEducationChoiceProcess.Themainideainthisarticleis
thatpeoplewillchoosethecollegethattheythinktheywillfeelcomfortableat.Thisrelatesto
Wallaceandhisinsightintohowpeoplethink.Peoplebelievethattheonlywaytheyaregoingto
succeedisbygoingtouniversitieswheretheirfriendsandfamilyhavebeenorareat.Bourdieu
writesofhowobjectivelimitsbecometransformedintoapracticalanticipationofobjective
limitsasenseofonesplacewhichleadsonetoexcludeoneselffromplacesfromwhichoneis
excluded.(Reay,Davies,David,Ball,10).L.LennieIrvininWhatIsAcademicWriting?
wouldagreewiththisbelieffactor.Inthisarticleshewritesabouthowpeoplesabilitytowrite
academicpaperslargelydependsonwhattheybelievetheirabilityis.Whenyouseeyour
writingabilityassomethingfixedoroutofyourcontrol(asifitwereinyourgeneticcode),then
youwontbelieveyoucanimproveasawriterandarelikelynottomakeanyeffortsinthat
direction.Witheffortandstudy,though,youcanimproveasawriter.Ipromise.(Irvin,5).This
quoteisexplainingthatyourabilitiesarenotsetinstoneandthatthebelieffactorisjustawayof
thinkingthatneedstobechangedasImentionedwithWallace.
Highereducationisalwaysaconcernforprofessorsandstudentsalike.Butonlythrough
decorporatizingtheuniversities,reformingtheteachingagendafromtheprofessorsandthestyle
ofthinkingbythestudents,andreducingdeterringpersonalfactorscanwetrulyimprovethe
qualityoftheeducationprovidedforourfuture.

WorksCited
Irvin,L.LennieWhatisAcademicWriting.WritingSpaces:ReadingonWriting,Volume1.
LennieIrvin,2010.Print
Reay,Diane.Davies,Jacqueline.David,Miriam.Ball,Stephen.ChoicesofDegreeorDegrees
ofChoice?Class,RaceandtheHigherEducationChoiceProcess.SociologyVol.35,
No.4,pp.855874.UnitedKingdom:BSAPublicationsLimited,2001.Print
Kezar,Adrianna.ObtainingIntegrity?ReviewingandExaminingtheCharterbetweenHigher
EducationandSociety.ProjectMuse.TheJohnsHopkinsUniversityPress,2004.Print
Bonewits,Sarah.Soley,Lawrence.ResearchandtheBottomLineinTodaysUniversity.
AmericanAcademic.2004.Print
Williams,Jeffrey.DeconstructingAcademe.TheChronicleReview.ThechronicleofHigher
Education2016.Web.January26th,2016.
Wallace,David.ThisisWater.2005.Web.February5,2016.
Hanke,Bob.Hearn,Alison.Introduction:OutoftheRuins,theUniversitytoCome.Topia28.
2012.Print.
Hacker,Andrew.Dreifus,Claudia.AreCollegesWorththepriceofadmission?.TheChronicle
ofHigherEducation,2010.Web.January16,2016.
Hurtado,Sylvia.LinkingDiversitywiththeEducationalandCivicMissionsofHigher
Education.TheReviewofHigherEducation.AssociationfortheStudyofHigher
Education,2006.Print.