Braxton Budo

Writing 2010
Richards
Synthesis One
Like any topic of discussion, there are a variety of different opinions. In our
assigned readings on higher education, we again see different views on this topic. The
majority of the authors texts that we covered in class seemed to cohere with one
another. While these texts shared the same concepts or assertions, they did so in
different methods and research. We see these topics of higher education range from
industrialized education, the belief of neoliberalism, and diversity issues in academia.
For me to effectively get my point across, my paper will be following the construction of
my map.
To start, we have to look at how education is changing into more of an economic
machine. Authors Hacker, Bonewitz, Soley, Hanke, Hearn and Kezar, all in their own
way touch on the point of how education is getting away from its original purpose.
Although some of the text by Kezar was more complex, there is a more simplified
statement she makes, saying that there has been a change from traditional education
to a more industrialized importance. In Hackers text Are Colleges Worth the Price of
Admission, he references that outside funding and donations are being distributed to
areas that will benefit the universities the most. The article also states that class size is
inflated to increase the institution's revenue, while there is a decrease in education
quality. Out of the Ruins touches on a few of the points made by hackers article, in a
sense that more universities are changing their academic planning missions and
chasing dollars. Also, Bonewitz & Soley infer that while corporate funding helps

research and economic growth, it is at the expense of proper instruction by the

institutions and its staff. Teaching is now starting to take a backseat to economic growth
for the universities. Education is now more of a marketed product being sold by the
institutions, and being purchased by the students. Out of the Ruins referencing the
Browne Report in England, who claims that the university is dead.
Aside from the commercialization and economic growth in schools, there are
other factors holding higher education back from its traditional ways. Author Diane Reay
breaks down these other issues in the article Degree of Choice. The focus of her
article is to identify the intersectionality gaps in academia, and to promote diversity in
universities. Reay claims that education is not the same for all who participate, and it
doesnt provide the same benefits either. Although there is the simple idea of a mass
system of higher education, there is an institutional hierarchy and the continued
reproduction of racialized and classed inequalities. Although this has been addressed
previously, there are still gender disparities in certain subject fields, such as race,
gender, class, etc. Reay references authors Helen Lucey, Valerie and June Melody in
the assertion that there is a creeping assumption that if we open up higher education to
working class students then we can all be professionals. This is the biggest fiction of all
(Walkerdine, Lucey, Melody 2001).
As we have discussed before, outside income has made its way into these
universities. Critical University Studies by Williams asserts that while the outside
funding has helped for research to thrive, there seems to be a noticeable decline on
priority placed on instruction. In the article, Williams claims that higher education at this

time is to serve the wealthy and to promote inequality. This ties into the views of Reay
and diversity in colleges.
The last two articles I cover, I believe have both the importance to the previous
readings, as well as the importance to the assignment itself. Academic Writing by Irvin
also is one of the more beneficial articles when it came to this assignment. Irvin helps
the audience learn to be both a better writer as well as a better reader. He speaks about
learning the ability to read more complex texts, which at times had to be done in class.
The reading helped me separate fact from opinion and determine when it is okay to use
both. It gave me that ability to translate massive amounts of text into key concepts.
Lastly, we have another text that in my opinion also relates to the majority, if not all the
previous texts. That is This is Water by David Foster Wallace. In the commencement
speech for a graduating class, he describes what he believes is the meaning of
education. We learn that the capital T truth about education is that education has
almost nothing to do with knowledge and everything to do with simple awareness.
Although it is abstract, I think that all of these articles are addressing a lack of
awareness by the universities, its faculty, and in some cases the students. We need to
understand how to think and learn to be aware. It is through these traits that education
can once again take its previous form, giving the consumer (students) the product that
they have paid for, education.