Education Commons^™

Making College Worth It: Inequalities In Higher Education And How To Solve Them, Katharine Meyer

Brookings Scholar Lecture Series

Most students who graduate from college go on to earn higher wages, have more employment stability, and enjoy better health. While posted tuitions are high, a “high price, high aid” approach to college pricing means that the average cost of college has actually declined in recent years. Yet, public confidence in higher education is at an all-time low. What explains this tension? Who gains from going to college and who does not? What can colleges do to change perceptions about the value of a college education? This lecture by Brookings Institution scholar Katharine Meyer highlights trends in college enrollment and …

Policies For Place: How To Make Sustainable Investments In Communities, Kathleen Bolter, Timothy J. Bartik, Brad J. Hershbein, Michelle Miller-Adams, Lee Adams, Brian J. Asquith, Alfonso Hernandez, Kyle Huisman, Iryna V. Lendel, Gabrielle Pepin, Bridget F. Timmeney, Beth C. Truesdale, Yulya Truskinovsky

Reports

No abstract provided.

Federal Grants & Loans Received By Nevada Higher Education Institutions, Riley Ruff, Miguel Soriano Ralston, Caitlin J. Saladino, William E. Brown Jr.

Higher Education

This fact sheet examines data on federal funding provided to public colleges and universities in Nevada. The original HEA Group report includes data on federal funding for public and for-profit higher education institutions in the U.S.

Casting A Critical Lens On Thailand’S Higher Education System: A Case Study Of Women’S Experiences As Agricultural Extension Faculty, Morgan A. Richardson Gilley, Richie Roberts, Kristin Stair, J. Joey Blackburn

Journal of International Agricultural and Extension Education

The agricultural industry and higher education have traditionally been male-dominated spaces in the developing world. However, in recent decades, significant progress in female representation has been achieved in both sectors. Previous research has suggested that women in the Southeast Asian agricultural industry have been more empowered than women in other regions. However, women in Thailand’s agricultural postsecondary programs have been understudied. In response, this study examined the experiences and perceptions of women agricultural extension faculty in Thailand’s higher education system. Through qualitative analysis of in-depth interviews with women, three distinct themes emerged: (1) gendered disparities, (2) barriers to success in …

Gendered Stem Beliefs And Major Choice, Nicole T. Cesanek, Benjamin J. Durham

Student Publications

Beliefs and expectations about who can and should pursue STEM careers contribute to a student’s sense of STEM identity and may help to explain the gender gap in pursuing STEM in higher education. The formation of these beliefs is a long and complex process, starting very early on in an individual’s life. We analyze how gendered STEM beliefs of students, parents, and teachers in ninth grade affect a female student’s probability of majoring in STEM in college. We add to an analysis done by Sansone (2019) in an appendix of his paper by using actual majors instead of intended majors. …

Strengthening The Southern Nevada Workforce Pipeline, Katie M. Gilbertson

Policy Briefs and Reports

This report analyzes the Southern Nevada employment ecosystem by utilizing occupational clusters recognized by the U.S. Department of Labor. The first section examines occupations in the tourism industry using three occupational clusters: hospitality and leisure; arts, audio/video technology and communications; and the transportation, distribution, and logistics. Next, this report utilizes the Las Vegas Global Economic Alliance’s 2022 Workforce Blueprint to identify the top 15 in-demand occupations for Southern Nevada and occupational clusters. A case study of the MGM College Opportunity Program (COP) is presented to demonstrate an existing workforce training program that promotes upward mobility of leisure and hospitality employees …

Executive Summary: Driving The Southern Nevada Health Economy Forward, Tripp Umbach

Policy Briefs and Reports

The University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) plans to develop an integrated academic health center within the Las Vegas Medical District (LVMD).1 The academic health center includes UNLV’s five health science schools and mental and behavioral health, which is distributed among several colleges (medicine, liberal arts, urban affairs, and education) in the university. University Medical Center (UMC), a major teaching hospital, will also be an important driver of the academic health center. For the purposes of this report, UNLV’s medical and health science entities along with UMC are referred to collectively as the UNLV Academic Health Center.

Driving The Southern Nevada Health Economy Forward: Benefits Of A Transformational Unlv Academic Health Center, Tripp Umbach

Policy Briefs and Reports

The University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) plans to develop an integrated academic health center within the Las Vegas Medical District (LVMD). The academic health center includes UNLV’s five health science schools and mental and behavioral health, which is distributed among several colleges (medicine, liberal arts, urban affairs, and education) in the university. University Medical Center (UMC), a major teaching hospital, will also be an important driver of the academic health center. For the purposes of this report, UNLV’s medical and health science entities along with UMC are referred to collectively as the UNLV Academic Health Center. Additional academic health …

The Great Student Swap, Aaron Klein

Policy Briefs and Reports

For the last twenty years, nearly every flagship university in the U.S. has been decreasing its share of in-state students and enrolling more students from out of state, a phenomenon I call the “Great Student Swap.” Using data from the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS), I examine every “flagship” public university by comparing incoming first year students from 2002 through 2018 (those who would have graduated in the spring 2022 assuming the traditional four-year timeframe for completion). I find that the share of out-of-state students has risen by an average of 55 percent since 2002 and that 48 of …

Economic Mobility Index Of Public R1 Universities In The Mountain West, Peter Grema, Saha Salahi, Caitlin J. Saladino, William E. Brown Jr.

Higher Education

This fact sheet presents data on public R1 higher education institutions in the Mountain West from the “Economic Mobility Index,” crafted by higher education researchers at the think tank, Third Way. We summarize the rankings of eleven Mountain West R1 institutions in Nevada, Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah.

Workforce Development: A Comparative Analysis Of Community College Governance And Funding In The Mountain West And Policy Proposals For Nevada, Peter Grema

Student Research

Nevada experienced one of the worst economic downturns in the nation following the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, which exposed the vulnerability of Nevada workers. In his 2021 State of the State address, Governor Steve Sisolak highlighted aligning the state’s workforce development capacity with community colleges to best leverage federal funding and statewide infrastructure for jobs training and economic recovery. In addition, he said, “I will be asking the Legislature to work with the Nevada System of Higher Education over the next two years to develop a framework transitioning Nevada’s community colleges to a new independent authority that will focus …

Nevada Economic Development And Public Policy 2022-2026: A Sustainable Future For All Nevadans, The Lincy Institute, Brookings Mountain West

Policy Briefs and Reports

This report evaluates economic development efforts in the State of Nevada since the 2011 publication of Unify, Regionalize, Diversify: An Economic Development Agenda for Nevada; assesses demographic and economic trends for Nevada and its regions; examines how state and federal actions since the onset of COVID-19 can position Nevada and its regions to address long-standing economic, educational, and social deficits; and offers policy recommendations to be implemented in the next four years to facilitate a sustainable future for all Nevadans.

Higher Education Leadership Development During The Covid-19 Pandemic: An Exploration Of Online Learner Readiness, Kevan W. Lamm, Alyssa Powell, L. Rochelle Sapp, Alexa Lamm

Journal of International Agricultural and Extension Education

The COVID-19 pandemic precipitated profound disruptions across the higher education sector as institutions were forced to restructure entire systems and operate with significantly reduced resources. Most notably, many institutions were forced to transition to fully virtual instruction. The present study examined adult leadership development program participants’ perceptions of online learning readiness during the transition to a fully virtual training environment precipitated by the COVID-19 pandemic. A census of the 2020 LEAD21 class was taken, and perceptions of online learning readiness were collected via a retrospective pre- and post-test. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used. Respondents had the highest levels of …

Internationalization Of Higher Education In China: A Case Study Of The University System In Shandong, Ying Zhu

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This case study explores the current situation and problems associated with the internationalization of China’s higher education institutions. The collection of research data was completed online from 12 universities in Shandong Province. This research shows that the organizational arrangements for the internationalization of higher education in China are diversified and improving gradually. Especially local non-research-oriented universities are more flexible and innovative in the specific organization and arrangement of internationalization. In addition, the research results also show that there are many difficulties and conflicts between academic and cultural integration in the internationalization of universities.

Does Affordability Guarantee Accessibility? Analyzing The Effect Of Subsidized Tuition On Diversity In University Demographics, Matthew Cole

Economics Undergraduate Honors Theses

During the 2020 presidential election, Democratic Party candidate Joe Biden announced his initiative to make higher education free for any individual whose parents earn less than $125,000. This proposal was inspired by progressive representatives, such as Bernie Sanders, who have made a larger issue of American higher education costs (Berger). Although this initiative garnered little focus during the election – Biden has not addressed it since being elected and the proposal was even removed from his campaign website – his endorsement shows just how much the notion of “free” college has grown amongst Americans in recent years. This growing sentiment …

Covid-19: Higher Education Funding In The Mountain West, Olivia K. Cheche, Peter Grema, Caitlin J. Saladino, William E. Brown Jr.

Higher Education

In February 2021, Victoria Jackson and Matt Saenz of the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities published a report titled, “States Can Choose Better Path for Funding Higher Education Funding in COVID-19 Recession.” The report presents data on changes in state spending for higher education, and tuition costs for all 50 states between 2008 and 2019. This fact sheet explores data on higher education budget cuts and changing tuition costs for four-year institutions and community colleges in the Mountain West (Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, and Utah).

The Effects Of Higher Education On Socioeconomic Mobility: A Comparative Analysis Of Outcomes At Bucknell University, Katrien Weemaes

Honors Theses

Income inequality and the lack of higher-education opportunities across the United States often correlate with families' socioeconomic status. In this honors thesis, the following questions will be examined: How does the social mobility of Bucknell Students compare with students from other national universities? How do a student’s race and financial aid status affect their ability to achieve social mobility? How has the rate of social mobility through Bucknell changed in recent years? How does a student’s current family socioeconomic status affect their ability to achieve high-income success upon graduation? Does the level of accessibility to Bucknell change when socioeconomic status …

Higher Education & Economic Mobility In Nevada, Ember Smith, Caitlin J. Saladino, William E. Brown Jr.

Higher Education

Using methods from both the Opportunity Insights Project and the Brookings Opportunity Engines Project, this fact sheet examines Nevada’s public higher education system and attempts to measure the success of these institutions in creating economic mobility opportunities for lower- and middle-income students. Only colleges with over 200 students from each of the 1980-1982 birth cohorts are included in the Brookings Opportunity Engine’s analysis. This fact sheet follows suit and focuses on only those in Nevada: University of Nevada, Reno (UNR); University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV); Truckee Meadows Community College (TMCC); College of Southern Nevada (CSN); and Western Nevada College …

Academia In Anarchy: 50 Years On, Joshua C. Hall

Economics Faculty Working Papers Series

In 1970, James Buchanan and Nicos Devletoglou published Academia in Anarchy: An Economic Diagnosis. Even though the book focuses on the industry Buchanan worked in for nearly 70 years, it is the only one of his non-autobiographical, non-textbook, books not included in his collected works. I evaluate the arguments of Buchanan and Devletoglou in light of the past 50 years of scholarship on the economics of higher education.

Parents’ Perceived Financial Behaviors Impact On College Students’ Financial Behaviors, Naomi Saxon

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between traditional-aged college students and their parents perceived financial behaviors. It utilized Dew and Xiao’s Financial Management Behavior Scale (FMBS) (2011). Past research indicated that there is a positive impact between a parent’s involvement in students’ academic endeavors, however little research explored the relationship between their impact on a young adults’ financial behaviors. Students’ were asked a series of questions from the FMBS rating their actual financial behaviors. These results were compared to their perception of their parent’s financial behaviors in the following categories: money management, credit management, savings management, …

Behind Quality, There Is Equality: An Analysis Of Scientific Capital Accumulation In Social-Democratic Welfare Regimes, Olivier Bégin-Caouette

Comparative and International Education / Éducation Comparée et Internationale

ABSTRACT

Trade-offs between quality and equality are at the forefront of multiple debates in higher education, and one conceptual tool to approach societies’ adjustment in resolving these trade-offs is the welfare regime typology. Relying on the theory of academic capitalism and using research production as a proxy for quality in higher education, this study analyses how social-democratic welfare regimes resolve the trade-off between comparatively high levels of academic research production, access to higher education and equal citizens’ living conditions. Interviews with 56 system actors suggest that equality is perceived to contribute to academic freedom, public investments in research and the …

An Economic Analysis Of Student Loan Default, Arianna Castonguay

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Cumulative student loan debt in the United States has now surpassed $1.5 trillion. Moreover, since the turn of the century, cohort default rates of these loans have steadily risen across all types of institutions. The latest data from the U.S. Department of Education shows 10.8 percent of borrowers who entered repayment in fiscal year 2015 have defaulted within three years. In turn, the first chapter of this paper summarizes student loan policies as well as trends in debt and default. Furthermore, it highlights the consequences of high student debt and default for individual borrowers and the economy. Results show evidence …

The Role Of Quality Education In The Economic Development Of Mexico, Betzayra Perez

CMC Senior Theses

Mexico’s education system ranks among the lowest in terms of quality and achievement levels. Given the importance of education for a country’s economic development, it is crucial to understand how improvements in Mexico’s education quality can result in economic growth for the country. This thesis aims to create awareness about how the quality of learning rather than total schooling can result in improving Mexico’s economic development. First, a general literature review provides significant findings of the quality of education, the difference between learning and schooling, and educational equity, and its effects on economic development. Moreover, a detailed overview of the …

Higher Education Student Debt & Tuition Costs, K. Harrison Maloy Jr

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

U.S. higher education tuition costs have risen at nearly double the rate of inflation over the past forty years. In 2012, student loan delinquency rose to 12% and surpassed credit card delinquency rates as the top category of consumer debt delinquency. Meanwhile, recently enacted federal policies advocate for increased higher education accessibility, affordability and attainability, but simultaneously promote educational institutions to increase spending with funds fueled by student debt. The growth of $136.8 billion in student loan delinquency has triggered decreasing participation in non-student debt markets by people with student loan debt. Fortunately, Americans continue to enroll in colleges at …

The Power Of A Promise: Education And Economic Renewal In Kalamazoo, Michelle Miller-Adams

Michelle Miller-Adams

In the first comprehensive account of the Kalamazoo Promise, Michelle Miller-Adams addresses both the potential and challenges inherent in place-based universal scholarship programs and explains why this unprecedented experiment in education-based economic renewal is being emulated by scores of cities and towns around the nation.

Promise Nation: Transforming Communities Through Place-Based Scholarships, Michelle Miller-Adams

Michelle Miller-Adams

Miller-Adams describes how the various "Promise-type" place-based scholarship programs impact college access, financial aid, and community transformation.

Higher Education And Income Distribution In A Less Developed Country, Gary S. Fields

Gary S Fields

[Excerpt] The primary purpose of this paper is to empirically test among both the intra- and the inter-generational version of these three hypotheses for higher (i.e. post-secondary) levels of education for one less developed country, Kenya. A secondary purpose is to investigate other economic aspects of spending on higher education, most notably the question of horizontal equity in school finance. Before proceeding, a methodological point is in order. There is no consensus in the public economics literature on what is a suitable criterion for assessing the equitability of a fiscal programme. At least three criteria may be distinguished (the terminology …

Private Returns And Social Equity In The Financing Of Higher Education, Gary S. Fields

Gary S Fields

[Excerpt] A widespread phenomenon in developing countries has been the rapid growth of schools and institutions of higher learning resulting in a so-called ‘education explosion’. One possible explanation for the education explosion is that education is a profitable personal investment, as evidenced by high private rates of return. The high private returns are translated into demands on politicians for additional schooling spaces. To gain or maintain public favour, each politician uses his influence to try to increase the number of schools in his constituency. By this chain of events, growth of educational systems might be anticipated as long as private …

Challenges Facing Female Leaders Of Color In U.S. Higher Education, Fredah Mainah, Vernita Perkins

International Journal of African Development

Despite a myriad of challenges including the slow pace of rising to the top and the low compositional diversity in most university leadership, women of color are becoming increasingly visible in higher education leadership. This paper investigates the phenomena of the growing numbers of women of color in top positions, with the aim of debunking the myth of the invisibility of black women in leadership positions in higher education. The findings indicate that although women in the U.S. earn the majority of postsecondary degrees and 26.4% of college presidents are women, with 4.5% of them being women of color, women …

E-Learning In Higher Education For Adult Learners In Singapore, Guan Chong, Ding Ding, Kong Weng Ho

Research Collection School Of Economics

Countries across the world have witnessed tremendous expansion of adult education and dramatic growth of adult learners. Moreover, with the growing importance of life-long learning, online learning has become a popular tool which is well received by adult learners. In order to enhance adult learners’ learning experience, we have conducted an exploratory research on online learning for adult learners to understand the challenges faced by them in their pursuit of higher education. The results suggest that technical trainings or preparations are needed prior to e-learning and infrastructure needs to be improved. The findings also emphasize on the importance of using …