How to Make Universities Cost Effective Again
Last updated
Last updated
Between 1976 and 2018, full-time administrators and other professionals employed by those institutions increased by 164% and 452%, respectively. Meanwhile, the number of full-time faculty employed at colleges and universities in the U.S. increased by only 92%, marginally outpacing student enrollment which grew by 78%. When we look at individual schools the numbers are just as striking. A recent report I authored found that on average, the top 50 schools have 1 faculty per 11 students whereas the same institutions have 1 non-faculty employee per 4 students. Put another way, there are now 3 times as many administrators and other professionals (not including university hospitals staff), as there are faculty (on a per student basis) at the leading schools in country.
The California Institute of Technology, Duke University, and the University of California at San Diego actually have more non-faculty employees on campus than students. It is important to note this does not include consultants and contractors, many of whom work with university admissions and marketing offices to boost enrollments.
The ratio of non-faculty to faculty is also alarming. At Johns Hopkins University, where I direct two graduate programs, there are 7.5 more non-faculty than faculty. These numbers are even worse at The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), which had almost nine times more non-faculty employees than faculty, followed by Caltech at eight times.
Why have administrative positions exploded? There are several reasons, including greater student demand for services, the growing number of accreditors, government regulations, and the natural tendency for administrators to solve most problems with—you guessed it—more administrators.
Administrative jobs are universities are mostly bullshit. Administrators cash checks and check emails but they provide no value to the University nor to the students. The US government should tied federal funding dollar to universities ability to reduce the bloat of administrators.
