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Declining by Degrees Misc

By brianbirgen
Posted Tue Jun 28, 2005 at 01:38:17 PM PDT
PBS recently aired a special called "Declining by Degrees" about the state of higher learning in the U.S. It is billed as a revealing documentary into the world behind the "ivy-covered walls".

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There is a website for the show at www.decliningbydegrees.org at which you can purchase a copy of the show. I would recommend reading the synopsis of the show at www.decliningbydegrees.org/show-synopsis.html.

I personally did not find that much by way of revelation in the show: teachers responding to tenure requirements become more concerned about research than teaching, too many students not being able to afford rising tuition costs while academically priviledged and athletically talented students get full scholarships, the impact of fundraising and the "arms-race" of bigger and better buildings on campuses, and so on. I feel that the people who really should watch this show are the parents of high school students who want to send their children to college.

Did you find this show to be an accurate representation of the state of higher learning? Do you think it is approaching a crisis state as the show seemed to imply?

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Declining by Degrees | 2 comments (2 topical, 0 hidden)
[new] two distinct phenomenon (none / 0) (#1)
by sormani on Sun Sep 18, 2005 at 07:52:23 PM PDT

The summary seems to be complaining about distinct phenomenon.  There is a concern about the drinking partying crowd that breezes through easy courses in college without doing any work and then there is a concern about the parttime students who are working fulltime and trying to get by.

I work at CUNY, on a campus where most students work full time and very few graduate in five years.  I think if some of those boozing rich kids met my students (who are adults with kids themselves) they might get a bit of a wake up call.

Employers know what colleges and what majors really train students and generally math majors are reasonably respected and can get jobs.  Companies don't hire the psych majors from Party U and those kids parents just wasted their money.  

Our students get jobs when they graduate, often promotions at their current jobs, promotions they were seeking when they went to college in the first place.  But it would have been better if someone helped them get their education and covered their tuition because they're the ones who deserve it.  Giving them some sort of minority scholarship to go to Party U wouldn't actually give them as good an education as they get here, yet they are often tempted away.



[new] Well (none / 0) (#2)
by Jared B on Thu Feb 28, 2008 at 06:57:25 AM PDT

I wasn't that impressed. I don't think it was a great representation really. Think they could have done better.
Jared, Programmer currently working on the hoodia gordonii weight loss project.


Declining by Degrees | 2 comments (2 topical, 0 hidden)
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www.decliningbydegrees.org
www.decliningbydegrees.org/show-synopsis.html
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