Jay Schalin - Academia.edu (original) (raw)
Papers by Jay Schalin
John William Pope Center For Higher Education Policy, May 1, 2010
Policymakers today commonly assume that investing taxpayers' funds into higher education leads to... more Policymakers today commonly assume that investing taxpayers' funds into higher education leads to major payoffs in economic growth. Governors, state legislators, and others in positions of power routinely endorse massive appropriations for university education and research, even in poor economic times, on the grounds that taxpayers will be rewarded many times over. Economic development committees pull out endless studies purporting to show that investment in education will earn two, three, or even 26 times its cost over a finite number of years. Federal funding is justified on the same grounds-spurring economic growth. But are these rosy projections true? To what extent do taxpayer expenditures for universities actually contribute to economic growth? Those questions do not have easy answers. In this paper, Jay Schalin, senior writer for the John W. Pope Center for Higher Education Policy, ventures beyond the superficial claims to look at broader economic studies that attempt to correlate expenditures with results. He finds that the results are not as favorable as they are often said to be, and he offers some explanations for why. "State Investment in Universities: Rethinking the Impact on Economic Growth" reflects the Pope Center's concern for quality, efficiency, and meaningful purpose in higher education, and we look forward to the discussion it will elicit.
John William Pope Center For Higher Education Policy, 2015
John William Pope Center For Higher Education Policy, Nov 1, 2013
General education consists of the courses that a college or university requires a student to take... more General education consists of the courses that a college or university requires a student to take in order to be a "well-rounded person." Usually, students can choose from a variety of courses that fall into categories of knowledge determined by the school to be of particular importance. When properly designed, general education (GenEd) can be the most valuable part of a student's college education. It emphasizes skills, knowledge, and reasoning that are applicable to all careers. These include the ability to organize thoughts and write well, the ability to use logical, scientific, probabilistic, or other forms of reasoning, an awareness of mankind's past activities and ideas as influences on the present and future, the power of analysis, and much more. In today's world, in which graduates will likely change jobs numerous times or possibly never work in their major field of study, such skills are paramount for their success. Society also benefits from a well-designed general education because it teaches students about citizenship, ethics, and culture. A good general education program should elevate a student's sense of what it means to be moral, good, or just. * First-year seminars are courses developed by faculty on an "intriguing" topic, usually with outside funding; a final exam is not required. ** UNITAS I is a "living and learning" program that explores issues of social and cultural diversity including class, gender, race, religion, sexuality, and ethnicity.
Academic Freedom in the Age of Political Correctness, 2016
Academic freedom--the right to seek the truth without fear of retribution—is an enigmatic concept... more Academic freedom--the right to seek the truth without fear of retribution—is an enigmatic concept in the modern American university. One perspective with long historical roots defines it as a natural right; another view interprets it as a set of mutable guidelines that exist to serve the public interest, whatever that may be at the time. Others entirely reject academic freedom rights. Tensions often exist between the many various interests on campuses that hold a stake in how academic freedom is defined
Until recently, the AAUP’s very expansive view of faculty speech has largely gone unchallenged by other stakeholders in higher education. Today, however, the need for redefinition is becoming clear as other interests push back. Contentious new issues include the limiting of free speech through campus speech codes, the right of religious students to form campus organizations that exclude according to belief, and the right of students to not be indoctrinated in class. This report argues that the health of the modern American university depends on deciding the proper limits, checks, and balances of scholarly inquiry, teaching, and commentary in academia. It reviews several methods that may empower administrators, students, and other higher education stakeholders. Legal action—in which all interests involved have an opportunity to present their cases—may be the best, most impartial means to balance the rights of faculty against other interest
Bolstering the Board: Trustees Are Academia's Best Hope for Reform, 2020
is report is intended to operate on two levels. One is to make the case for stronger board contr... more is report is intended to operate on two levels. One is to make the case for stronger board control. Such a hierarchical system, rather than the distributed shared governance system that exists now, is necessary to e ect large-scale reform. Shared governance is a sacred cow that needs to be gored.
e report also works on a more immediate, pragmatic level, providing many solutions that can be implemented individually to begin the process of reforming governance. In most situations, boards still have extensive legal authority. ey merely need to exercise their existing authority to put the brakes on many of academia’s excesses.
John William Pope Center For Higher Education Policy, May 1, 2010
Policymakers today commonly assume that investing taxpayers' funds into higher education leads to... more Policymakers today commonly assume that investing taxpayers' funds into higher education leads to major payoffs in economic growth. Governors, state legislators, and others in positions of power routinely endorse massive appropriations for university education and research, even in poor economic times, on the grounds that taxpayers will be rewarded many times over. Economic development committees pull out endless studies purporting to show that investment in education will earn two, three, or even 26 times its cost over a finite number of years. Federal funding is justified on the same grounds-spurring economic growth. But are these rosy projections true? To what extent do taxpayer expenditures for universities actually contribute to economic growth? Those questions do not have easy answers. In this paper, Jay Schalin, senior writer for the John W. Pope Center for Higher Education Policy, ventures beyond the superficial claims to look at broader economic studies that attempt to correlate expenditures with results. He finds that the results are not as favorable as they are often said to be, and he offers some explanations for why. "State Investment in Universities: Rethinking the Impact on Economic Growth" reflects the Pope Center's concern for quality, efficiency, and meaningful purpose in higher education, and we look forward to the discussion it will elicit.
John William Pope Center For Higher Education Policy, 2015
John William Pope Center For Higher Education Policy, Nov 1, 2013
General education consists of the courses that a college or university requires a student to take... more General education consists of the courses that a college or university requires a student to take in order to be a "well-rounded person." Usually, students can choose from a variety of courses that fall into categories of knowledge determined by the school to be of particular importance. When properly designed, general education (GenEd) can be the most valuable part of a student's college education. It emphasizes skills, knowledge, and reasoning that are applicable to all careers. These include the ability to organize thoughts and write well, the ability to use logical, scientific, probabilistic, or other forms of reasoning, an awareness of mankind's past activities and ideas as influences on the present and future, the power of analysis, and much more. In today's world, in which graduates will likely change jobs numerous times or possibly never work in their major field of study, such skills are paramount for their success. Society also benefits from a well-designed general education because it teaches students about citizenship, ethics, and culture. A good general education program should elevate a student's sense of what it means to be moral, good, or just. * First-year seminars are courses developed by faculty on an "intriguing" topic, usually with outside funding; a final exam is not required. ** UNITAS I is a "living and learning" program that explores issues of social and cultural diversity including class, gender, race, religion, sexuality, and ethnicity.
Academic Freedom in the Age of Political Correctness, 2016
Academic freedom--the right to seek the truth without fear of retribution—is an enigmatic concept... more Academic freedom--the right to seek the truth without fear of retribution—is an enigmatic concept in the modern American university. One perspective with long historical roots defines it as a natural right; another view interprets it as a set of mutable guidelines that exist to serve the public interest, whatever that may be at the time. Others entirely reject academic freedom rights. Tensions often exist between the many various interests on campuses that hold a stake in how academic freedom is defined
Until recently, the AAUP’s very expansive view of faculty speech has largely gone unchallenged by other stakeholders in higher education. Today, however, the need for redefinition is becoming clear as other interests push back. Contentious new issues include the limiting of free speech through campus speech codes, the right of religious students to form campus organizations that exclude according to belief, and the right of students to not be indoctrinated in class. This report argues that the health of the modern American university depends on deciding the proper limits, checks, and balances of scholarly inquiry, teaching, and commentary in academia. It reviews several methods that may empower administrators, students, and other higher education stakeholders. Legal action—in which all interests involved have an opportunity to present their cases—may be the best, most impartial means to balance the rights of faculty against other interest
Bolstering the Board: Trustees Are Academia's Best Hope for Reform, 2020
is report is intended to operate on two levels. One is to make the case for stronger board contr... more is report is intended to operate on two levels. One is to make the case for stronger board control. Such a hierarchical system, rather than the distributed shared governance system that exists now, is necessary to e ect large-scale reform. Shared governance is a sacred cow that needs to be gored.
e report also works on a more immediate, pragmatic level, providing many solutions that can be implemented individually to begin the process of reforming governance. In most situations, boards still have extensive legal authority. ey merely need to exercise their existing authority to put the brakes on many of academia’s excesses.