I earned an undergraduate degree in 1984. I got a masters degree from the same institution in 2005. In my work that involved social services and Adult Education, from the early 1990s until 2022, I was very involved in recruiting and educating college interns that served in our programs. As a graduate assistant in the 1980s, I was shocked at the poor reading and writing skills of freshman students. It only got worse over time. In all this time, there were many shining stars, but there were also a lot of disappointments. I witnessed the decline of which you speak first hand. There is a lot of money in higher education. It is too bad that there is not as much education in higher education. For a long time now, every time I get the opportunity, I encourage people to avoid college unless there is some training or education they can’t possibly get anywhere else. I tell kids to learn one or two useful skills that will provide for them and their families. And the whole student loan situation is quite a racket. Makes a lot of money for the banks, but it has terrible consequences upon the unwitting victims.
We're witnessing the latter stages of empire. There's no doubt, the signs are all around us. The popular shows on networks promoting ultra-narcissism, and materialism, loss of spirituality and a younger generation turning to Nietzsche and Nihilism, loss of confidence in government agencies, rampant corruption everywhere, the military all over the globe. Yep, it's feeling a lot like Rome 2000 years ago. The educational system has been corrupted by the big money trusts for over 100 years. The Reece commission led by Norman Dodd over 70 years ago discovered this fact! The same groups were working toward world government it's worth noting.
This adds insult to injury to the student loan situation.
Evidently, not only were many college degree programs inadequate in terms of providing income opportunities sufficient to repay the school loans but now, according to Turley, the degree programs wouldn’t have helped even if they were free.
When I was in a university in the 1970s, working on a STEM degree, there was a big scandal about the College of Education grading system. Student journalists discovered that for the previous year, there were zero Ds and zero Fs awarded, a few Cs, and more than 50% of the education majors' grades were As. This was more than 50 years ago!
Colleges today are increasingly awarding useless degrees that insure those graduates have a stranglehold on unemployment. I have proposed that the government track college graduates, and any that are unemployed in their degreed profession after five years will begin to receive refunds from the college for their useless degrees, at the same rate the college received their tuition, i.e., 100% of a year's tuition is refunded for each year of unemployment after five years.
While not going as far as I would, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is promoting the teaching of useful skills like truck driving and welding instead of gender studies and art appreciation, and he wants to hold universities responsible for student loans.
Another important change is to hold the professors accountable. The tenure system essentially means that if you keep your nose clean for 3-5 years, you're unfireable for life. DeSantis has changed that. Professors at Florida's universities are now subject to a comprehensive post-tenure review every 5 years. Critics argues that "The policy may lead to a brain[less] drain, as [lazy, un]talented faculty may choose to leave Florida institutions due to concerns about job security and academic freedom." Good! Don't let the door hit ya! At this writing, 10 university professors in Florida have been terminated and another 60 given one year to improve or be terminated.
Fallible human beings teaching other human beings that then teach other human beings on and on and on with most never accomplishing anything unique or on their own, except for getting that piece of paper so they to can teach more human beings ever becoming more numb, dumb, and narcissistic.
No teaching credential / position without real world experiences - successes and failures outside the EDU bubble shelters. Do students right, not left, and respect those coming up next in line.
In ancient Greece intelligent people negotiated with craftsmen to train their children. What skills will you teach my child so that he can carve out a life for himself? Everything was measurable and defined.
When I went to school, teachers were gate keepers, releasing information at a pace the average student could handle. The bright were starved and weak minded fell by the wayside.
That is all gone now. An 8 year old kid can readily teach himself university level math before they enter high school. The gate keepers are long gone.
So what percentage of of university programs perform the tasks of the craftsmen in ancient Greece? My guess is about 20 to 30 percent. The rest are not learning skills that will enable them to carve out a life for themselves.
Add in the unbelievable cost of an education and the decline in university enrollment is purely an economic one. The value proposition is just not there for the vast majority of students.
The rest is all hogwash and assumes that most of today's students are mentally handicapped.
University Professors are lazy based on 1970s experience as graduate teaching assistant in chemistry, lab technician in chemistry stockroom, fellowship in large great lakes lab, chemistry instructor in learning center and lab supervisor of largest environmental lab in Virginia, these jobs were at three universities over 5 years. The professors can steal significant money by double and triple dipping grants added to base salary. Technical institute teachers with industrial experience and master degrees are hard working and actually teach students. Most university professors would be fired in corporations for no productive work and stealing money. During my Masters degree I was invited to chemistry faculty meeting to express a concern after my seminar presentation. The professors need to complete their duties because NYS is paying salaries and I am a NYS tax payer. After meeting my major professor said you were voted the award for teaching excellence this year. Now I have three wanting to change vote. Same three you identified as lazy. You will receive award at annual award dinner. Next stop the double teaching assistantship for summer was cancelled. The director of Great Lakes Limnology Lab asked me to visit and offered a fellowship for summer. Only stipulation of director "you make sure those lazy guys see you working for Biology department". He said award winner for teaching excellence has teaching appointment cancelled. I was done with masters and on to real job. The summer fellowship was one reason for first lab supervisor job six months later.
I moved on to a wonderful 35 year career at electric company with men that worked to provide essential service to community 24/7/365. I was provided generous funds to establish a world class laboratory to provide testing and electrical equipment predictive maintenance services.
Thirty years after Masters a representative from university interviewed me at my lab. She attended a new building dedication where she told old retired chemistry professors that she talked with me. She called to say a retired chemistry professor remembered me as the hardest working student ever providing service to the chemistry department, She said he had a big smile and curious laugh.
I was a Master Plumber working my way thru college and a couple years older . The university professors would say you are no kid. Dad said to me at 14 you are no kid. Dad taught me plumbing from age 10 to 19. Passed Master Plumber exam with 100 % at age 21 both records.
I was a Master Plumber working my way thru college and a couple years older . The university professors would say you are no kid. Dad said to me at 14 you are no kid. Dad taught me plumbing from age 10 to 19. Passed Master Plumber exam with 100 % at age 21 both records. Three Chemistry degrees AAS in chemical technology engineering option, BA Chemistry ACS certified and MA Chemistry with thesis.
Thanks John - an excellent exposé thank you. People always have the option to vote with their feet as did I when I abandoned the rising UK police state.
Universities should be closed excepting the applied Sciences Departments. Arts and other Crap can be learnt online. Just imagine the the amount of Capital that will be freed for investment in life enhancing pursuits
Fifty years ago when I was in university, it was narrow-minded, the professors were sheer academics with no real-world work background, and looked forward to long idle summers in which they could go do graver-rubbings in Merry Olde England's churchyards. A dumber bunch of professors, and more dull, I could never imagine, and I bitterly loathed them and hated the narrow curriculum, which was chosen by rich trustees who only wanted robots for their businesses. If it is worse now, I can't imagine what it is like. I had to unlearn all the crap they choked down my throat and educate myself in the years hence, and reality is shockingly different than they want us to know. For example, the entire financial world is a collection of rackets. And Medicine? Don't get me started.
I earned an undergraduate degree in 1984. I got a masters degree from the same institution in 2005. In my work that involved social services and Adult Education, from the early 1990s until 2022, I was very involved in recruiting and educating college interns that served in our programs. As a graduate assistant in the 1980s, I was shocked at the poor reading and writing skills of freshman students. It only got worse over time. In all this time, there were many shining stars, but there were also a lot of disappointments. I witnessed the decline of which you speak first hand. There is a lot of money in higher education. It is too bad that there is not as much education in higher education. For a long time now, every time I get the opportunity, I encourage people to avoid college unless there is some training or education they can’t possibly get anywhere else. I tell kids to learn one or two useful skills that will provide for them and their families. And the whole student loan situation is quite a racket. Makes a lot of money for the banks, but it has terrible consequences upon the unwitting victims.
We're witnessing the latter stages of empire. There's no doubt, the signs are all around us. The popular shows on networks promoting ultra-narcissism, and materialism, loss of spirituality and a younger generation turning to Nietzsche and Nihilism, loss of confidence in government agencies, rampant corruption everywhere, the military all over the globe. Yep, it's feeling a lot like Rome 2000 years ago. The educational system has been corrupted by the big money trusts for over 100 years. The Reece commission led by Norman Dodd over 70 years ago discovered this fact! The same groups were working toward world government it's worth noting.
This adds insult to injury to the student loan situation.
Evidently, not only were many college degree programs inadequate in terms of providing income opportunities sufficient to repay the school loans but now, according to Turley, the degree programs wouldn’t have helped even if they were free.
When I was in a university in the 1970s, working on a STEM degree, there was a big scandal about the College of Education grading system. Student journalists discovered that for the previous year, there were zero Ds and zero Fs awarded, a few Cs, and more than 50% of the education majors' grades were As. This was more than 50 years ago!
Colleges today are increasingly awarding useless degrees that insure those graduates have a stranglehold on unemployment. I have proposed that the government track college graduates, and any that are unemployed in their degreed profession after five years will begin to receive refunds from the college for their useless degrees, at the same rate the college received their tuition, i.e., 100% of a year's tuition is refunded for each year of unemployment after five years.
While not going as far as I would, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is promoting the teaching of useful skills like truck driving and welding instead of gender studies and art appreciation, and he wants to hold universities responsible for student loans.
https://flvoicenews.com/desantis-wants-to-see-gender-studies-dry-up-make-universities-responsible-for-loans/
Another important change is to hold the professors accountable. The tenure system essentially means that if you keep your nose clean for 3-5 years, you're unfireable for life. DeSantis has changed that. Professors at Florida's universities are now subject to a comprehensive post-tenure review every 5 years. Critics argues that "The policy may lead to a brain[less] drain, as [lazy, un]talented faculty may choose to leave Florida institutions due to concerns about job security and academic freedom." Good! Don't let the door hit ya! At this writing, 10 university professors in Florida have been terminated and another 60 given one year to improve or be terminated.
https://flvoicenews.com/desantis-signs-bill-requiring-university-staff-to-be-evaluated-every-5-years/
https://www.campusreform.org/article/21-of-university-of-florida-professors-up-for-post-tenure-review-fail/26073
Peterson Academy is another
The purpose of the student loan program was to provide trillions to keep the university system on its feet. That's why they won't forgive the loans.
I have to disagree with you here. The universities were never in trouble.
Obama needed to put the economy on its feet. What better way than to give a trillion dollars to 18 year old kids.
Besides, what percentage of student loans actually went to the universities? I bet it is a lot lower than we think.
I don't think it is a coincidence that cities in Europe and Spain are telling tourists to get lost.
Fallible human beings teaching other human beings that then teach other human beings on and on and on with most never accomplishing anything unique or on their own, except for getting that piece of paper so they to can teach more human beings ever becoming more numb, dumb, and narcissistic.
No teaching credential / position without real world experiences - successes and failures outside the EDU bubble shelters. Do students right, not left, and respect those coming up next in line.
In ancient Greece intelligent people negotiated with craftsmen to train their children. What skills will you teach my child so that he can carve out a life for himself? Everything was measurable and defined.
When I went to school, teachers were gate keepers, releasing information at a pace the average student could handle. The bright were starved and weak minded fell by the wayside.
That is all gone now. An 8 year old kid can readily teach himself university level math before they enter high school. The gate keepers are long gone.
So what percentage of of university programs perform the tasks of the craftsmen in ancient Greece? My guess is about 20 to 30 percent. The rest are not learning skills that will enable them to carve out a life for themselves.
Add in the unbelievable cost of an education and the decline in university enrollment is purely an economic one. The value proposition is just not there for the vast majority of students.
The rest is all hogwash and assumes that most of today's students are mentally handicapped.
University Professors are lazy based on 1970s experience as graduate teaching assistant in chemistry, lab technician in chemistry stockroom, fellowship in large great lakes lab, chemistry instructor in learning center and lab supervisor of largest environmental lab in Virginia, these jobs were at three universities over 5 years. The professors can steal significant money by double and triple dipping grants added to base salary. Technical institute teachers with industrial experience and master degrees are hard working and actually teach students. Most university professors would be fired in corporations for no productive work and stealing money. During my Masters degree I was invited to chemistry faculty meeting to express a concern after my seminar presentation. The professors need to complete their duties because NYS is paying salaries and I am a NYS tax payer. After meeting my major professor said you were voted the award for teaching excellence this year. Now I have three wanting to change vote. Same three you identified as lazy. You will receive award at annual award dinner. Next stop the double teaching assistantship for summer was cancelled. The director of Great Lakes Limnology Lab asked me to visit and offered a fellowship for summer. Only stipulation of director "you make sure those lazy guys see you working for Biology department". He said award winner for teaching excellence has teaching appointment cancelled. I was done with masters and on to real job. The summer fellowship was one reason for first lab supervisor job six months later.
I moved on to a wonderful 35 year career at electric company with men that worked to provide essential service to community 24/7/365. I was provided generous funds to establish a world class laboratory to provide testing and electrical equipment predictive maintenance services.
Thirty years after Masters a representative from university interviewed me at my lab. She attended a new building dedication where she told old retired chemistry professors that she talked with me. She called to say a retired chemistry professor remembered me as the hardest working student ever providing service to the chemistry department, She said he had a big smile and curious laugh.
I was a Master Plumber working my way thru college and a couple years older . The university professors would say you are no kid. Dad said to me at 14 you are no kid. Dad taught me plumbing from age 10 to 19. Passed Master Plumber exam with 100 % at age 21 both records.
I was a Master Plumber working my way thru college and a couple years older . The university professors would say you are no kid. Dad said to me at 14 you are no kid. Dad taught me plumbing from age 10 to 19. Passed Master Plumber exam with 100 % at age 21 both records. Three Chemistry degrees AAS in chemical technology engineering option, BA Chemistry ACS certified and MA Chemistry with thesis.
Thanks John - an excellent exposé thank you. People always have the option to vote with their feet as did I when I abandoned the rising UK police state.
Universities should be closed excepting the applied Sciences Departments. Arts and other Crap can be learnt online. Just imagine the the amount of Capital that will be freed for investment in life enhancing pursuits
Probably, like any other money that gets freed up, they'll use it for war.
Fifty years ago when I was in university, it was narrow-minded, the professors were sheer academics with no real-world work background, and looked forward to long idle summers in which they could go do graver-rubbings in Merry Olde England's churchyards. A dumber bunch of professors, and more dull, I could never imagine, and I bitterly loathed them and hated the narrow curriculum, which was chosen by rich trustees who only wanted robots for their businesses. If it is worse now, I can't imagine what it is like. I had to unlearn all the crap they choked down my throat and educate myself in the years hence, and reality is shockingly different than they want us to know. For example, the entire financial world is a collection of rackets. And Medicine? Don't get me started.
How about a caption for this post:
FREE SPEECH FOR ANTI-DUMMIES
Doing my best to piss off the Woke Left.