How to fund higher education around the globe is one of the most important questions education leaders, citizens, and governments face. Especially when resources are limited, the tendency is to dedicate the majority of resources to elite education experiences for a limited number of students. If there is really no option, then this may be an unavoidable policy conclusion. However, the fact is that elite higher education actually has the least impact on students' economic mobility and future. And, there is a larger ecosystem of higher education that should be nurtured by greater collaboration, not more intensive competition exaggerated by the inequality of resources.
The issue of donors investing in higher education is addressed by author Malcolm Gladwell in his "Revisionist History" podcast "My Little Hundred Million." Using the example of Hank Rowan, a $100 million donor to Glassboro State University, Gladwell compared what happens when donors invest in elite institutions rather spreading their gifts across a number of less elite institutions.
Gladwell's assertion is reinforced by other analyses. The Equality of Opportunity Project documents that less elite institutions move a greater proportion and number of students from lower income families to higher levels than elite institutions. In addition, less elite institutions have increased access to lower income students at much higher rates that elites such as UC-Berkeley and Harvard.
Washington Monthly's College Guide and Rankings provides a completely different way of ranking colleges and universities other than reputation and resources (the primary criteria of the U.S. News & World Report rankings). The criteria of Washington Monthly include; social mobility (recruiting and graduating low-income students), research (producing cutting-edge scholarship and PhDs), and service (encouraging students to give something back to their country).
International higher education needs to look carefully at the U.S. patterns analyzed in the above. The unfortunate outcome in the U.S. is a very expensive system with access controlled by socio-economic class. Especially in emerging economies where capacity building is a priority, choosing another path may be fruitful.
The issue of donors investing in higher education is addressed by author Malcolm Gladwell in his "Revisionist History" podcast "My Little Hundred Million." Using the example of Hank Rowan, a $100 million donor to Glassboro State University, Gladwell compared what happens when donors invest in elite institutions rather spreading their gifts across a number of less elite institutions.
Gladwell's assertion is reinforced by other analyses. The Equality of Opportunity Project documents that less elite institutions move a greater proportion and number of students from lower income families to higher levels than elite institutions. In addition, less elite institutions have increased access to lower income students at much higher rates that elites such as UC-Berkeley and Harvard.
Washington Monthly's College Guide and Rankings provides a completely different way of ranking colleges and universities other than reputation and resources (the primary criteria of the U.S. News & World Report rankings). The criteria of Washington Monthly include; social mobility (recruiting and graduating low-income students), research (producing cutting-edge scholarship and PhDs), and service (encouraging students to give something back to their country).
International higher education needs to look carefully at the U.S. patterns analyzed in the above. The unfortunate outcome in the U.S. is a very expensive system with access controlled by socio-economic class. Especially in emerging economies where capacity building is a priority, choosing another path may be fruitful.
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