The Dreaded "P" Word: An Examination of Productivity in Public Postsecondary Education
| Title: | The Dreaded "P" Word: An Examination of Productivity in Public Postsecondary Education |
| Author: | Kelly, Patrick J. |
| Date: | 2009 |
| Catalog #: | |
| Price: | FREE |
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| Description: |
As state legislatures convened again this spring, many public postsecondary education leaders were busy trying to prepare more compelling versions of the same old story: We need more state support — or at least an inflationary adjustment — or we must raise tuition and fees. It is an argument that couples a plea with an ultimatum, and contains the underlying assumption that resources are directly associated with performance. Often absent from this assertion is any information about current levels of funding compared to similar institutions
across the United States and, more importantly, how well their institutions are performing
with the resources they already have. Some make a legitimate case, but far more give ultimatums. The topic of performance relative to funding (i.e. productivity) is one of the most strained conversations in postsecondary education. Those called on to support the enterprise — policymakers and business leaders — routinely ask productivity-related questions, just as they do of any other public entity that seeks their support. In return, postsecondary education leaders provide well-crafted but often unrelated responses. Understandably, they are trying to avoid the difficult question: Are we productive relative to what? |