Colleges in Dire Financial Straits

[spork]

Back to our regular programming.
Colleagues at U Wisconsin-Whitewater are telling me they've been offered a buyout -  approximately 30% of annual salary to leave at the end of the academic year. 2 weeks to decide. The folks I know there are mostly snubbing their noses at this, but apparently some academic staff have taken it. Also, a lot of different versions of stories from department heads vs deans vs chancellors regarding cost cutting measures of axing degrees, e.g. departments. It seems that each university in the UW system is handling their budget cuts entirely separately, with no visible coordination.

Tuition fund balances (a.k.a. margin) have fallen by 60% over the last three fiscal years in the UW system:

https://www.wpr.org/uw-system-tuition-balances-down-nearly-60-percent-2013-levels.

[apl68]

Back to our regular programming.
Colleagues at U Wisconsin-Whitewater are telling me they've been offered a buyout -  approximately 30% of annual salary to leave at the end of the academic year. 2 weeks to decide. The folks I know there are mostly snubbing their noses at this, but apparently some academic staff have taken it. Also, a lot of different versions of stories from department heads vs deans vs chancellors regarding cost cutting measures of axing degrees, e.g. departments. It seems that each university in the UW system is handling their budget cuts entirely separately, with no visible coordination.

Tuition fund balances (a.k.a. margin) have fallen by 60% over the last three fiscal years in the UW system:

https://www.wpr.org/uw-system-tuition-balances-down-nearly-60-percent-2013-levels.

Interesting to note how individual campuses within the system are all over the place in terms of their changes in tuition fund balances.  Some have gained significantly in percentage terms, others have lost a great deal.  I guess this will be one factor to consider when the state weighs downgrading or even shutting down some of its campuses in the face of long-term enrollment declines.

[kaysixteen]

Awright, since I acknowledge that I am just not motivated to figure out how to actually use the quote function, I will just make comments based on polly's and marshy's recent posts, trying to give enough context whilst doing so.... these will not be in any particular order of import:

1) I am going to give her the benefit of the doubt and allow that she might think I have been arguing that my advocacy for humanities ed as a good thing is motivated by a view that such an ed is a good route to a big-dollars job, comfy life, etc.   But I have never said this, and certainly do not say it on this thread.   I acknowledge that often such advanced training is not as potentially lucrative as most STEM ed paths, for instances, and I never intended to be making big bucks by my ed choices.   I was eager to work as a college professor (old style liberal arts, like the people at dear alma mater who taught me in the 80s), or a prep/ boarding school guy (there are positive and negative aspects to both, for people like me-- working at private Christian schools came only the 00s, and in retrospect my thinking when I took those jobs was not fully informed by reality on the ground).   It ain't at all my fault that the field I chose, which like it or not I do love, and which used to be amongs the cornerstone hallmarks of liberal arts ed at both the sec school and higher ed levels, largely toileted out in the 90s, which only made the  failure of Bowen Report-esque promises for new PhDs even more stark for me.   And I even was able 20 years ago to add one more year to my grad school experience, and get an MLS too, in order to provide alternative professional options (and did so upon specific and repeated advice from several career counselors)-- I did this after I finally had to conclude, c. 1998, that, contrary to the false promises made to people like me 5-10 years earlier, the golden professoriate was likely going to be out of reach (and when it became clear enough that PhD possession was actually not going to be a decided advantage in prep school land, esp for non-athletes like myself).   Sadly, the market for MLSs has been effectively toileting too, especially for those not having extensive paraprofessional library experience and/ or specialized advanced tech skills not normally taught in library school, at least in that era.    I have been trying for plan C for several years now, paid a ton of money for a high priced private career guy 3 years ago, and more or less got an updated 2020-ish resume and cover letter, and one semester of a specialized adjunct job I would not have thought to look for before.  Ah well.   But I still contend that the critical thinking  and analysis skills one can get in a humanities major is more or less second to none, certainly exceeding the specialized professional training engineers or nurses are given, and that it is not at all necessary for a student who has taken such a degree is very well prepped to do more or less anything else he might then seek to get specialized advanced education or training to pursue (heck, in the old days, actually not that old by now, many humanities BAs were regularly hired into entry level positions in a wide  variety of firms/ government agencies, etc., who valued this ed precisely for the critical thinking and overall general knowledge bases such ed provided, and expected to take the new grad and then teach him what their business actually did, on the job-- such hiring is now exceedingly rare, unless one is willing and financially able to undertake one of those infamous unpaid internships that now serve as yet another form of affirmative action for the affluent.   And I maintain that, yes, it is bad for the working class to eschew such education, largely because in so doing they are also eschewing those critical thinking skills, and those knowledge bases, for themselves and their children, and this is the exact opposite of a good thing, and will have a sad snowballing effect on these folks going forward, and will reinforce the bad thinking, acting, and susceptibility to snookering such attitudes engender.

2) WRT my being in the elite-- I have never claimed to be such,  certainly acknowledge that I ain't, nor do  I believe such status is automatically attained by elite humanities ed, or engineering ed, or $200/hr plumber's licensure.   Indeed, were I in the 'old boy network' elite, years ago I would have gotten a job at a place like Andover, and spend my days teaching seminars in Greek language and critical thinking skills to elite class 99th percentile teens, and then proceed to wood-paneled lounges to hear elite guest speakers talking about a wide variety of interesting things.   Ah well.   Those who are not in this 'elite' but desire to enter such have a very hard road to hoe... Horatio Alger is dead.

3)  'Socialism' is, as I (and I believe others here) have long noted, is nowadays nigh onto a meaningless buzzword, esp when used by folks who do not claim to be socialists themselves (whereas someone like Sanders or AOC more or less let it be known what they mean by calling themselves this... and what they don't).  For the bulk of Americans (and methinks also Canadians), what is much more important to ask is what specific aspects of or programs of 'socialism' they espouse (and of course benefit from), vs what they do not espouse (and do not benefit from.... unless of course, they do benefit from those programs, which they will then helpfully redefine as something other than 'socialism')--  as Lawrence O'Donnell notes, there is a lot of socialism in this country, some of which is 'good socialism', and others of which are 'bad socialism'... and much of the bad socialism is espoused (although, again, usually under other labels) by many 'conservatives' who regularly rail against 'socialism' as a general buzzword concept.

4) WRT that UW-Whitewater 30% buyout, is that 30% per annum for the rest of one's natural life, regardless of how old one is or how many years' of uni service one has, or something very much less than this?   It would make a real difference.

[kaysixteen]

One more thing, WRT my Walmart experience.   It is certainly true that I have worked for Wallyworld for many years now, all pt, without ever having sought management promotion.  I could have had a mgmt job years back had I sought it.   Why didn't I?   Two main reasons:

1) If I had taken it,  it would have seemed like settling.   The job ain't that great, not at all, and I would have been telling myself I was going to (effectively) abandon my ongoing search for fulfilling professional employment and accept, well.. it.   I have not been willing to do so, all the more because

2) the job really stinks, on balance.   It is hard work, and really does not pay much, because managers do not make overtime and regularly are working 50-60 hours a week (and are expected to come in on days off if told to do so, etc.).   There are also ethical issues I have, policies they are expected to enforce that are above my pay grade (and thus not my concern) as a pt hourly clock puncher. (one of the most infamous would of course be to use the famous 800 number to Arkansas HQ, whenever any whisper of unionization organization efforts may be heard, but there are others, some much more commonly occurring).

[marshwiggle]

But I still contend that the critical thinking  and analysis skills one can get in a humanities major is more or less second to none, certainly exceeding the specialized professional training engineers or nurses are given, and that it is not at all necessary for a student who has taken such a degree is very well prepped to do more or less anything else he might then seek to get specialized advanced education or training to pursue (heck, in the old days, actually not that old by now, many humanities BAs were regularly hired into entry level positions in a wide  variety of firms/ government agencies, etc., who valued this ed precisely for the critical thinking and overall general knowledge bases such ed provided, and expected to take the new grad and then teach him what their business actually did, on the job-- such hiring is now exceedingly rare, unless one is willing and financially able to undertake one of those infamous unpaid internships that now serve as yet another form of affirmative action for the affluent.   

So this raises the question of why their skills and knowledge are insufficient now. Certainly government agencies can't be using the unpaid internships like private companies can, so why aren't these graduates as desirable now?

'Socialism' is, as I (and I believe others here) have long noted, is nowadays nigh onto a meaningless buzzword, esp when used by folks who do not claim to be socialists themselves (whereas someone like Sanders or AOC more or less let it be known what they mean by calling themselves this... and what they don't).  For the bulk of Americans (and methinks also Canadians), what is much more important to ask is what specific aspects of or programs of 'socialism' they espouse (and of course benefit from), vs what they do not espouse (and do not benefit from.... unless of course, they do benefit from those programs, which they will then helpfully redefine as something other than 'socialism')--  as Lawrence O'Donnell notes, there is a lot of socialism in this country, some of which is 'good socialism', and others of which are 'bad socialism'... and much of the bad socialism is espoused (although, again, usually under other labels) by many 'conservatives' who regularly rail against 'socialism' as a general buzzword concept.

You could say the same things about "monarchy" and call roads, hospitals, courts, etc. "good results" of monarchy. They aren't unique to monarchy, nor are they all guaranteed by monarchy. Using "socialism" to basically mean any government-funded programs and/or services, as I have said before, basically means that every government that has ever existed has been somewhat "socialist".

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G2y8Sx4B2Sk

[apl68]

One more thing, WRT my Walmart experience.   It is certainly true that I have worked for Wallyworld for many years now, all pt, without ever having sought management promotion.  I could have had a mgmt job years back had I sought it.   Why didn't I?   Two main reasons:

1) If I had taken it,  it would have seemed like settling.   The job ain't that great, not at all, and I would have been telling myself I was going to (effectively) abandon my ongoing search for fulfilling professional employment and accept, well.. it.   I have not been willing to do so, all the more because

2) the job really stinks, on balance.   It is hard work, and really does not pay much, because managers do not make overtime and regularly are working 50-60 hours a week (and are expected to come in on days off if told to do so, etc.).   There are also ethical issues I have, policies they are expected to enforce that are above my pay grade (and thus not my concern) as a pt hourly clock puncher. (one of the most infamous would of course be to use the famous 800 number to Arkansas HQ, whenever any whisper of unionization organization efforts may be heard, but there are others, some much more commonly occurring).

Can't really say I blame you there.  From what I've seen and heard, Wal Mart managers lead a dog's life.  It's also not hard to see the job leading to various ethical compromises.

I am curious as to what went wrong with the MLS route.  It's definitely true that budding librarians must normally start at the bottom and pay their dues as paraprofessionals, even with an MLS in hand.  It makes for a slow-starting career.  On the other hand, getting a foot in the door and then sticking with it does tend to open doors over time.  It sure as everything beats Wal Mart.

[polly_mer]

1) The point of taking the manager route at Walmart is not to be a manager at Walmart.  It is to acquire and demonstrate that one has the relevant skills to succeed in another business job.  Someone who has recent manager experience on how business  really works and has college/graduate degrees is a viable candidate for a position in another business.  Someone who has been a part-time minion  for decades with no relevant experience is not competitive for a middle-class job where the whole point is that all the competitive people have sold out and made their peace with doing so.

2) The MLS route is similar to being an academic; it's one of the standard fallbacks along with teaching high school.  As such, it wasn't a good plan B at any point in the past several decades for someone who isn't already in the system doing the work.  Again, they are looking for someone with experience, not just someone who took the classes.

3) Internships,co-ops, and other student programs are the way that most people get their foot into the door for entry level positions.  Anyone who waits until after college to apply will be at a significant disadvantage because the successful candidates will have directly related experience in addition to good grades and various student level awards.  Book learning is not enough at this point because so many people have it. 

4) Most middle-class college-required jobs are never advertised.  Most jobs are filled by working the network.  Thus, not having a professional network hurts people who don't have the special skills that generally are advertised.  Seldom does the network just come up with a mechanical engineer who specializes in X.  Nearly always does the network come up with someone who is literate enough, numerate enough, and amenable to additional training.  Therefore, engineering jobs are often advertised and someone unknown to the hiring manager has a good shot at being hired.  The jobs that just need a good enough college graduate are almost never advertised and seldom is a complete stranger hired.

5) All the words on critical thinking at the college level misses everything that happens in the first 15+ years of a person's life.  Students don't arrive at college as blank slates; most students will have 10 or more years of formal education.  To assert that college level critical thinking is somehow different from the previous decade of formal education only works for the unicorn who went to a terrible K-12 system and then somehow gets into an elite institution. 

The person who went to a great K-12 system and has the background to benefit from a liberal arts college education is not seeing something new, but will be polishing their already good skills.  Someone who went to a terrible K-12 system seldom gets into an elite-enough institution to really benefit, but instead gets ripped off again by having general education be a series of one-offs that probably don't have enough reading, discussion, writing, and targeted feedback for revision.  There's no critical thinking being nurtured in that case and the friends and colleagues of those students didn't miss anything by skipping the rip-off college.

6) I'm still waiting to learn why it is that someone who has the same crummy job, living in the same crummy apartment, and driving the same crummy car is somehow better by virtue of attending a college that clearly didn't help in any way.  I'm willing to believe that money isn't everything so that one chooses to be, say, a librarian, high school teacher, or community college professor in a small town with modest income, but also modest needs.  I'm much less willing to believe that being a part-timer at Walmart, same as my alcoholic cousin who didn't make it through high school, is somehow a great life plan that redeems the time and energy spent on a college degree at a fancy institution where somehow critical thinking was taught, but doesn't manifest in any discernible way.

[dr_codex]

2) The MLS route is similar to being an academic; it's one of the standard fallbacks along with teaching high school.  As such, it wasn't a good plan B at any point in the past several decades for someone who isn't already in the system doing the work.  Again, they are looking for someone with experience, not just someone who took the classes.

Not us. We're the place where Librarians get some experience and/or complete a second Master's, and move on up and out after a few years. People who come with experience just don't buy furniture and move out and up more quickly.

I'll concede that the rapid closure of other institutions is changing the market, but I sit on a lot of Library hiring committees, and it hasn't changed that much. Big caveat: We haven't hired anybody, for anything, since COVID, so who knows what it will look like this summer.

I know, I know. Anecdotes aren't data, and one small college isn't a great measure of the market. But there's usually some somewheres that are the bottom rung, and it's worth figuring out where they are, especially for people in jobs where mobility is expected.

[hazelshade]

4) Most middle-class college-required jobs are never advertised.  Most jobs are filled by working the network. 

I just want to point out that this comment is, at best, rather dated or, at worst, outright wrong, though it's a very persistent myth in the job search world.

[apl68]

2) The MLS route is similar to being an academic; it's one of the standard fallbacks along with teaching high school.  As such, it wasn't a good plan B at any point in the past several decades for someone who isn't already in the system doing the work.  Again, they are looking for someone with experience, not just someone who took the classes.

Not us. We're the place where Librarians get some experience and/or complete a second Master's, and move on up and out after a few years. People who come with experience just don't buy furniture and move out and up more quickly.

I'll concede that the rapid closure of other institutions is changing the market, but I sit on a lot of Library hiring committees, and it hasn't changed that much. Big caveat: We haven't hired anybody, for anything, since COVID, so who knows what it will look like this summer.

I know, I know. Anecdotes aren't data, and one small college isn't a great measure of the market. But there's usually some somewheres that are the bottom rung, and it's worth figuring out where they are, especially for people in jobs where mobility is expected.

That's interesting.  All the libraries I'm familiar with, academic and public, large and small, seem to have pretty stable MLS staffing.  I'm not surprised that there are librarians using certain jobs as stepping stones--I considered doing the same thing myself at one point.  I am surprised that there are places where it is common practice.

[dr_codex]

2) The MLS route is similar to being an academic; it's one of the standard fallbacks along with teaching high school.  As such, it wasn't a good plan B at any point in the past several decades for someone who isn't already in the system doing the work.  Again, they are looking for someone with experience, not just someone who took the classes.

Not us. We're the place where Librarians get some experience and/or complete a second Master's, and move on up and out after a few years. People who come with experience just don't buy furniture and move out and up more quickly.

I'll concede that the rapid closure of other institutions is changing the market, but I sit on a lot of Library hiring committees, and it hasn't changed that much. Big caveat: We haven't hired anybody, for anything, since COVID, so who knows what it will look like this summer.

I know, I know. Anecdotes aren't data, and one small college isn't a great measure of the market. But there's usually some somewheres that are the bottom rung, and it's worth figuring out where they are, especially for people in jobs where mobility is expected.

That's interesting.  All the libraries I'm familiar with, academic and public, large and small, seem to have pretty stable MLS staffing.  I'm not surprised that there are librarians using certain jobs as stepping stones--I considered doing the same thing myself at one point.  I am surprised that there are places where it is common practice.

There were reasons for some of the turnover. We're very small, so it doesn't take much to create a clash of personalities and/or toxic environment.

But the churn has persisted, despite the changes of personnel, which invites speculation. Internal hires have stayed no longer than external folks. Many, to be fair, have moved to other libraries within the larger University system, and it might be better to think about them as internal moves. But almost nobody stays for long. We reached a point not long ago when we had to waive the one-year-experience clause for service on committees, because none of the librarians would qualify.

[kaysixteen]

Continuing random thoughts and responses;

1) There is no question that nowadays a new MLS with no actual library work experience cannot get a librarian job-- there would be too much competition.   This, however, was not always the case.   My library school days were coequal with the calendar year 2000-- I started in Jan. and took max course loads for all three semesters, including the intense summer school semester, largely because, just having finished up my PhD, I was running low on money and on patience for long-time additional school, and wanted to get through the MLS asap in order to actually get a job.   My MLS advisor, a 60-ish guy who was chair of the dept., thought this was fine, as did all the other professors I had.   None ever advised me to slow up and try to get some sort of paraprofessional library work during library school, or even mentioned that it was a good idea to do so (some of my fellow MLS students were so working, but most of these people were certainly not going to lib school ft, and many were on track to take several years to earn a degree which really could have been earned in a year).   Further, no professor ever offered to assist me even in obtaining an internship, let alone suggested I needed to do so, and the advisor/ chair, when he interviewed me for admission, thought this plan was just fine, and when I asked what he thought my chance of getting a professional job on completion was, he replied 'virtually 100% as long as you are willing to relocate'.   Indeed, the dept also offered essentially no assistance to its completing students and recent alumni, in terms of looking for that first job, and actually piggybacked on a business school professional advisor in the uni's career counseling office, to assist library students in preparing resumes, covers, interview strategies, etc.-- she, by her own admission, knew nothing of libraries, and gave much rather useless, business-oriented advice that was inappropriate to libraries (though I did not find that out till later).  Obviously, I have mentioned before that my lis school was essentially a diploma mill that actually lost its ALA accreditation 5 years after I graduated, , but I bring up this trip down memory lane to point out that the rules really were different in the 20th century, and it just won't do to hold people retroactively accountable for not having done what no one ever told them to do, esp when the thing in question really was just not done in the era in question.

2) This of course applies to academic career paths for classics PhDs, in spades.   It was actually pretty depressing, as I ran through grad school (and, in retrospect, as an undergrad as well), to encounter numerous professors who not only did not have a career achievement that would have remotely acquired them a tt job, let alone tenure, even by the late 90s, let alone today, but even to hear some of them talk about just how different things were when they were getting out of grad school and looking for that first tt job in the first place.   One gent, a legend in his own mind, actually bragged that, while he said he did not go to anything resembling a first-rate grad school, by his last semester there he had actually received 5 tt job offers, *without having applied for any*-- this was the sort of 'networking' guys in his generation did (he finished his degree in 1959).   He and many only slightly younger colleagues were vaguely aware that the rules had changed by the mid-90s, but still offered no advice, let alone assistance, in how to 'network' (the word, if I ever heard it from anyone in this era, was something thought of as what sales/ business professionals did, not academics), nor in looking for or obtaining employment.  I followed all the rules, learned what I was taught-- but the powers that be changed all the rules.

3) You are right that I have not 'made my peace' with settling for a potential career up the retail ladder.   The job is undesirable, and I can and will still look for permanent fulfilling professional work.   To 'make my peace' with such a job would likely be a psychic crusher.   Just tonight, a guy used the f word several times, and threatened to talk to a manager (I did not want to let him hold up the checkout line, which was long, because he had to go back to his car to get his wallet-- he had to go to the back of the line).   This does not make me feel good, and methinks most regular posters in places like these fora would not, ahem, last very long working at Wallyworld in Rusty City-- management would actually be worse, due to the ethical challenges, and the soul-crushing acceptance of such 'settling'.

4) I did not say that this job is a great life, far from it.   I am not an alcoholic, nor a hs dropout.  I have tried to get professional work, but it is hard, for all the reasons I have reiterated here over the years, and every year I just get a year older.   But I will keep on looking.   It probably ought not be very hard to see why I do this, nor why I think doing so is preferable to just saying, 'I give up'.

5) You are right about those business networking, although for a variety of reasons less right now than say 10-20 years ago.   But this has never been the way professional jobs in the academic and librarian career paths I have followed has been acquired, at least not since the Baby Boomers go to college era when guys like that PhD in '59 dude had all those job offers without having applied for a single one, and before he actually had completed the doctorate.

6) It is certainly true that many new college students, however bright, have critical thinking deficits owing to sh*tty schooling (and also perhaps crappy homes, etc.), but this ought not be license to give up on such students, or even just to decide that trying to teach serious liberal arts-style critical thinking (which is much more advanced than almost any entering college kid will already possess) is a hopeless and useless affair.

[marshwiggle]

You are right that I have not 'made my peace' with settling for a potential career up the retail ladder.   The job is undesirable, and I can and will still look for permanent fulfilling professional work.   To 'make my peace' with such a job would likely be a psychic crusher.   Just tonight, a guy used the f word several times, and threatened to talk to a manager (I did not want to let him hold up the checkout line, which was long, because he had to go back to his car to get his wallet-- he had to go to the back of the line).   This does not make me feel good, and methinks most regular posters in places like these fora would not, ahem, last very long working at Wallyworld in Rusty City-- management would actually be worse, due to the ethical challenges, and the soul-crushing acceptance of such 'settling'.

...

I have tried to get professional work, but it is hard, for all the reasons I have reiterated here over the years, and every year I just get a year older.   But I will keep on looking.   It probably ought not be very hard to see why I do this, nor why I think doing so is preferable to just saying, 'I give up'.

...

It is certainly true that many new college students, however bright, have critical thinking deficits owing to sh*tty schooling (and also perhaps crappy homes, etc.), but this ought not be license to give up on such students, or even just to decide that trying to teach serious liberal arts-style critical thinking (which is much more advanced than almost any entering college kid will already possess) is a hopeless and useless affair.

Two questions:

1. What is "liberal arts-style critical thinking", and how does it differ from "professional" or "STEM" critical thinking (or any other sort for that matter)?

2. If you saw a younger person with a similar background to you, i.e. classics PhD,  30-something, what career advice would you give? Since admittedly changing directions at 50-something is a big challenge, the person a couple decades younger should have  more options, including abandoning academia entirely.

[Ruralguy]

I think "liberal arts style critical thinking" would mean taking a generalized approach *before* getting too narrowed by field specific thinking (which is still critical thinking, and may be more efficient, but doesn't have a lot of use outside of the area).

One of the issues I have in STEM is that researchers (including students and their mentors) don't seem to have a general problem solving approach. Its more like "what algorithm can I beat this down with?"

[marshwiggle]

I think "liberal arts style critical thinking" would mean taking a generalized approach *before* getting too narrowed by field specific thinking (which is still critical thinking, and may be more efficient, but doesn't have a lot of use outside of the area).

One of the issues I have in STEM is that researchers (including students and their mentors) don't seem to have a general problem solving approach. Its more like "what algorithm can I beat this down with?"

I'm having a hard time imagining an example where those two options would both occur. Most problems would either have a significant quantitative component or not; the "generalized" approach suggests a non-quantitative problem, whereas the "algorithmic" approach suggests a quantitative one.