The future of higher education, specifically public and private universities, is currently engaged in an escalating tug-of-war that pits “constructivists” against “traditionalists.” The former, decrying the traditional college model of lectures, deadlines and the campus, have found support in leaders such as Texas Gov. Rick Perry and Florida Gov. Rick Scott. Starting this year, Texas will have 10 public universities committed to offering degrees at $10,000, while 23 Florida public institutions have promised to do the same. Though we cannot predict this effort’s effectiveness, it raises significant pedagogical questions and concerns about what a college education will mean in the coming decades. The $10,000 degree represents a troubling commoditization of education — but the true value of a degree goes beyond price tag.
With the current economic climate and continually rising tuition costs, we understand why many high school graduates decide to eschew a traditional degree and engage instead in the work force or methods of self-education. Names like Bill Gates, Steve Jobs and Mark Zuckerburg serve as examples of those who went on to become successful without ever receiving a degree (other than honorary ones). We see no fundamental problems with this. An individual’s growth and learning can be supported by myriad sources, but without the exercise of personal responsibility and initiative, no external source — including a university degree — can stand alone as a sufficient identifier of a person’s ability.
And herein lies our chief concern regarding the $10,000 degree. A degree, in its purest form, is merely a physical representation of a hard-earned quality education. At the same time, a degree and success, in all forms of the word, do not necessarily go hand in hand.
The $10,000 degree essentially serves as a middle ground for those who scorn the exorbitant costs of higher education but acknowledge the possibility of losing out on $1 million, on average, of lifetime earnings by forgoing a degree. This sort of logic is pragmatic but problematic. If degrees get cheapened to the point of blatant commoditization, these Texas and Florida institutions will not likely be attracting many students who pursue education for its own end. Rather, these institutions will mostly be attracting those who view a degree as a necessary prerequisite for higher earnings.
The $10,000 degree is aimed to disprove the potentially elitist idea that not everyone is suited for a particular standard of education, and it is honorable in that respect. But when Scott cut $300 million for state universities in the same year that he advocated reducing tuition, the $10,000 degree seems more like an unsustainable political statement that has more incentives than providing an affordable “education” for those who seek it.
Brown’s reputation as one of the top undergraduate universities in the world has perhaps deluded us into thinking that a number like $42,808 — the University’s cost of tuition — can be justified. While the possibility of overvaluing our education exists, it does not take away from the logical reality that a $10,000 degree will come with immense limitations. It ultimately comes down to whether people are currently willing to make the trade-off between price and quality. We cannot confine the value of a college degree to an arbitrary number. Rather, we should devote our efforts to improving accessibility without sacrificing quality or services.
Editorials are written by The Herald’s editorial page board: its editor, Dan Jeon, and its members, Mintaka Angell, Samuel Choi, Nicholas Morley and Rachel Occhiogrosso. Send comments to editorials@browndailyherald.com.
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