American Enterprise Institute
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Published
July 16, 2024
Putting Public Colleges on a Path to Privatization
Conservative
Commentary
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Education
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Summary
- Adam Kissel at American Enterprise Institute argues that public universities suffer from a culture of timidity in discussing conservative ideas and that privatizing these institutions could introduce market discipline, potentially saving states billions in subsidies.
- The article advocates for states to wait until interest rates drop below 4 percent before attempting to privatize universities through an endowment/bond plan, suggesting this transition will lead to institutions better aligned with market needs and free from bureaucratic constraints.
Overview:
This article was written by Adam Kissel at American Enterprise Institute.
- Public universities in the U.S. often avoid sharing ideas outside the prevailing academic norms.
- Interest rates should drop below 4 percent before states pursue university privatization through an endowment/bond plan.
Key Quotes:
- "Public universities suffer from demonstrated cultures of timidity when it comes to sharing ideas that stand to the right of the prevailing academic regime."
- "States seeking to privatize their universities through an endowment/bond plan should wait for interest rates to return below 4 percent."
What They Discuss:
- Public universities demonstrate a noticeable reluctance to entertain conservative ideas, contributing to a perceived culture of speech suppression.
- Privatizing public universities is proposed as a solution, potentially saving states like Texas nearly $14 billion annually.
- One privatization approach involves gradually reducing state funding to zero while giving colleges ownership of their land.
- Alternatively, states could use an endowment/bond plan that maintains revenue neutrality by appropriating funds equivalent to eighteen to twenty times the average funding from the past five years.
- Fairmont State University serves as a case study, highlighting issues like low graduation rates and high drop-out rates despite significant state subsidies.
What They Recommend:
- States should consider privatizing public colleges either gradually or through an endowment/bond plan.
- State legislatures should wait until interest rates fall below 4 percent before adopting the endowment/bond approach.
- Resources should be redirected towards students most likely to succeed rather than continuing blanket subsidies for institutions.
- States could reallocate savings from privatization to other public needs or reduce taxpayer burdens.
Key Takeaways:
- Privatization could address cultural and financial inefficiencies in public universities.
- Approaches to privatization include reducing state funding gradually or using a revenue-neutral endowment plan.
- Privatizing universities could improve the intellectual climate and financial accountability in higher education.
- States could save billions in subsidies by privatizing public institutions and should wait for favorable interest rates to proceed.
This is a brief overview of the article by Adam Kissel at American Enterprise Institute. For complete insights, we recommend reading the full article.
Original Read Time
9 min
Organization
The Brookings Institution
Category
Israel-Gaza War
Political Ideology
Center Left