This comes from mlive: “Tuition freezes could come back to bite students; Mott Community College and other community colleges now imposing double-digit hikes.” As the headline suggests, it’s mostly about Mott Community College, but there was this interesting passage about EMU’s 0/0/0 campaign:
Eastern Michigan University made national waves this year for a bold, and what some called risky, move to not raise tuition, room or board prices.
It makes for a punchy billboard campaign that reads “0,0,0.”
But what about next year?
“There is undue attention given to one-year changes in tuition,” said Sandy Baum, a policy analyst at the College Board and an economics professor at Skidmore College in Saratoga Springs, N.Y.
“The question is how much is it going to cost to go to college, not how much higher is it than last year. The cost of educating students either has to stop raising, or state appropriations have to be more generous. Tuition freezes tend to be political moves. It’s like a short-term strategy.”
Is there a supply-and-demand rule when it comes to tuition costs in higher ed? Like, if all universities in a random state saw a 50% drop in enrollment due to more deciding NOT to go to college, would tuition drop?
EMU did the right thing for one year. In regards to future enrollment stats for the high school graduate cohort look bad. By 2020 there will be 20,000 fewer high school graduates in the State of Michigan.
I posted this awhile back on A2.com. Thought it is relevant here also. I do not mean to suggest I speak for everyone, but this has been my experience and several of my friends that went to EMU.
As an EMU alum with student loans, I like the general idea of 0-0-0. However, the cost of the tuition can only be measured in relation to the value of the degree. EMU needs to take it up a notch (or two) to be seen on the same level as WMU, CMU and Oakland. When I talk to my coworkers about college they think of EMU as a cross between a community college and an online university. After talking to them about their schools, all MAC except one from Alma, it is hard for me to defend EMU because it is just not the same or better then their schools. I would rather pay a little more every month for a more valuable degree then save a few dollars in the short term and join EMU on a race to the bottom. The real beneficiary of the 0 plan is the President who will probably use it to ride out of town and leave EMU heading south when the bills from 0-0-0 start to add up.
Ask the Regents to kick things up a notch. They have the control. A few years a ago the Admissions Director made a presentation to the Regents to do just what you are asking. They basically declined the plan. The Admissions Director left the University and moved back to NJ. What I finding interesting about WMU and CMU and others, is that they under estimate EMU grads. Occasionally they find themselves in a situation where an EMU grad is their boss or doing the hiring. in addition, I don’t think that Susan Martin plans to leave anytime soom. She’s seems to be committed to EMU and the State of Michigan. I find it interesting that you can not defend EMU. I have no problem defending Eastern when it comes to WMU, CMU or Oakland. All my kids went to Eastern and they have no problem competing against other college grads, that also includes the U of M. Best by Test not B.S.!
If someone wants to argue that the U of Michigan or Michigan State are a “notch above” (or maybe with U of M two or three notches) EMU, then I would say they are probably right. And the MAC is kind of an interesting combination of schools because you do have several– Miami, Ohio U, BGSU, Kent, and Ball State all come to mind– who arguably are slightly better schools because they are “research 1″ institutions that tend to be more selective.
But the argument that WMU, CMU, and Oakland are so much better of a school than EMU is just flat-out wrong, and all you have to do to make the argument is compare any relevant stat. Arguing about which of these regional state schools is better is like arguing about flavors of candy: we all have our favorites, but they’re all basically the same. To the extent that EMU is perceived as the “lesser” school, I think this is because we suffer by comparison to U of M right next door.
Having said that, I do agree that the best long-term strategy for EMU would be to inch up the entrance requirements and emphasize that we’re a university with a quality reputation instead of emphasizing we’re “a good deal.” Being the Wal-Mart of higher ed is the short game.
It also seems to me that I read someplace that despite the very reasonable complaints that going to college is way too expensive and despite the fact that those costs keep going up, students are still showing up. In fact, enrollment across the country is up, and applications at the most expensive universities (which also tend to be the most prestigious) have done nothing but increased. If we were about to head into a higher education “bubble,” as some have argued, then it would seem that this wouldn’t be the case.
“I have no problem defending Eastern when it comes to WMU, CMU or Oakland. All my kids went to Eastern and they have no problem competing against other college grads, that also includes the U of M. Best by Test not B.S.!”
That is so true! My wife received her bachelor’s degree from EMU and her master’s degree from UM, in a field in which UM has had the #1 program nationally for more than a decade. She does not hesitate to tell anyone who will listen that while UM taught the theory, EMU taught her how to do what actually needs to be done. In conversation with other EMU and UM students in her field that seems to hold true: UM does a fine job teaching the theory, but many students get the degree and then have no idea how to do the actual work that they’re expected to do. It’s important to remember that most of those national rankings are based on research, particularly at the doctoral and post-doc levels, not on the quality of the education that undergraduates and even masters-level students receive.
These are great comments. Like I said, I only speak for myself and my circle of friends. Several things in the thread are especially interesting.
@sitedad. First, this is a cool site. I had no idea what research 1 schools are, but after your post I Googled it. My EMU comments were directed more to the general nature of the experience as opposed to classifications. What I find most interesting is that after Googling I found that all three schools I mentioned (WMU, CMU, and Oakland) are listed at as research 1 schools as their basic ranking on the Carnigie website. If those rankings matter or are used to classify schools as you seem to suggest then EMU does not measure up to the schools I mentioned by that definition because it is not a research 1 school as the other three are.
As far as U of M next door. I agree, especially with issues of sports inferiority. However, I also noticed inferiority complex with my teachers. I cannot tell you how many times I heard “at U of M they” and “this is not U of M but” in class. It almost seemed like some teachers felt they had to justify how they did things by showing how their decisions compared to U of M. We actually used to joke after class on occasion that once again we were told that this is not U of M but …
I also think the proximity to Detroit is harmful. I live in mid-Michigan now and I do not get the idea people know how far Ypsi is from Detroit as opposed to how close it is to Ann Arbor.
@cmadler. I am glad your wife had such a great experience at EMU. However it is strange she did not receive her theory at EMU as the basis for application or practice. A university should ground a person in theory before application so they know why they are doing something as opposed to just knowing to do it Otherwise they blur the difference between job training schools and universities. I understand that grad school is supposed to have a strong theory aspect to it (I am starting the application process), but that experience should enhance and develop the existing theory learned in undergrad.
@ alum. I am not sure what the regents do, but inching it up is perfect. Large scale changes even if they were possible would leave out many students. For students like me, decent but was not going to get into UM, EMU provides an opportunity for many of us
My main point in my comment was that paying a little more for a better and more marketable degree is something I would have not problem with. Additionally, I think 000 is a quick fix that the President can use to move on before having to pay the price. In any case, I really enjoy hearing about others EMU experiences and such.
Jim, I deleted one of your comments because of the repeat.
I don’t know what WMU, CMU, or Oakland list themselves as, but research 1 they ain’t. WMU is technically one because of the status of their PhD programs, but just barely. CMU, I don’t think so. And does Oakland have any PhD programs? I think not. And really, my main point is that all three of these schools are in pretty much the same league– in some cases literally– as EMU.
Thanks but you deleted the wrong post. The only difference between them was I said EMU does not measure up to the other three in the edited version. I did not look up a self ranking. I looked up the rankings on the Carnegie website. I am not sure if they are self reported, but they appeared to be objective.
Oops! I put back the right comment….
I’m sticking to my contention that WMU, CMU, and OU are all more or less in the same “bucket” as EMU. So I’d be curious to see a link to the web site you are referencing here, Jim.
Jim, you have no idea what you’re talking about. I just got my MA from a Top 50 Public U, graduating with a 4.0, and am starting my PhD at the #1 program in my field next month. EMU prepared me for all of this. I’m sorry that you have a misguided inferiority complex. Also, it seems a little strange that you “know” what graduate school is about considering that you’re “just starting the application process.”