Is Higher Education publicly accountable?

For years lawmakers have appropriated funds for higher education in exchange for certain promises from officials of our state's four-year colleges and universities: manage better, be more accountable, and use facilities more efficiently. On several occasions, legislators have threatened to withhold funds if these goals are not met, but lobbying pressure usually eliminates the sanctions. The fact is, citizens pay for these institutions and they deserve accountability. EFF has a few suggestions:

1. Require professors to schedule more than 12 classroom hours per week.
According to a 1994 study by the Higher Education Coordinating Board (HECB), the average higher education faculty member in Washington schedules less than 12 classroom hours per week.*

Average faculty classroom hours per week
(1994 HECB study)

The classroom hours above were self-reported by professors and the HECB has not gathered this information for the last seven years. Because few professors have more than a dozen student contact hours per week, more staff (such as teaching assistants) are needed to fulfill academic obligations. This is partially responsible for the shocking ratio of total staff (academic and non-academic) to students. Consider the University of Washington: There are currently (2001-02 academic year) 26,860 full-time students and 4,298 full-time staff members at the university. This averages to slightly more than six students for each staff member.

Average number of students per staff member – 2001
(Numbers derived using figures from OFM and Princeton Review)

3. Eliminate or reduce large taxpayer subsidies for out-of-state graduate students.
During the 2000-01 academic year, Washington taxpayers subsidized out-of-state graduate students to the tune of $8,948 each per year at the University of Washington, and $3,438 per year at Washington State University.

4. Limit subsidies for undergraduates to five years.
The legislature should limit subsidies for in-state undergraduate students to a maximum of five years, which would encourage more timely graduation rates.

Percentage of students who graduate within five years
(Numbers provided by institutions)

5. End or cap subsidies for professional degrees.
Taxpayers subsidize professional degrees such as law and dentistry. Law students at private schools such as Seattle University School of Law and Gonzaga University Law School pay $21,210 and $21,600 respectively for each year's tuition. But taxpayers subsidize resident law students at the University of Washington so generously that students pay only $6,911 in tuition per year.

6. Eliminate the Council of Presidents.
The Council of Presidents (COP) is a public association of Washington's six baccalaureate institutions that operates out of an office at The Evergreen State College in Olympia. COP says it provides "information and assistance in public policy development" that impacts higher education. In other words, COP is a taxpayer-funded lobbyist organization. COP has five employees and an annual budget of $454,833. That amount would cover full tuition and fees for more than 150 students at The Evergreen State College.

7. Link community colleges with regional universities.
Community colleges can be an integral part of increasing access to higher education. For example, academic programs at nearby regional universities can be linked to programs at community colleges. Focusing entirely on undergraduate studies is part of what makes community colleges productive and quick to respond to changes in the marketplace, not to mention less costly. Community college tuition and fees for the 2001-02 academic year average a total of $1,743 per student, while four-year colleges and universities average $3,983.

* More recent data is not available.

Prepared by Hans Zeiger, Research Assistant
Contact: Jason Mercier, Budget Research Analyst, (360) 956-3482 or jmercier@effwa.org

Evergreen Freedom Foundation P.O. Box 552, Olympia, WA 98507 Phone: (360) 956-3482, Fax: (360) 352-1874 Email: effwa@effwa.org