“For-Profits Thrive, While Universities Decline”
October 5th, 2009An article with the above title was recently published in the Daily Egyptian, Southern Illinois University’s student newspaper. Authored by Madeleine Laroux, the article discusses a report provided to SIU’s Board of Trustees at a September meeting. According to Laroux, Paul Sarvela, Vice President for Academic Affairs, stated that the for-profits are growing at a substantial rate but don’t offer the level of service that the traditional universities offer. Instead, they’re enrolling the working adult and focusing on marketplace demands. Chancellor Sam Goldman added, “We are not appropriately compared to a for-profit. We provide a value-added education and some people want that, many people don’t. It depends on where you go.”
I think there are two telling comments in the above narrative. The first is Vice President Sarvela’s comment about for-profits enrolling working adults and focusing on marketplace demands. I wonder why SIU isn’t interested in that? Working adults may understand the value of a college education more so than a student just out of high school. Focusing on marketplace demands sounds important in most businesses. Imagine if American automakers had focused on the marketplace demands when the Japanese automakers entered the U.S. market.
