Limiting Access

The House budget includes a provision that would cap enrollment growth in the UNC schools. A story in today's N&O outlines the way it would happen: http://www.newsobserver.com/2010/05/29/505976/state-may-cap-uncs-growth.html

The idea could have merit, although not so much for the budget saving reasons this bill anticipates. Faculty have seen a long and steady decline in student preparation for work at the university level. Limiting access to only those students who come to the process with an appropriate educational background, the willingness and the drive to work, and holding students accountable for their education would significantly improve the academic environment on our campuses. We could, in such a scenario, get away from the idea of college as an extended period of adolescence where parents and students incur significant debt while the educational focus often gets lost.

Similarly, university level education is not the right match for every student and such limitations might assist in guiding people into careers and fields more suited to their skills and temperament. Moreover, we might actually be able to think about taking away the "professionalization" of disciplines where a specific degree is an entree to a given job and work again to encourage employers to hire people who can write, think, and create instead of simply putting people in place because they hold a given credential. More flexibility in employment could give our economy a real boost by bringing innovation to the fore.

BUT.......we must be careful. Some of the best performers may not look like the ideal student at the outset of a college experience and to deny them entrance may mean they get lost to a world of possibilities. Additionally, unequal distribution of resources and opportunities means that not all students have the same shot at preparation and we do not want to perpetuate discrimination. And we must remember that North Carolina constitutionally mandates access to affordable higher education. We know an educated population is key to economic recovery and development and to cut ourselves down at this important moment may do us great long-term damage.

What we should be thinking about is how we fund so many other things at our universities that may not be as necessary to our students and their classrooms. Must we really provide all the amenities we currently offer in order to be competitive for students? Or can we pare down what we do to the most basic functions? And keep the focus on getting students into the classroom and demanding that they do the work that the people of North Carolina support?