U. of Illinois plans going for-profit, with non-tenured professors.

U. of Illinois plans going for-profit, with non-tenured professors.

http://insidehighered.com/news/2006/08/31/illinois

 

Good article. However, your thread title is a little mis-leading. The entire university is not going for-profit and non-tenure, just the new online university. But that's a minor point.

I liked the article and I especially like the phrase...

"there will be no differential between in and out of state rates."

which will be cool if they keep the tuition low and not something ridiculous like $500 per credit hour. We will see how it goes.

 

Their current online rates in engineering are $753/hour. I would be surprised if the for-profit version was less.

That's not bad for a school with a good reputation. Are there any better Business schools that offer degrees for less? They might have a problem with their education program at that price though. Reputation matters less (at least at the masters level) in education.

Edited to add that I now see it isn't a UIUC program, but a new U of I campus... so repuation will be different and the pricing model may also be very different (just as U of I Springfield online is different than UIUC online).

 

Well, you did happen to find their most expensive degree offering. If not the most, one of higher tuition costs. The other degree options have lower tuition costs. For example, the Master's in MIS, is $218/hour which is more reasonable. Undergraduate tuition for most of the degrees is $201. That's a lot better than UoP $494/hour.

 

How sad. This will probably cause the eventual elimination the other UI distance learning programs preventing access to some of the best professors in the world by DL students. Instead, they will get non-tenured professors with credibility along the lines of UoP. This is not good for distance learning.

 

Yeah, it's all very unexciting. I do feel, however, a slight cringe.

 

I don't understand why it would go to for profit, very disapointing. Basically it sounds like they are just making a factory to crank people out of.

Who wants to graduate from the made up, for profit "University of Illinois Global Campus" . I hate to say but I hope it does dreadful so no other state will try this mockery of state university education. To me, it just seems like they are selling out .

 

The same people who are currently enrolled in UoP or Axia

 

Interesting.....a holy NFP following the FP model. Talk about egg on some peoples face. What happend to putting all that extra money into research rather into the pockets of investors? Dunno maybe some of the naysayers on this forum know something the the University of Illinois doesn't (not).

 

One more reason for legislatures to crack down on FP education models, in my view. The UoP's and Capella's of the world have started a race to the bottom.

I'm not surprised to see State public schools - most of which are supported largely through private funding - are only too compromised to join the feeding frenzy.

This of course won't happen, with the FP's having deployed their lobbyists deep into Congress and state assemblies.

In the absence of will to legislate I can only hope that perhaps our Jesuit universities will stand up to this odious trend toward heightened levels of educational commercialization and commoditization.

It is up to the religiously-affiliated schools to remind us that things that rest on integrity and reputation should never be up for sale.

 

Didn't I say at one time that there is no such thing as a not-for-profit?

However, I do find surprising that a well regarded tax-exempt school is so upfront about changing the tax status of one their branches. Most tax exempt schools are pretty sneaky about their for-profit endeavors.


-S

 

Gee...let me see....which do I want my diploma to say - the University of Illinois or one of the Big 3. That's a no brainer!

 

JoAnn, you're absolutely right.

One of my fears is that a two-tier credential system will develop, and it will matter whether one attends a given university via residency or distance when applying for a job, admission to grad/professional school, etc.

When distance education is treated separately than residential education, and distance students given the less rigorous tutelage at the hands of the academic equivalent of the junior varsity, that day is on the way.

Maybe the diplomas should read "University of Illinois - Phoenix".

 

If this idea spreads to other states, then you are exactly right. This could be the beginning of a huge blow to the credibility of distance education.

So the health sector has gone ($ $ $ $), so it seems distance learning is running right behind it.

What a darn shame.

 

I have to say I am doubtful about this. Many here in Illinois say U of I-Springfield should never have been added to the "flagship" U of I system. If the final product is a UIS degree, it will have that strike against it.

These state school forays into DL seem to be a mixed bag. UMass Online DL degrees seem to be tied to a specific campus, which is presumably the degree granting institution. UMUC (University of Maryland University College) is part of the U of M system but a separate degree-granting institution within that system, so every DL degree should come form the "University College." Penn State seems like the best deal in the sense of the DL degree being a "real" Penn State degree, but the tuition is quite high and I would expect the degree is no slouch.

 

U of I Springfield was the old Sangamon State U. A degree from UIS certainly doesn't possess the same prestige as one from UICU or UIC. Most people in this area are well aware of that fact.

 

Still though, when I hear about public universities (or part of one) going for-profit, it makes me wonder what is the point of having public universities in the first place? It seems that all the public universities are becomming just as profit orientated as the private universities, with the added benefit of being supported by the tax payer.