Here's a link to Chapter 1 of Richard Ruch's book: Higher Ed, Inc: The Rise of the For-Profit University A few snippets: I must confess that until a few years ago I thought that all proprietary institutions were the scum of the academic earth. I could not see how the profit motive could properly coexist with an educational mission. ... Having now lived in and studied the view from the other side, I see that I was wrong in my unexamined beliefs about the for-profits, naïve about what it means to be in it for the money, and misinformed about the nature of the profit motive in higher education. ... The increasing respectability of the for-profit institutions and their growing visibility within the higher-education community is evidenced by their meeting and maintaining the standards for accreditation by the regional associations and by other professional accrediting bodies. ... In the past, for-profit institutions struggled to meet the accreditation standards, and even when they did, the accrediting bodies were sometimes reluctant to grant accreditation to these institutions because of their "proprietary" status (see chapter 6). In today's outcomes-assessment environment, to deny accreditation to a for-profit college or university when it meets or exceeds the published standards would probably bring charges of restraint of free trade. ... The for-profit providers have aligned themselves with the public's expectation that a good college education should result in employability. Employability, however, is not all they provide, for real teaching and learning also occur in these institutions. ... No clear, uniform understanding has emerged about what constitutes a proper university education. Instead, there are several different models and philosophies of higher education, just as there is considerable mission diversity among universities. The for-profit institutions are simply part of higher education's philosophical diversity and multiple missions. ... My years in the for-profit educational sector have taught me that the two factors above all others that drive profitability are educational quality and customer service. No for-profit college or university can survive without providing both a reasonably high-quality educational experience and a high level of customer service. If someone imagines that these institutions make profits merely because they offer a substandard education on a massive scale, they are largely mistaken. ... I'd like to quote more, but I'm pushing the limits already. Good reading...
I couldn't stop reading it !! Thank's for the link. It is a compelling article and I couldn't stop reading it. I printed out all 18 pages for future review. It is certainly thought provoking. The work runs counter to the earlier postings concerning Proit Vs. Non-Profit in this forum. Regards, Dick
