Are our Colleges and Universities really in the Education Business? | Eastern North Carolina Now

    If you want to find out the real purpose of something, follow the money.

    This is a follow up post based on comments between Stan and I on my original post What is the price for citizenship in the United States? Stan suggested that I turn the comments into a article for BCN. Here is a somewhat expanded version of those comments and some extracts from UNC-Chapel Hill website.

    Stan:

    I have two daughters, who are big Bernie supporters, and both have no real understanding of our founding documents after years of having me as a father, and both are poor at math, which also I had nothing to do with. Both have degrees in art from the prestigious East Carolina University School of Art, which does not explain their ineptitude in math, because I too have a background in art and design, and I understand math far better than most.

    The only thing that I know explains all this is the our poor education system in North Carolina - top to bottom - for even now, I have a hard time breaking through the indoctrination shell to expose them to real higher learning, far beyond that which East Carolina University can offer on many important subjects.

    I say that it must be our poor North Carolina education system, because my children are not alone in having a poor grasp of what is real, and what is real knowledge. What do I mean by saying that both of my graduated daughters are not alone: Most people around here that I meet think inside 'the box', and that box is getting smaller every day. Someone should tell them; show them.

    This is the world I live in here in eastern North Carolina. Tell me Bobby Tony: What is it like in northeast Georgia?


    Bobby Tony: (reply)

    My current home is about 45 miles up I-85 northeast of Atlanta and I guess it would be considered as a growth area. Two exits up I-85 to the north from mine is still rural Jackson County with population density was 178.1 inhabitants per square mile and two exits down I-85 South is the Mall of Georgia with congestion and Gwinnett County with a population density of 1,871.2 inhabitants per square mile

    The political mix is about 80% for Jackson County Republican based on the 2012 election results. I also have a condo in Decatur, Ga which is the melting pot of Liberalism and is about 80% Democratic based on the 2012 election.

    My circle of acquaintances is not too politically active without any big axes to grind but mostly lean toward conservative. I think it is fair to say that many do not like Obama based on a mix of policies and some simmering bigotry. Decatur on the other hand is just the opposite with most loving the President's policies and accusing everyone who does not as bigots. The difference is that my conservative friends usually believe in the "live and let live philosophy" while my liberal friends believe that you are brain damaged and dangerous if you do not subscribe to their "circle of tolerance" for all things liberal.

    Given our history of oppression of blacks and gays, I think the pendulum has swung to the far left in today's political climate. It just proves human nature is content with their prejudices as long as they have an adequate support group. Our College campuses and enclave neighborhoods are divided into groups of likeminded people. It seems we have never learned to just tolerate others opinions. If you use the definition of bigot as a person who is intolerant toward those holding different opinions, both sides are about equal in their disdain for opposing views.

    Similar to the segregation and Jim Crow laws of the 1950s, now the progressives (i.e. Liberal =same) want to use the same power of government to force their opinion and laws on others. Human Nature has not changed a bit since the beginning of time.

    I fault the breakdown of the family unit for most of this lack of respect for others but I freely admit that our higher learning institutions are populated and controlled by far left leaning professors who are more interested in indoctrination than education.

    Interestingly enough these Universities exist under the protection of non-profit entities, which abuse the students with higher, and higher tuition while amassing large grants and endowments that are used for everything but education. The entire student loan program is a rip-off to transfer money from the students to the universities(both private and public) and then blame the working society for the problems of overburdened debt.

    Private Universities are most egregious of this abuse but even Public State Universities are nonprofit largely funded by the States, which allows them to offer lower tuition than a private institution.


    Expanded Thoughts on our Higher Re-education System:
             (Source UNC Financial pdf)

    Here is just one example using the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill as an example. (Any University most likely would be the similar, so I am not just picking on UNC but use it as an example for NC residents.)

    Here is total revenue:

    Here are the operating Expenses:

    Here is the above in Chart format with Percent show:

    Out of $2.9 Billion revenue, they spend $675 Million on instruction. This is a good deal for students, as their tuition does not cover the cost of the instruction and is already partially funded by taxpayers. That apparently is a second business for UNC as it is with any University. It is called "Research".

    I am aware that numbers can be twisted and interpreted to show any number of points. I am not trying to pick on UNC but point out that the area of education is more than just educating students. It is a business that is subsidized already by a tax-free status and every University engages in a variety of fields beyond just classroom instruction.

    So the next time you hear about free tuition for state universities, maybe it would be wise to stop the charade of special tax treatment for mega private institutions. See the article below for more information on the tax breaks for Private Universities like Harvard, Stanford, Yale, etc.

    The Rich University -The Mother of all Tax Breaks

    DISCLAIMER: I believe that UNC is a fine institution of higher learning and is used here merely for illustrative purposes. I am not some Hick Georgia bumpkin trying to tell you how to run your Universities. "How bout them DAWGS"?
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