NYU: Corporate U?
Dec 1st, 2008 by Take Back NYU!
More than a few people have taken to calling NYU a corporate university: perhaps the most common refrain among NYU critics is that the school isn’t exactly a school but rather a giant purple real estate corporation, and NYU forces many of its students regard their educational experience as little more than a transaction, lots of money for a degree.
But that’s not to say that NYU is doing a particularly good job being a corporate university - in fact, with rising tuition and high-dollar investments in a failing real estate market, NYU could be getting itself in a serious jam, Bear Stearns style.
In fact, Washington Monthly just published a pretty good article on college costs in the corporate age that suggests NYU could be cruising for a bruising if it continues on its current course. Here’s a quick sample from the article:
But only a few colleges can be in the luxury degree business. (The Ivy League isn’t accepting applications for new members.) Most would sensibly compete for middle-class and value-seeking students, making their case based on student educational and employment results and holding down prices for fear of losing customers to more efficient competitors. Their lust for status based on exclusivity and scholarly renown would be tempered by their obligations to students and the public. Instead of building rec centers and extravagant dorms to compete for students, colleges would be more likely to invest in high-quality courses and reward faculty for their prowess in the classroom. Open-access universities and community colleges, some of which provide a much better learning environment than their more famous peers, would finally have a level playing field on which to compete for students and acclaim. As it stands, price cutting gets colleges nothing, which is why it hardly ever occurs.
Even by the low standards of a fully corporate university, NYU is having trouble. An open discussion on our university’s future is needed to make NYU work better, for all its students. Our school’s future relies on accountability, transparency and democracy. It’s time to Take Back NYU.