Part of it is an arms race, much like sports sees going on. Kids want apartments and not dorms, they want classrooms that look more modern with high tech.
There is waste, as there is anywhere. Some day I will retire and will discuss my beliefs on the subject. But a large part of the cost are market forces, kids want fun extracurricular programs, they want nice facilities, etc.
FYI, rumor has it IU has stopped all new construction. I have no idea if that is accurate, but I know the area on tenth where the shopping center was torn down hasn't been built on. The old Poplars area hasn't been built on. They tore down old Yogi's this week, maybe they plan something there.
Slightly off-topic, all Indiana schools are struggling to get in-state students. Yes, that includes IU and PU. Simply put, there's almost no scholarship money for in-state (see article below). This isn't just an Indiana problem. My oldest went to Northern Colorado, her freshman roommate was one of the overachievers who could have went just about anywhere. Her parents were so excited she had a thousand-dollar scholarship to attend. I couldn't tell them our little less high-scoring daughter had a $3000 scholarship. But it all makes sense. If you want to buy my widget for $100, I might not offer you an incentive. If Mark is looking at the same widget for $300, I might well offer him a $100 rebate to close the deal.
So we have incentives that are off. In the context of the market, it makes sense. In the context of what we want universities to do, it is askew.
While high schools across Indiana are educating more students than they have in the past two decades, the state’s college enrollment is at its lowest in recent history. To many,
www.reporter.net
Very interesting. I know iu for a state school accepts more out of state students than many/most
Because 50% are coming from China and India to learn the hard sciences and our profit driven University system sees them as better money makers than native born students?
"when people tell you who they are, believe them".
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our universities have been telling us who they are for some time now, and doing so most publicly through their athletic divisions.
and they have been telling us all that matters is money, and maxing revenues.
IU can make more on the football gate by pricing tickets such that the stadium is half full, than pricing to fill capacity.
or pricing to cover costs.. even cover the costs of all athletics through fball and basketball, which SHOULD be the target pricing goal for a state subsidized tax free non profit.
but state non profit universities aren't pricing to cover expenses, they are pricing to max revenues.
and now behave as corporations, not non profit state subsidized institutions.
when everyone sees what's going on in college athletics today, why would anyone assume the educational side has totally different values or goals.
and the big universities now control our hospitals and healthcare systems, including the doctors.
why would we assume they are running their hospital and healthcare divisions with any different profit goal in mind than their athletic division.
they keep telling us who they are. we should believe them.
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on a side note regarding infrastructure,
IU is and has been tearing down some dorms/student housing and not replacing it, (mostly grad student iirc), while the student body grows or stays the same.
besides Cook, which has long been very very heavily invested in the student apt rental market, i have to wonder who else with influence in IU's decision making is invested in off campus student housing/rentals.
and for those who are so invested, if there are more than just Cook Inc and i'm guessing there are more than Cook, would the demographic make up of IU's student body not be of particular interest to them, especially with the explosion of luxury off campus private student apts.
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