Running head: HIGHER EDUCATION 2
HIGHER EDUCATION 2
Higher Education and the Society
Student’s Name
Course Code
Institution Affiliation
Date
As far as students themselves benefit from higher education,
society stands to benefit more. First of all, with many college
graduates, the unemployment rate is reduced. According to
Shafiq, Toutkoushian, & Valerio (2019), research indicates that
the most-poor economies and ones with high unemployment
rates are ones with few higher education graduates. With
college and university graduates, many government services are
made available. Through taxes, college graduates can fund a lot
of activities. Graduates are also likely to benefit society in
many ways, such as community service. A learned society is a
wealthy society.
The burden of financing higher education should be for society

because, as soon as the student graduates, they become
taxpayers. Thus, I would say for the community it is like an
investment. Perna, Leigh, and Caroll (2017) argue that there
have been a lot of developments and quick growth in nations
that have offered free college education to their students.
Therefore, it is only right that public funds from taxpayers
finance their education. And if people pay the fee by
themselves, some would lack the money, thereby making some
students miss the opportunity to study.
The primary tension between the federal policy, state policy,
higher education, and other involved parties is financing and the
public purpose the systems expect from higher education
institutions. No rationale is clearly defined justifying the state’s
spending on higher education institutions, capital, and financial
aid. Also, the state may have higher expectations of the public
purposes they expect higher education institutions to help them
attain, which when they fail, it may be challenging to finance
the institutions.
References
Perna, L. W., Leigh, E. W., & Carroll, S. (2017). “Free
college:” A new and improved state approach to increasing
educational attainment?. American Behavioral Scientist, 61(14),
1740-1756.
Shafiq, M. N., Toutkoushian, R. K., & Valerio, A. (2019). Who
Benefits from Higher Education in Low-and Middle-Income
Countries?. The Journal of Development Studies, 55(11), 2403-
2423.
Vera Discussion:
Hello all,
In the debate of who benefits most from higher
education, the answer, of course, is both. Society as a whole is

made up of individuals for whom education is the mechanism of
change and innovation. Without education, there would not be
civilization, invention, and law. We have evolved to the point
many jobs require some level of higher education and would our
country be seriously hampered if this training and preparation
of the workforce was no longer available (Goldstein, 2018). One
very telling statistic from a recent Forbes magazine article, “In
terms of civic participation, 80.7% of college graduates
reported voting in the last presidential election compared to
56.5% of high school graduates and only 34.7% of individuals
with less than a college education” (Nietzel, 2019 pg. 1, para.
12). Our nation, and ultimately our world is a product of our
cumulative knowledge acquired primarily through using and
educating our minds.
The burden and cost of higher education should be
shared. Whether through taxes, assessment, or other public
means, this should then be cumulative with individual student
contributions. Education should not be completely free, as to
ensure a level of ownership and involvement, but neither should
it be out of the reach of any American child (Tucker, 2020). The
greater problem in the current state of education is the debt
ratio that students now incur while completing their college
degrees. The average living wage for most of those graduates is
nowhere near enough to repay the financial aid they have
received. Making college affordable is paramount to
maintaining access for the next generation (US Department of
Education, 2018).
A significant tension between Federal and State
governments comes in the amount of legislation, regulations,
and quality statistics required from public and private
institutions (Spelling, 2006). Many times these new regulations
are confusing, require funding to meet mandates, and are
difficult to operationalize. Even the most well-intentioned
federal laws can seriously hamper the efforts of state
governments to educate students by stripping academic funding
and reappropriating it towards efforts at compliance with

Federal requirements (Olson, 2017). Along with these hardships
comes the current political mood that desires to ensure colleges
and universities are producing quality metrics and meeting
accreditation goals. While arguably transparency is important, it
is another unfunded task put on the backs of weary college
administrators. There is much work to be done to mitigate and
rework higher education into a more efficient, technological and
innovative model that addresses student debt, federal
regulations, and the political landscape today.
Hope everyone is safe and well,
Vera
Goldstein, S. (2018, June 5). Nine out of 10 new jobs are going
to those with a college degree.
Retrieved
from https://www.marketwatch.com/story/nine-out-of-10-new-
jobs-are-going- to-those-with-a-college-degree-2018-06-04
Nietzel, M. T. (2019, June 18). New Evidence For The Broad
Benefits Of Higher Education.
Retrieved
from https://www.forbes.com/sites/michaeltnietzel/2019/06/17/n
ew-evidence- for-the-broad-benefits-of-higher-education/
Olson, M. (2017). EFFECTS OF FEDERAL EDUCATION
MANDATES ... Retrieved from
https://www.unomaha.edu/college-
oeducation/moec/_files/FinalResearchBrief_Olson.pdf
Spellings, M. (2006, August 31). A Test of Leadership:
Charting the Future of U.S. Higher
Education. Retrieved
from https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED493504
Tucker, M. (2019, March 19). Groundbreaking Maryland
Education Reform Bill Passes in Midst
of Coronavirus Crisis. Retrieved
from http://ncee.org/2019/09/free-higher-education/
US Department of Education. (n.d.). College Affordability and

Completion: Ensuring a Pathway
to Opportunity. Retrieved from
https://www.ed.gov/college
Emily Discussion:
Education is a human right. Every student in the United States
deserves to have access to a free and appropriate public
education. Schools are essential to the natural routine of modern
day life. They provide more than just an education for a lot of
students. They are where students learn their passions, grow in
social interactions and knowledge for future endeavors and
goals. Over the decades, education has shifted from being a
public good (stimulating the economy and producing individuals
who would go back into the marketplace), to a private one;
individuals only care about themselves and hoarding individual
wealth. Education has always been run by finances, but the
focus today seems to be more on how schools, colleges and
universities will receive funding rather than providing students
with a useful education that will benefit them (and society) later
in life.
In my personal opinion, I believe that higher education has
turned into a private good. So many students who wish to attend
college are unable to due to the increase in tuition prices.
Institutions of higher education are forced to increase their
tuition to fund the operation of the college, pay their employees
and maintain updates, renovations and special projects that
would help future students. However, because of the increased
cost, so many students, especially students who come from a
disadvantaged background cannot afford college. According to
St. John, Daun-Barnett, and Moronski-Chapman (2018), the
shift of higher education from being a public good to a private
one has resulted in the increase in inequalities in preparation,
access and success in collegiate settings (p. 8). In my personal
opinion, I believe that these inequalities only continue to
strengthen the perception that individuals who come from

disadvantaged backgrounds cannot attend college and are
therefore not worthy of living the American Dream. Each and
every student who dreams of attending college should have the
opportunity to attend an institution of higher education.
All of that being said, I am not completely convinced that a
college education should be free. I know of the benefits and the
institutionalized structure that not only marginalizes students,
but also prevents certain students from gaining access; however,
I am just not convinced that it would be financially sound. I
believe that the current funding system needs to be restructured
beginning at the elementary level. St. John et. al. (2018) state
that the standardized tests and curriculum that the American
Education System does not set our students up for success, and I
agree with them (p. 10). Funding is a huge component of higher
education and forcing schools to teach to a test does not serve
the students. Students are not learning material that would allow
them to attend college or thrive in the workplace (St. John, et.
al, 2018, p. 10-11). Therefore, I believe that the political
philosophy and ideology that surrounds higher education,
particularly funding, need to be revamped. If we continue with
the neoliberal idea of individual success over social good, then
the inequalities of access, preparation and success of
underprivileged and marginalized students will continue to rise,
as well as increases in student debt and tuition prices. We need
to find a way to meet the needs of the students while also
teaching the importance of perseverance, determination and
self-importance.
Hope that everyone is staying safe and healthy during these
times, and I am looking forward to engaging with everyone over
the next ten weeks!
References
St. John, E. P., Daun-Barnett, N., & Moronski-Chapman, K. M.
(2018). Public policy and higher education: Reframing
strategies for preparation, access and college success (2nd ed.).
New York, NY: Taylor & Francis.