Labor College’s Deal Questioned

by E Wayne Ross on January 19, 2010

Inside Higher Ed: Labor College’s Deal Questioned

At many faculty gatherings these days, one hears quips and complaints about for-profit higher education. Professors who value what they consider essential and eroding traditions — a significant tenure-track faculty and the centrality of the liberal arts, for example — resent the adjunct-heavy, career-education dominant model of higher education that is widely used in for-profit higher ed. As a result, many faculty advocates are skeptical not only about for-profit higher education, but about the growing number of alliances between nonprofit colleges and for-profit colleges. A common criticism of these partnerships is that they shift the focus away from traditional academic programs into areas that are seen as more lucrative (and that generally are more career-oriented).