Kolek planning to go pro
Marquette should be planning to accomplish two major items: (1) down size the number of students - changes are happening in demographics AND a four year college education will be less and less important (we are already seeing this trend) with the ability to more easily assess the ability to do/learn, etc and (2) more scholarships - more generous scholarships - the scholarship arms race has begun and schools that are expensive and don't recruit the best students and offer generous scholarships will continue to slip. Both of these seem so obvious. I"ve been saying this for a long time and most have shot it down and say we need to expand or stay large. They say we have all of these buildings, etc, and you can't just downsize. Well, change is upon us, get out front or perish. Online education is coming. A nice expensive 4 year degree will be like studying the classics at Oxford... a great thing indeed, but not for most or what most will want and seek out.
Marquette tuition has skyrocketed over the last 5 yrs
tuition everywhere has.
It's very concerning and Lovell should be on the hot seat. The Board has to be asking questions.
However, because of free trade and the opportunity of the US economy, immigration has again changed the demographic dynamics where the so called US minority will soon be the majority. More and more, any college-aged students will be first generation. Guess what? That has historically been MU's wheelhouse. Instead, we have discussions about higher scores and standards, limiting or no JUCOs, need to term ourselves "elite" to attract East Coasters, raising tuition to cover, have to be like ND or Georgetown, get rid of the FFP, etc. That is not our wheelhouse...and the cracks are showing. This is the school that first took women, was the genesis of Early Start and Peace Corps programs, made service hours mandatory, and took in cracked sidewalks kids who played disciplined ball under a coach who used it to break down social barriers. We have lost our way people.
I have said this before, but the Millennials are the most educated generation in the history of earth. This comes from the GI Bill after WWII where Boomer parents who returned had access to college, and that set the expectation that their Boomer kids, both male and female should too. And then, this led to the expectation that their kids (Millennials) should also go.However, because of free trade and the opportunity of the US economy, immigration has again changed the demographic dynamics where the so called US minority will soon be the majority. More and more, any college-aged students will be first generation. Guess what? That has historically been MU's wheelhouse. Instead, we have discussions about higher scores and standards, limiting or no JUCOs, need to term ourselves "elite" to attract East Coasters, raising tuition to cover, have to be like ND or Georgetown, get rid of the FFP, etc. That is not our wheelhouse...and the cracks are showing. This is the school that first took women, was the genesis of Early Start and Peace Corps programs, made service hours mandatory, and took in cracked sidewalks kids who played disciplined ball under a coach who used it to break down social barriers. We have lost our way people.
However, because of free trade and the opportunity of the US economy, immigration has again changed the demographic dynamics where the so called US minority will soon be the majority. More and more, any college-aged students will be first generation. Guess what? That has historically been MU's wheelhouse.
Not sure about that, Doc.You can look at schools like Notre Dame, which was also historically considered a "blue-collar" school, and they are now considered elite. Many Catholic colleges were founded because our religion was heavily discriminated against (look at College of the Holy Cross, as another example of a "blue collar" school which is now considered elite).I think Marquette investing heavily and striving to be better with its academic requirements is a worthy cause and a smart move.But I completely agree with your suggestion that Marquette should never lose its focus on helping those who may need help, whether it's immigrant families or under served communities.I think a balance can be achieved, where the academic reputation and resources continue to improve (and therefore become more interesting to academic over achievers) while still never forgetting and adhering to the original foundation and principles of yesteryear.