Category Archives: economics

How high will today’s largest endowments grow by 2055?

How might the richest American colleges and universities develop in the future? I’ve been looking at this small yet superinfluential slice of higher education for a while.  For example, since 2018 I’ve been trying to forecast when the most expensive … Continue reading

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When will the first university or college charge $100,000 per year?

When will the first American college or university charge $100,000 or more to attend? What might that mean for higher education? I first asked this question back in 2018.  I wanted to use that psychologically important six figure price as … Continue reading

Posted in economics, future of education, higher education | Tagged | 17 Comments

Two more queen sacrifices in the planning stage

How might a college or university cope with a financial crisis? One response is to cut academic programs and the faculty who teach in them, aiming to save on labor costs. For years I’ve been tracking examples of these under … Continue reading

Posted in economics | Tagged | 4 Comments

Early signs of struggle for economics and higher ed’s future: more growth versus degrowth

Recently I had two meetings on the same day which resonated with each other in an interesting way.  Both sessions were with academics, a dean and a professor.  They expressed diametrically opposite views on economics and higher ed, and that … Continue reading

Posted in economics | 8 Comments

Biden announces a student loan forgiveness policy

Today president Biden announced a new policy for student debt forgiveness. I’d like to summarize what it offers, share some thoughts, then invite you all to comment. The plan specifies amounts to be forgiven: “The Department of Education will provide … Continue reading

Posted in economics, higher education, politics | 5 Comments

How do we think of our present time, looking to the future? The 2022 Polycrisis and what comes next

Today is a Sunday in northeastern Virginia.  It’s a very warm afternoon now, the temperature around 88°F (31°C) and humidity driving the heat index to 100°F (38°C). The cats are resting inside, sensibly basking in air conditioning after lazing on … Continue reading

Posted in climatechange, economics, futures, politics, visualization | 11 Comments

Discussing higher education, jobs, and inequality with Tony Carnevale

This past Thursday the Future Trends Forum hosted professor Anthony Carnevale, director of Georgetown University’s Center on Education and the Workforce.  Our discussion explored higher education and its many connections to economics, from how to support first-generation college students to … Continue reading

Posted in economics, Future Trends Forum | 13 Comments

Which university or college will be the first to charge $100,000 per year? Checking in on a 2018 forecast

When will the first American college or university charge $100,000 or more to attend for a year?  What might that mean for higher education? I first posed this question in 2018, during the Before Times. The gist was that a … Continue reading

Posted in economics, future of education | 4 Comments

How not to write about the costs of higher ed: another example

The economics of higher ed are notoriously complicated and even shambolic.  Approaching this Byzantine system requires a good amount of research and care just to get started.  Which means it’s very easy to write badly about the topic. Today’s case … Continue reading

Posted in economics | 8 Comments

Have master’s degrees gone too far? A critique and a discussion

Have master’s degrees become a problem? Last week New America’s education policy leader Kevin Carey gave an interview to Slate.  In it Carey and his interlocutor, Jordan Weissmann, argued that American master’s degree* programs have been corrupt and dangerous in … Continue reading

Posted in economics, enrollment, future of education, higher education | 13 Comments