On Monday, The New York Times’ Thomas B. Edsall made a compelling argument that the role of American higher education has been inverted over the last few decades: During the post-World War II economic expansion, college education served “as a springboard to social mobility,” but today it largely reinforces class hierarchies.
An overwhelming majority of young Americans who hold bachelor’s degrees from competitive institutions hail from wealthy or middle-class families. At the same time, educational attainment is becoming a more and more powerful predictor of economic success. The convergence of these trends, Edsall argues, has turned higher education into “an increasingly powerful mechanism for the intergenerational reproduction of privilege.”
Where do UC Berkeley and the UC system fit into the framework that Edsall describes — and what are the implications for the state of California?
Put simply, the UC is an exception to the rule. It has continued to function as a conduit of social mobility, defying the national trend.
Edsall speaks of the preponderance of wealthy and middle class students at competitive universities. Almost 40 percent of UC undergraduates receive Pell Grants, which are typically for students with family incomes below $50,000. In fact, four UC campuses — Berkeley, Los Angeles, San Diego, and Davis — each enroll more Pell Grant recipients than the entire Ivy League combined.
Edsall speaks of a perpetually widening income achievement gap. The UC system enrolled more low-income students in 2010-2011 than ever before.
Edsall speaks of declining access to a university education for low-income students. The cost of a UC education for low-income students has fallen since 2004 despite enormous budget cuts, and beginning next fall, UC Berkeley will offer a sweeping financial aid package unprecedented among public universities.
Edsall speaks of polarization within higher education — the growing socioeconomic divide between students at community colleges and students at competitive universities. The UC helps bridge the gap substantially by enrolling more than 11,000 community college transfers each fall.
Edsall speaks of the “reproduction of privilege.” 42 percent of UC students are the first in their families to attend college, a proportion unparalleled at any of UC’s peer institutions.
The UC Office of the President put it concisely in a 2010 report: “The University of California has been unmatched among top-tier U.S. research universities in its ability to enroll a socioeconomically diverse student body.”
Edsall’s observations throw the UC’s singular commitment to accessibility into sharper relief. While higher education around the country increasingly serves to reinforce the socioeconomic status of the well-off, the UC has managed to retain its character as a socioeconomic equalizer.
But the fact that the UC has been successful in this regard does not mean it will continue to be. As every UC student knows, the University’s financial position is fragile at best. If state lawmakers continue to hack away at the UC budget, tuition will continue to skyrocket, quality will continue to erode and the UC will lose its ability to equalize opportunity for all qualified California students.
Wealth inequality in America is soaring to unprecedented heights and the sense of conflict between the rich and poor is rising. The state of California, by steadily dimishing the UC’s share of the state budget, is threatening to destroy the best tool it has to combat these trends.
More than anything else, Edsall’s analysis underscores the magnitude of what is at stake in the fight for public higher education in California. If lawmakers fail to reinvest in the UC, it will undergo a transformation mirroring that of higher education nationwide: from an engine of mobility to an engine of “the reproduction of privilege” from generation to generation.
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All the low income students who want to rise up and out of poverty using other people’s money should try and pursue a marketable degree which will actually help them achieve that. This way, they can be more successful and the state of California can gain something from the money invested into these students’ education.
Some of these commentators act like UCBerkeley has affirmative action. It doesn’t.
The author makes the assumption that just getting into UC is a ticket to a high paying job. But we all know that is not true. Students have to pick a hot major and perhaps continue with professional schools to get a lucrative job. Many low income students from UC use up 4-6 years of Pell and Cal grants only to graduate with an unmarketable Humanities degree so California gains nothing from these graduates. If the author wants to improve opportunities for low income students, the place to invest is community colleges, vocational schools, and perhaps CSU, but not UC. UC should focus on research, innovation, and advancement of human knowledge for California’s top students without trying to engineer social change through discriminatory admissions policies.
The author concludes by calling on lawmakers to reinvest in UC. Why should they do that when a quarter of the admissions are reserved for out of state students? Based on widespread anecdotal evidence, Californians see a diminishing probability of their kids getting into UC’s top 4 campuses, so they tell their lawmakers to stop raising taxes.
“The state of California, by steadily dimishing the UC’s share of the state budget, is threatening to destroy the best tool it has to combat these trends.”
The Lib infestation in SACTO led by Moonbeam is destroying our economy and hence, Cal.
State Controller John Chaing continues to uphold the California Great Seal Motto of “Eureka”, i.e., ‘I have found it’. But what Chaing is finding as Controller is that California’s economy as measured by tax revenues is still tanking. Compared to last year, State tax collections for February shriveled by $1.2 billion or 22%. The deterioration is more than double the shocking $535 million reported decline for last month. The cumulative fiscal year decline is $6.1 billion or down 11% versus this period in 2011.
While California Governor Moonbeam promises strong economic growth is just around the corner, Chaing proves that the best way for Sacramento politicians to hurt the economy and thereby generate lower tax revenue, is to have the highest tax rates in the nation.
California politicians seem delusional in their continued delusion that high taxes have not savaged the State’s economy. Each month’s disappointment is written off as due to some one-time event.
Lesson for Cal Kiddies: Vote SACTO Libs out and save UC.
The issue with UC is that slots that belong to more academically qualified and deserving members of the middle class are currently occupied by less academically qualified members of the lower, upper middle and upper classes.
http://i43.tinypic.com/2h5733a.jpg
Another blathering tool without a clue…
you are projecting again,tony.
You obviously heard your name called.