Syllabus

Financing Higher Education, E98.2117
NYU School of Education, Program in Higher Education
Professor Keith Jepsen
25 West 4th Street, Classroom C-1
Voice-mail: (212) 998-4480
E-mail: keith.jepsen@nyu.edu

Goal:

The goal of the course is to provide students with basic information about how higher education is financed, as seen from the point of view of students/parents, colleges and universities, state/federal governments (the taxpayers) and private foundations. College and university administrators as well as "consumers" need this information to be more effective.

Description:

This course will often use seminar style class discussion of weekly written assignments, lectures/presentations, guest experts, and culminate in a term paper or presentation. There will be no examinations (gaining 2-3 class sessions). At the beginning of each class meeting students will deliver a one page (one side only please) memorandum (see example) to the professor with copies to all classmates. At each class students will be prepared to give a 3-minute oral presentation using the memo as a "springboard" (don't just read it). The memo is to summarize one article, book, or other reading (not the Chronicle, which should be read weekly) about questions/issues in financing higher education, without repeating a previous journal, book, etc. and hopefully contributing to the student's term paper. The sooner a student chooses a term paper/presentation topic the more likely that weekly memoranda will be "two-fers." Each week's memo should list the author and title as well as summarize the reading. IMPORTANT: It should end with a brief conclusion of the student's own opinion about the reading, the author's presentation of the ideas, or the student's answer to the "so what" question. That is, "so what" will/could this reading mean to the student as (s)he goes about work in higher education now or in the future. If nothing else this student's section should state if the student agrees or disagrees with the author as well as why or why not.

The term paper should be no less than ten pages and address some aspect (student's own choosing, but with the consent of the professor) of financing higher education. It is to be preceded by a short "proposal" which should include at least: (1) the subject; (2) what questions the student will seek to answer; (3) what ten or more references/sources will be used, and; (4) how answering the questions or writing the paper could contribute to the student's career. The paper must include the student's own view(s) answering the "so what" question. No "string of pearls"! A class presentation of equivalent effort may be substituted for the term paper with the consent of the professor.

Grades:

Grades will be based upon the paper/presentation (50%), the weekly memoranda (30%), and class participation/discussion (20%). Be ready. Don't be late. There will be 60% deduction of weekly point value (10 point system) of the memo for being late to class and/or late delivery of the weekly memo. When the student comes into class (s)he places the original and X copies of the memo in his/her folder and takes out the graded memo from the previous week.

Questions!

The course is based upon asking questions and getting answers. Some you'll ask and the professor will answer. Some the class will answer. Some the professor will ask and the class will answer. Each class will answer at least one question and raise question(s) for future class(es).

Raise questions. The one(s) selected for future discussion/research may be yours and your classmates could be helping you do research for your paper. (Remember, the weekly one-page memo could help you more if it's about your semester term paper topic, especially if your classmates are writing memoranda about your topic.)

Readings (you are not restricted to the reference list):

The extensive reference list provided represents many years of study in higher education, particularly financing higher education. You are encouraged to begin immediately familiarizing yourself with the various periodicals, books, etc. See especially the Congressional Information Service SRI and ASI described in the Bobst Library references. While no single entry is "required" your weekly memos will be facilitated by choices from among these listings. Two of the best on the recommended list are the 1990 and 1994 editions of the ASHE Reader on Finance in Higher Education, edited by Leslie/Anderson and David Breneman respectively. Also very highly recommended are three volumes by the National Commission on Responsibilities for Financing Postsecondary Education: (1) Financing Higher Education in the 21st Century: A Summary of Seminars and A National Symposium, (2) Background Papers and Reports, and (3) Making College Affordable Again: A Final Report. All five titles are on reserve in Bobst. The Breneman edition of the ASHE Reader (1994) and the three National Commission volumes can also be purchased at the bookstore. Another recommended title (available here and on the References bibliography) is Financing Postsecondary Education: The Federal Role (U.S. Department of Education). In addition each student will receive (distributed at the first class session) a free copy of the Almanac issue of the Chronicle of Higher Education. As mentioned above, the weekly assignment includes choosing a different source each week. Do not repeat journals, books, etc. No more than five (5) memoranda can be from the ASHE Reader(s). Also, you will receive a 20% bonus if your memo is about the "question of the week." A tentative list of questions to be answered during the course will be presented at class #2 and will be based upon the "survey"/discussion during class #1.

Office hours:

Use the professor's voice-mail or E-mail to arrange appointments during office hours. Office hours are available by calling Global Student Loan Corporation (GSLC) on (212) 736-9666. GSLC is headquartered in the Empire State Building, 34th Street and Fifth Avenue, Suite 2416.

Voice-Mail:

To best provide for convenient and important class communications during this course, each student will be assigned an NYU voice "mailbox" [if (s)he does not already have one] and is expected to use the system to send and receive messages to another student, groups of students, the whole class, and/or the professor anytime 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, from anywhere in the world. (For the unfamiliar, there will be a brief demonstration of voice-mail features during class #1.) Students are expected to monitor their voice-mail at least once a day, and on Tuesdays before leaving for class in case of announcements, etc.