College: Bigger not always better

Oct. 31, 2011 - PRLog -- LINFIELD COLLEGE

It’s October, and Oregon’s college students are back in the classroom. According to a recent report, most of them won’t graduate. They’ll join young people all across America who are slated to become the first generation with less education than their parents.

The national report about public universities revealed some alarming statistics for Oregon. Even though pundits urge students, especially first-generation students, to enroll at community colleges, the report points out that many will not graduate, and at other public institutions, only 30 percent will graduate in four years. The longer it takes, the more likely it is that students will abandon the process.

What the report neglected to say is this: Oregon’s independent colleges graduate a much higher percentage of their students, in less time, at a fraction of the cost to the taxpayers. In fact, private college students are more than twice as likely to graduate in four years as students at public universities.

There is a reason our colleges do so well. In our society, advertisers rush to claim that bigger is better. Don’t believe them, especially when it comes to higher education. Students thrive in small classrooms. They do better academically when professors know them by their first name. Many small liberal arts colleges in Oregon are ranked among the nation’s best, but while most of these institutions value research and publications, students are our first priority.

Students also come first when we develop our budgets. We offer scholarships and financial aid to 90 percent of our students; in fact, many Linfield students have told me that thanks to financial aid, it is less expensive to come to our school than to a public university. Students from financially challenged families’ receive, on average, $17,000 in aid each year, and we enroll as many low-income students as our major public universities do. We also attract a diverse student body; one fifth of our students are students of color.

I am not an economist, but I read and think about the economy a lot. I also think about its impact on our students. Recently, we have heard an intense national debate about whether a college degree is a good investment. We are experiencing tough economic times, and I am painfully aware that not all students will be able to parlay their degrees into jobs as soon as they graduate. This is an urgent concern of education leaders across the nation.

But although unemployment is troubling, and although our students now compete with graduates pouring out of universities in China, India and elsewhere, there remains a shortage of skilled and talented workers, according to the highly respected journal The Economist. The unemployment rate is less than five percent for college graduates, and national surveys reveal that many employers still want to hire 22-year-olds who can write coherently, think creatively and analyze quantitative data. They’re perfectly happy to hire English or biology majors.

When we look at the educational landscape in Oregon, it’s important to recognize the value of all colleges, public and private. I and my colleagues at Oregon institutions share the same mission: to offer high-quality education at an affordable price, to make sure our students are not left behind in the global job market, and to help them create lives of meaning and purpose.


Opinion column by Linfield College President Thomas L. Hellie, reprinted from the Statesman Journal. Dr. Hellie serves on the executive committee for both the Oregon Independent College Foundation and the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities.

# # #

Linfield illuminates the power of a small college, and is recognized for arts, sciences and professional programs, international emphasis and commitment to social responsibility.