Factors that influence costs in higher education

Brinkman, Paul T.

doi:10.1002/ir.37019927504

Cited by 4 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 10 publications

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“…Much has been said or written regarding cost increases in higher education (for example, Bowen, 1980;Brinkman 1992;Baumal and Blackman, 1995;Gumport and Pusser, 1995;Leslie and Rhoades, 1995;Clotfelter, 1996;Ehrenberg, 2000;Morphew and Baker, 2004;Middaugh, 2005;Harter, Wade, and Watkins, 2005), including a special study at the behest of Congress (National Commission on the Cost of Higher Education, 1998). As these studies amply demonstrate, there are many reasons that operating costs might increase and many different approaches to understanding the phenomenon.…”

Section: Increasing Costsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Using economic concepts in institutional research on higher education costs

Brinkman

2006

New Drctns for Instit Rsrch

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Institutional researchers are uniquely positioned to provide the information and advice needed to assist administrators and others in addressing a variety of issues involving college and university operating costs. Many other individuals on campus deal with those costs every day, including budget managers as well as accountants who record and document the institution' s financial affairs. Such work is necessary and produces foundational data, but it is not sufficient. Could one reasonably expect cost accountants to address questions such as whether average costs per student were likely to change if the institution were to double in size or whether average costs were lower at other, similar institutions? The answer is clearly no. To address such questions entails not just budgeting or accounting for expenditures but connecting those expenditures to the appropriate inputs and outputs while being attentive to factors that might confound the analysis. It is institutional researchers who create the intersection of these various kinds of data, employ the appropriate analytical routines, and interpret and give meaning to the findings. Economics provides cost-related concepts, models, and empirical findings that can help institutional researchers in successfully undertaking these activities.Institutional researchers have three tasks involving costs and cost analysis: understanding and explaining the nature of costs, determining costs, and interpreting and comparing costs. I comment briefly on each of those 43 3 NEW DIRECTIONS FOR INSTITUTIONAL RESEARCH, no. 132, Winter 2006

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Section: Increasing Costsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Using economic concepts in institutional research on higher education costs

Brinkman

2006

New Drctns for Instit Rsrch

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“…Often, taxpayers perceive higher education to be just another self-interest group and, as a result, reckless financial policies can have adverse consequences for universities in today's unstable financial environment (Anderson and Massy, 1990). At the same time, Brinkman (1992) underlines that higher education has had to respond to a continuing increase in demand for more types of services for more segments of society, including the notions of being available anywhere and to everyone, and offering programs in any field anyone chooses. While growth was especially impressive for universities between 1961 and 1987, the mood was different in the 1990s and much more grim (Pickens, 1993).…”

Section: Issues Facing Higher Education and Other Public Institutionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Even minor issues often prompt extensive debate (Mathews, 1990). The collegial approach to management is timeconsuming, resource intensive and can engender a lack of decisiveness (Brinkman, 1992).…”

Section: Issues Facing Higher Education and Other Public Institutionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Costs for universities are affected by a host of factors. From the institution's perspective, costs per student vary widely by discipline or program owing to differences in the quantity, type, and prices of the inputs required and their utilization (Brinkman, 1992). Brinkman (1992) also highlights that such things as the physical condition of an institution's assets, its climatic and other natural conditions and the characteristics of its employees (age, experience, etc.)…”

Section: Issues Facing Higher Education and Other Public Institutionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Downsizing the university: bonne chance!

Appelbaum

Patton

2002

Intl Jnl of Educational Mgt

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While downsizing is often automatically associated with forprofit organizations, many of the pressures that have led businesses to downsize over the last 20 years have also affected public-sector organizations, including universities. The primary focus of this article is to underline the particular issues and problems facing universities when confronted with pressures to downsize. Begins with a general overview of downsizing and its outcomes, followed by an analysis of downsizing in higher education with an emphasis on three major points: the factors causing universities to consider downsizing; the special nature of universities that makes downsizing particularly difficult; and the downsizing methods used by universities.

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“…Environmental Conditions. Many aspects of the broad environment within which colleges and universities must operate have been identified as leading to higher costs per student: an environment dominated by sciencebased technologies that evolve rapidly, a wide range of students in terms of interests and preparation for college, an intrusive regulatory environment, a litigious society, a society with expansive expectations for higher education, and an economic marketplace that occasionally generates exceptionally high input costs (Brinkman, 1992). Recent examples of the latter include labor market shortages in business and computer professional fields and monopolistic market structures for scholarly journals.…”

Section: What Factors Influence Supplier Costs?mentioning

confidence: 99%