I always wondered why the cost of obtaining a college education has almost tripled since I graduated from Tufts in 1998.  It’s only been about 15 years.  I read an article that talked about how when one college raises its pricetag, the other area colleges or colleges within the same level of competitiveness feel the need to raise their prices as well to maintain a certain image.  If a school was substantially lower in cost, then students and parents perceived the school as having less value or not being as good as the more expensive one.  While I found this article troubling, I accepted the author’s explanation because the psychology behind the consumer’s thinking made sense to me.  Well, this article sheds new light on what else is also going on.  Why are schools more willing to hire administrators than professors?  What is that all about?  I’m glad that some state schools are re-examining their staff duties to see where work is being duplicated.  Being accountable to taxpayers, state schools seem to be on the right path about this issue.

http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2012-11-21/the-troubling-dean-to-professor-ratio