Influence of 1976 – 1993 on Present Day Higher Education
The era of consolidation during 1976 to 1993 molded the institutional system into a familiar model which is reticent of American higher education today. Institutions continued in their diversity stretching beyond only private and public models. Liberals arts colleges, graduate and professional education, community colleges and those specializing in vocational training dotted the American landscape to meet the needs of an ever increasing society of diverse needs.
Private colleges noted considerable financial difficulties as the inflation of the era had an impact on them substantially. Many experts of higher education foretold a time when the private institution would disappear from the contemporary educational landscape. However, due to “their ability to confer degrees upon a greater percentage of their students” (Cohen & Kisker, 2010, p 449) they were an asset to the larger society. Statistics showed that 70 percent of students in the private institutions earned a degree compared to only 53 percent in public (p 449).
Student Body
The greatest differentiation occurred in the demographics of the students in private institutions. At Wayne State University in Michigan graduates only one in ten black students every six years. Compare this statistic to whites which graduate 43.5 percent during the same time frame which is four times greater. Hispanics show the same matriculation deficit demographically. The City University of New York’s Brooklyn College has a 34 percent graduation rate for Hispanics and a 53 percent rate for whites (Gonzalez, 2010). Much of this discrepancy continues due to the socio-economical status for minorities (Greene, 2002).
Higher Education Growth
Public institutions showed a substantial growth rate during this era as universities began spreading and opening branches. Some public institutions combined others to create joint satellite institutions. Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) is a partnership between the public institutions of Purdue University and Indiana University. This small institution boasts the best of both of these entities by offering over 250 degrees including vocational training through doctoral degrees. This tiny institution has grown to over 30,000 students who receive approximately $86.1 million in student aid. Students enjoy the best of both Indiana University and Purdue University without having to pay the inflated tuition costs. IUPUI advertises a lower yearly tuition rate of $6,434 (IUPUI, 2010). Purdue University for the same academic year charges $9,070 (Purdue University, 2010) and Indiana University $8,124 (Indiana University, 2010). The satellite and smaller institutions make education affordable to the masses. 
Liberal arts colleges continued growing despite the prediction of their slow demise. They offered the population smaller class sizes, residential settings and a declining tuition. They relied heavily on donations and advertised their ability to matriculate as well as their personal touch to the individual student. These colleges demonstrated that educational institutions could efficiently balance the needs of the students with the prospect of research and development of their professional faculty (Cohen & Kisker, 2010).
Specializations
As society specialized so did American higher education. Vocations began demanding education to determine their value and solidify their contributions. These demands mandated a new form of higher education such as community colleges and vocational training. Typically, blue collar careers with no education but apprenticeship training entered and demanded validation through education. These mandates led to a society which devalued the importance of apprenticeship and learning through experience (Walden, 2009). However, smaller colleges quickly heeded this call by providing society with specialized curriculum. Experts in these fields scrambled to organize and compile new vocational curriculums such as welding (Williston State College, 2010).
As with many ideas in the American nation, higher education evolved. The Colonial Era represented by nine private institutions, each sponsored by a religious fraction, could not foresee the day of such an intricate educational banquet. It mirrored the needs of a larger society as it “had rules of conduct, sets of shared beliefs, and expectations on the part of students, staff members, and the public” (Cohen & Kisker, 2010, p 330).
The intricacies wove together to create a complicated system of governance, students, staff, faculty, finances and especially curriculum. The fabric of higher education blended together to not only meet the needs of the larger society but to also mold its young citizens into contributing members of this society for the well-being of the greater good. This ultimate goal of higher education was mirrored throughout the system as institutions competed for students.
Each institution boasts of its ability to contribute to the success of individuals, families, corporate America and society. The mission of higher education is “support the economic, cultural and civic vitality of the state through education, research and public service to provide tangible benefits to residents, businesses and communities” (Washington Higher Education Coordinating Board, 2006, p 1). The greatest aspect for every individual to remember is that higher education is a complicated entity.
References
Cohen, A. & Kisker, C. (2010). The shaping of American higher education: Emergence and growth of the contemporary system. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Gonzalez, J. (2010). Reports Highlight Disparities in Graduation Rates Among White and Minority Students. Retrieved from chronicle.com/article/ Reports-Highlight-Disparities/123857/
Greene, J. (2002). Graduation rates in the United States. Retrieved from www.manhattan-institute.org/html/cr_baeo.htm
Indiana University. (2010). Tuition rates 2010 -2011 school year. Retrieved from bursar.indiana.edu/fee_schedule.php
IUPUI. (2010). About IUPUI. Retrieved from www.iupui.edu/about/ facts.html
Purdue University. (2010). Tuition rates. Retrieved from www.purdue.edu/futureboilermaker/costs/tuitionfees.html
Walden, G. (2009). Education: too many students – too few apprentices. Retrieved from www.telegraph.co.uk/education/6874319/Education-too-many-students-too-few-apprentices.html
Washington Higher Education Coordinating Board. (2006). Statewide role and mission of higher education. Retrieved from www.hecb.wa.gov/boardmtgs/documents/TAB14StatewideRoleandMission.pdf
Williston State College. (2010). Welding Courses. Retrieved from www.wsc.nodak.edu/Classes/Course-Descriptions/Welding-Courses.html
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