Four years ago, on January 26, 2014 to be exact, the Association has written an article which discussed and tried to understand US College administrators’ management behaviors, motivations, goals, styles or purpose.  Upon examining college’s mission or statement of purpose, we found out the following words or a collection of words become a standard that can be found at every US college statement of purpose.  Below are a couple of many examples:

• “…. combines high-tech educational facilities and state-of-the-art programs with a focus on teaching for student success”.
• “… we offer exceptional student support services and staff that are eager to help you realize your dreams”.
• “…fosters educational excellence and student success, prepares students for local and global citizenship….”.

The institutions always say, their main focus is the student success.  However, in the past ten years, the graduation rate is more likely to be flat/stagnant, while the tuition has increased faster than the country’s inflation rate; the student loans sky rocketed to about $1.4 trillion; but the administrators’ salary has never been decreased.  You can make a logical conclusion what do these observations and the data tell you.

Then what the State representative from FL has said is correct ” …..the change is necessary so that they (the colleges) are able to live up their mission. Therefore, the students can take the right courses, reduce their debts and graduate on time.

It is fascinating to learn that these college administrators even think that the effort to make improvements that will benefit the students are direct assaults to the students?  These people always use the students as a reason for any proposed changes that will affect their own interests (readers need to read the reactions/comments of this article).  The comments are the reflections of the public’s frustration with the whole and prolonged aren’t funny jokes with expensive price tag that higher ed institutions’ administrators have been showing the American public around for many years.  Wow…

Let us present the data, so that our discussion can be fruitful.  We are all agree that we have a bigger and more important goal for this country, and not just focus on one’s owned interest.  Readers can examine the following research results (over 1K pdf file)and make up your own mind.  What are the college administrators’ true motivation?