Public Higher Education That Works

Mitchel B. Wallerstein is president emeritus and university professor at Baruch College, The City University of New York.

• ContentsPreface  xiiiIntroduction  1Public Higher Education: A Very Brief History  1The Uncertain State of Public Higher Education  2The View From State Capitals  3Pressure to Keep Tuition Low  4Public vs. Private Tuition Cost Divergence  5Enrollment Patterns and Demographics: Public vs. Private  61.  A Brief History of CUNY and Baruch College and Their Enduring Values and Challenges  9CUNY’s Historic Mission: Making Higher Education Affordable and Accessible  11The New York City Fiscal Crisis  12The Failed “Open Admissions” Experiment  14Chronic State Underfunding of CUNY  15The Upstate vs. Downstate Problem  17The Complicated Relationship Between CUNY and Its Constituent Colleges  182.  The Special Character of Baruch and Its Students  21The New York City Tapestry  21Geographic Distribution  24Social and Economic Mobility  24Academic Focus  28International Character  29Careers After Graduation  30Nature vs. Nurture?  313.  How Does Baruch Compare Nationally?  33Academic Quality  33Affordability  37The Geographic Factor  38An Analysis of PHEIs Comparable to Baruch  384.  Challenges Facing Baruch and Other Public Higher Education Institutions  43Political Support for Public Higher Education  43Addressing the Needs of Students Who Commute and Work  46Dealing With a Unionized Faculty and Staff  47Dealing With Severe Space Constraints and Aging Facilities  49Mobilizing Private Philanthropic Support for a Public Institution  535.  Indicators of Baruch’s Success  57Increasing Quality of the Student Body  59Support for Student Success  60New Academic Programs and Initiatives  61Increasing the College’s Endowment  64Developing More Effective Management Tools to Improve Financial Stability  65New and Improved Campus Facilities and Outdoor Space  69Achieving Strong National and Regional Rankings  70Growing National and International Visibility  716.  Does Baruch College Have a “Secret Sauce”?  73Baruch’s Advantageous Position Within the CUNY System  73Does Baruch Have a “Secret Sauce”?  817.  Is the Baruch “Model” Sustainable and Replicable?  83What Explains Baruch’s Academic Success and Financial Stability?  83Can the Baruch College “Model” Be Replicated Elsewhere?  85The Future Sustainability of the “Baruch Model”  888.  Reflections on the Future of Public Higher Education  93The Challenges Facing Higher Education in General  93The Growing Public vs. Private Cost Gap  95Providing an Educated Workforce for the 21st Century  97Reimagining the U.S. Higher Education System  97Conclusion  98Endnotes  101Index  117About the Author  121