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Quality vs. Efficiency is the question - A Dartmouth Video

Submitted by: Bobby Rettew on Jul 01, 2009 at 2:10 am Tagged with: Bobby Rettew, budget cuts, Dartmouth, Education, fundraising Source: Bobby Rettew

The Video States:
"Dartmouth creates a world-class product, discounts the price fifty-four percent, gives and additional discount for certain buyers...then begs for money." - Ernie Parizeau '79

Quality education or save money? Hmm...the people at Dartmouth have something going here! Can being so focused on saving money force us down a path to an idea of "efficiency"...the argument where if we wanted to be efficient in higher education, we would just hire all graduate students or to teach all of our classes to save a buck.

This video get's right to the point...the point that has been missing here in South Carolina. Are we focusing on too many ways to save a buck when it comes to education...what if we focus on quality and the creation of revenue for our schools.

Now, I know that most people that have been engrained in the budget cuts here in South Carolina (and around the country) are thinking....their is no money AT ALL. Yes, I understand. But...at some point we have to create an equal aim to cutting budgets that is equally focused on creating a revenue stream for education...one that is focused on quality.

Ernie does have a point...should we be comparing Higher Education here in South Carolina to the way Wall Street and Main Street do business? (FYI...I am not a big fan of the term Main Street, but oh well) It is dollars and cents, the balance sheet does not lie. So, is it perception. Is it the aim of "fundraisers" of higher education to sell quality to help offset the declining state funded budgets? Will public institutions of higher learning become private because of all the private dollars being raised to support the deficit?

Dartmouth is underwriting close to 37% of the yearly cost of college by charitable gifts....WOW! Is there a way to find a similar business model for public education here in South Carolina?

Is a recession a good thing? You know, a good ole fashion spring cleaning to get rid of the "fat" and re-allocate resources in areas that provide the quality? There is a good process to a house cleaning...especially when it comes to the balance sheet. To really take a good look where you place value...what is a necessity. How do we judge value and place in the column of must keep?

So...that 37% that is underwritten to support quality education at Dartmouth...what if you were only able to raise 36%. What happens to that 1% of quality at Dartmouth that was not underwritten that year...where is it cut?

One thing that I heard President Barker of Clemson University say about fundraising that really impacted me is this: the hardest part of fundraising for the general operation budget at a public institution is that you cannot put a donor's name on chalk, bandwidth, water, the necessities. Donors want to give where they can put a name on a building, walkway, etc...where they can leave a legacy.

Bottomline...my thoughts on this one. Give if you can give to higher education...especially your alma mater. Help provide grants to public schools to offset the declining budgets. SCREAM for REFORM!!! It is time to focus on quality not education through efficiency...well, efficiency that compromises quality. DEFINE YOUR QUALITY!

My rant is over! I liked this little video from Dartmouth.