Putting the Ivory Tower Together Again: Identifying and Fixing the Faults

There seems to be widespread agreement that America’s Ivory Tower has many cracks, rests on a leaning foundation, and can be prohibitively expensive. But there is little consensus when it comes to identifying the culprits behind the decay. Some say it’s tenure, others say it’s flawed accreditation. Some point the finger at for-profit schools, others at state disinvestment … and the list goes on. Of course, not everyone can be right. Or can they? In this special conference, which uses as its stepping-off point the new Cato volume Unprofitable Schooling: Examining Causes of, and Fixes for, America’s Broken Ivory Tower, top experts will scrutinize many of the most popular suspects for higher ed’s decline and will debate potential policy changes to which their conclusions point. The discussion will be especially timely as the 116th Congress begins its work, including tackling the overdue reauthorization of the Higher Education Act.

Schedule

8:45 - 9:15AM	REGISTRATION
9:15 - 9:25AM	WELCOMING REMARKS Todd Zywicki, George Mason University Foundation Professor of Law, Antonin Scalia Law School; and Senior Fellow, Cato Institute
9:25 - 10:45AM	PANEL I: DON’T KNOW MUCH ABOUT HIGHER ED HISTORY To fix the ivory tower, we need to know something about how it was constructed, why, and its record of performance. Indeed, we need to ask if it has ever worked as well as we would like. Richard Vedder, Professor Emeritus of Economics, Ohio University Joshua Hall, Professor of Economics, and Director, Center for Free Enterprise, West Virginia University John Thelin, Professor of Higher Education and Public Policy, University of Kentucky Stephen Gavazzi, Professor, Department of Human Sciences, the Ohio State University Moderated by Corey DeAngelis, Policy Analyst, Center for Educational Freedom, Cato Institute Download a video of the Welcoming Remarks and Panel I Download a podcast of the Welcoming Remarks and Panel I
10:45 - 10:55AM	BREAK
10:55AM - 12:15PM	PANEL II: WHERE WE ARE TODAY There are myriad perceived problems with American higher education, from potentially bloated faculty, administration, or both, to unbridled greed. How many problems truly infest the ivory tower? Todd Zywicki, George Mason University Foundation Professor of Law, Antonin Scalia Law School; and Senior Fellow, Cato Institute Roger Meiners, Professor of Economics, University of Texas–Arlington Lee Fritschler, Professor Emeritus, Schar School of Policy and Government, George Mason University Benjamin Ginsberg, David Bernstein Professor of Political Science and Chair of the Hopkins Center for Advanced Governmental Studies, Johns Hopkins University Moderated by Emily Wilkins, Education Reporter, Bloomberg Government Download a video of Panel II Download a podcast of Panel II
12:15 - 1:15PM	LUNCHEON DISCUSSION Judith Eaton, President, Council for Higher Education Accreditation Download a video of the Luncheon Discussion Download a podcast of the Luncheon Discussion
1:15 - 2:35PM	PANEL III: IS COMPETITION THE KEY TO GETTING THE TOWER BACK IN ORDER? Is higher education inherently broken, or do we just need tweaks like simplifying financial aid applications? Maybe the problem is too much profit-seeking … or not enough. Or maybe the incentives for everyone are just wrong. David A. Hyman, Professor of Law, Georgetown University; Adjunct Scholar, Cato Institute Michael DeBow, Steven Everett Wells Professor of Municipal Law, Samford University Sandy Baum, Fellow, Education Policy Program, Urban Institute James Kvaal, President, Institute for College Access and Success Moderated by Laura Meckler, Education Reporter, Washington Post Download a video of Panel III and Closing Remarks Download a podcast of Panel III and the Closing Remarks
2:35 - 2:45PM	CLOSING REMARKS Neal McCluskey, Director, Center for Educational Freedom, Cato Institute
2:45 - 3:15PM	RECEPTION AND BOOK SIGNING Unprofitable Schooling edited by Todd Zywicki and Neal McCluskey Land-Grant Universities for the Future by Stephen Gavazzi and Gordon Gee Going to College in the Sixties by John Thelin Fall of the Faculty by Benjamin Ginsberg Overcharged by Charles Silver and David Hyman The Coming Death and Future Resurrection of American Higher Education: 1885–2017 by Richard Bishirjian