Universities across America -- including Florida -- are sagging under increasing layers of bureaucratic bloat, a new research study reported Tuesday.
While enrollment at the nation's leading universities grew an average of 15 percent from 1993 to 2007, the number of full-time administrators per 100 students ballooned by 39 percent, said Jay P. Greene, a senior fellow with the conservative Goldwater Institute of Arizona.
"In?ation-adjusted spending on administration per student increased by 61 percent during the same period, while instructional spending per student rose 39 percent," wrote Greene, who also heads the Department of Education Reform at the University of Arkansas.
Those disparate patterns prevailed in Florida, as well. According to the study, "Administrative Bloat at American Universities: The Real Reason for High Costs in Higher Education":
- At the University of Florida,thenumber of full-time administrators per 100 studentsincreased 17 percentwhile the number of full-time teachers, researchers and service-providers declined 2 percent.
- At Florida State University, the number of full-time administrators per 100 students increased 35 percent while the number of full-time instructors, researchers and service providers increased 10 percent.
Other state schools posted these administrative and academic/service personnel comparisons.
- University of Central Florida: up 43 percent, up 4 percent.
- Florida Atlantic University: up 81 percent, down 14 percent.
- Florida International University: up 80 percent, down 29 percent.
"A signi?cant reason for the administrative bloat is that students pay only a small portion of administrative costs. The lions share of university resources comes from the federal and state governments, as well as private gifts and fees for non-educational services," wrote Greene and fellow researchers Brian Kisida and Jonathan Mills.
"The large and increasing rate of government subsidy for higher education facilitates administrative bloat by insulating students from the costs. Reducing government subsidies would do much to make universities more efficient," Greene concluded.
Florida's universities, which are imposing double-digit tuition increases this fall to raise revenue, experienced a historic growth spurt during the period studied by Greene.
On Tuesday the State University System of Florida, headed by former FAU President Frank Brogan, questioned the study on several fronts.
"It is challenging at best to develop a response to a long, 15-year period of generally high growth and demand in the State University System of Florida without substantive comment in the study about what, precisely, was occurring at each university that precipitated or caused the various increases and decreases of administrator support," said Kelly Layman, spokeswoman for the system.
"The report of the Goldwater Institute of Arizona is silent on these items, whether that is the adding ofdegrees and programs, or eliminating or conjoining of programs, for instance."
"Further," Layman added, "some administrators also conduct important research, so lumping all administrators in one category may well be 'comparing apples and oranges' in the report and truly ignores the full and true contributions of these administrators at their respective universities. Also, some universities conducted far less research seven or 12 or 14 years ago than they do today."
Other universities raised similar concerns.
Texas university officials, for example, questioned the placement of counselors, deans, accountants, auditors, student services personnel and others without supervisory roles into the study's administrative classification.
Calling it "a simplistic analysis," Arizona State University President Michael Crow said the Goldwater study incorrectly lumped all nonfaculty professors into administration.
Greene, who gathered his data from federal education statistics, responded: None of these are professors teaching classes or engaged in research. In other words, none of them are providing the core functions of the university.
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Contact Kenric Ward at kward@sunshinestatenews.com or (772) 801-5341.
