Presidents at the University of Texas System's 15 campuses will earn bonuses for increased graduation rates, under a plan approved recently by the Board of Regents. Improvement in other areas such as fund raising would also to trigger pay hikes for top administrators.
The concept is supported by Gov. Perry, according to Will Weissert in the Austin American-Statesman.
This action accelerates the trend toward a business-oriented approach to higher education. Not surprisingly, some academicians are concerned. "[G]rade inflation or making curriculums [sic] less strenuous to ensure graduation rates don't slip might become more-prevalent," the article says.
As reported here frequently, "outcomes-based" funding is a key component of the Coordinating Board's plan to improve graduation rates in all institutions of higher education, including community and technical colleges. See this previous post. The proposals for the 2013 Regular Session of the Legislature would reward institutions, not individuals.
What's next? Giving teachers a raise if they pass more students?
An earlier article in the AAS by Ralph Haurwitz, as the UT plan was being considered, includes the following passage:
Michael Granof, an accounting professor at the Austin flagship, said emphasizing graduation rates could lead to a weakening of academic standards so that students pass their courses.
"The intellectual level of a university can't readily be captured by the measures" contemplated in the proposed plan, Granof said.
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